- Year: 2015
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Photographs:Eresh Weerasuriya
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Manufacturers: Grohe, American Standard, Toto, Union
Text description provided by the architects. The house, which is situated in the leafy suburb of Baddagana Pita-Kotte, is arrived at after traveling through a network of narrow winding roads, at the end of a gently sloping lane. At arrival one is absorbed by the natural beauty of the terrain, with breathtaking views of the adjoining marshes and the lush green vegetation of Diyawanna Bird Sanctuary.
This Simple mono sloped steep roofed House is designed to overlook the adjoining Diyawanna Marshes with ample use of double height spaces. It was designed, as an extension to an existing two-storied old house with its two storied part, wrapping itself around, by verandahs in ground floor and open to sky terraces in first floor. It is orientated towards its overpowering context the adjoining marshes
The double height Living Dining area is surrounded by abovementioned single height verandahs, forming intermediate outdoor spaces between the interior of the house and its garden. The House contains three Bedrooms, Guest Bedroom in Ground Floor with a common toilet Master and Small Bedroom in First Floor, with a common toilet.
The Bedrooms, Pantry and Bathrooms are stacked, at the back of the house, away from the marshes, but give access to Verandahs in Ground Level and Terraces in Upper Level, giving uninterrupted panoramic views of the surrounding greenery. The marsh beyond the garden is considered the ‘extended garden’ of the house and the garden proper is barely landscaped.
The house is designed using a combined palette of materials such as pre-cast RCC floor slabs, pressed cement tiled open to sky terraces, terrazzo machine cut Titanium Cement floors, Kumbuk timber decked floors surrounding a central double height Living Dining Hall. Timber Decked TV Lobby on upper level over-looks this spacious double Height Living Dining Hall. Simple steel horizontal handrails around the double height lobby are hot dipped galvanized and give an industrial aesthetic outlook.
The exposed handrails around the terraces are also hot dipped galvanized to prevent corrosion. Staircase landing is lit by a circular glazed skylight, giving the opportunity to change moods, according to changing colour and light of the sky above. There is direct access to the open to sky terraces on either side, from the centrally located TV lobby cum family Living area.
Steeply sloping exposed rafter ceiling is painted sky blue, in an attempt to bring in the skyline to the interiors of the house. Exterior and Interior Walls of the house is painted completely in white with Blue coloured soffits adding colour to the house. Terrazzo Machine cut Titanium cement floors, Matt varnished Kumbuk Timber decks, natural grains of pivoting and antique door windows, in the backdrop of white walls and coloured soffits, give a certain contemporary modern aesthetic to the house.
The house uses a mixture of recycled antique doors and chunky framed pivoting door windows in Lower levels and timber framed glazed windows in Upper Levels. Entrance Gate and all light fittings are custom designed using perforated metal sheets.
All external columns & Beams are left bare with smooth cement float finish as a contrast to the overwhelming whiteness, leaving a monastic feel to the house. External single height verandahs are tiled using terracotta tiles increasing the overall monastic ambiance of this small simple house.
