Geoffrey Bawa
Geoffrey Manning Bawa (born July 23, 1919 in Colombo , Sri Lanka , † May 23, 2003 ibid) was a Sri Lankan lawyer and architect. He is considered one of the most important founders of Tropical Modernism ( tropical modernism ).
biography
Geoffrey Bawa was the second son of Benjamin Bawa, a respected lawyer from Colombo and his wife Berta Marion Schrader, who had European and Ceylon ancestors. His older brother Bevis Bawa (1909–1992) was a landscape architect .
After the early death of his father in 1923, Geoffrey Bawa grew up in Colombo in the care of his mother and two aunts. From 1930 to 1937 Bawa attended the Royal College in Colombo, and from 1938 to 1941 he studied English at Cambridge . This was followed by law studies in London (1942–1944). From 1946 to 1948 he made various trips through Europe and the USA. He returned to Ceylon and from there worked as a lawyer in Colombo until he finally studied architecture at the London Architectural Association from 1954 to 1957 at the age of 35 . Together with Ulrik Plesner, Bawa began his career as an architect in Colombo in 1958, initially in the architectural office of Edwards, Reid and Begg. Here both developed their style, the so-called tropical modernism .
buildings
Many of Geoffrey Bawa's buildings have since been changed, rebuilt or completely demolished. The Sri Lankan Parliament Building in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is certainly its most famous building.
Other buildings are or were (selection):
- Ena de Silva House, Colombo 1960–1962
- Bentota Beach Hotel, Bentota 1967-1969
- Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara, (originally Hotel Neptun), Beruwala 1974
- Seema Malaka Temple, Colombo 1976
- Mahaweli Building, Colombo 1977
- Sunethra Bandaranaike House, Horagolla 1984-1986
- Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla 1991-1994
literature
- David Robson: Geoffrey Bawa, The Complete Works. Thames & Hudson, London, New York 2002. ISBN 0-500-34187-7 .
- David Robson, Sebastian Posingis: In Search of BAWA: Master Architect of Sri Lanka. Laurence King Publishing 2016. ISBN 978-1-78067-913-6 .
- David Robson, Sebastian Posingis: Bawa Staircases. Laurence King Publishing, 2019. ISBN 1-78627-430-2 .
- Brian Brace Taylor: Geoffrey Bawa: Architect in Sri Lanka. Architectural Press 1990. ISBN 0-408-50044-1 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Geoffrey Bawa in the catalog of the German National Library
- Geoffrey Bawa Trust
- Geoffrey Bawa in Builder
- Via Geoffrey Bawa on Archnet
- About tropical modernism
- Ena de Silva House, Colombo
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bawa, Geoffrey |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bawa, Geoffrey Manning |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Sri Lankan lawyer and architect |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 23, 1919 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Colombo |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 23, 2003 |
| Place of death | Colombo |