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buildings in India, Indonesia, Singapore
and beyond, blending the clean lines of
Le Corbusier with the local vernacular
and natural surround. Of the Bawa-built
structures that survived the ravages of
time and tropical weather, Lunuganga—an
abandoned British rubber estate turned
passionate pleasure garden lovingly
cultivated over decades—is the most
t is always a thrill to move inside a
space once inhabited by a vaunted
architect of a particular time. But
when that architect is Geoffrey
Bawa, both the flag-bearer and
best-known proponent of Tropical
Modernism, and the space is Lunuganga,
his sumptuous Sri Lankan estate, that
prospect is even more alluring, as a new
wave of Southeast Asia travelers have
discovered now that Bawa's half-century
obsession has been transformed into an
exquisite and immersive hotel.
One of Asia's most important and influential
architects of the 20th century, Bawa is
the rare figure to have experienced both
colonial and post-independent Sri Lanka,
and he purchased the property in 1948,
the same year that the island nation was
liberated from British rule. Most prolific in
his native homeland, Bawa also designed
42 DIGS.NET
| 12.1.23
