PHOTO: RYAN WIJAYRATNE
PRINCIPAL: HIRANTE WELANDAWE LOCATION: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
Architecture often emerges as a physical manifestation of a city's soul. In post-war Jaffna—a city limping back to normalcy— architect Hirante Welandawe has created a home that responds as much to the client, as to its context. Welandawe has worked across typologies and countries—including India, where she worked as a trainee at the New Delhi-based firm Stein, Doshi & Bhalla. She excels at creating meaningful spaces with a fuss-free eloquence. For this house, she had the homeowners, who had lived through the strife, dig deep within for experiences that had left an indelible mark. The result is a space that reflects their desire to turn inwards, away from the uncontrollable reality of the world they inhabited, and find solace, security, and a measure of control.
建筑文摘:我什么因素扮演了一个角色n facilitating your vision for the house? Hirante Welandawe: We usually get clients to write a diary, to help us personalize the project. My clients had been subjected to some traumatic experiences during the war years, which had made them highly sensitive to security threats. Conversations with them helped conceptualize the house as a post-war expression of Jaffna society.
AD: How did that translate into the design? HW: Pre-war bungalows in the city had street-facing verandas; this house turns inwards, into private family courtyards. Here, the street-facing ‘closed box' is a metaphor for an inward- focused family. It's an expression of the client's observation— about how people turn inwards in the face of continued violence and politicization of society. The front door, opening out to a yard, is also screened by a wall, giving a sense of security. Toughened glass has been used for all the doors.
AD: What drove the material selection? HW: We like to be sustainable and meaningful in our choice of materials. In Ja na, the 30-year war had caused a disconnect in construction-based skills, which are usually passed from craftsman to apprentice. Jaffna's traditional building material is coral, which is environmentally protected, so currently almost all the materials are brought from the southern regions. We wanted to use local materials as far as possible; so the cement, sandstone blocks, and timber were locally sourced. The street- facing closed ‘box' has local palmyra wood lining.
