12 – 2019

Geoffrey Bawa

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth we celebrate this great architect from Sri Lanka. Geoffrey Bawa left behind a spatially and atmospherically rich oeuvre, which seems like a commentary on present-day debates about globalisation and climate change. His buildings reflect local building techniques, they work without air conditioning, are inspired by the concrete place, derive their strength from the topography, and allow the garden and planting to grow together with the building. Unjustly, Bawa is still little known in this part of the world, but on the far side of the globe he is regarded as a guru. Using recent photos and, in particular, his wonderful ink-drawn plans we present a portrait of this master of threshold spaces