The house designed by architect Damith Premathilake, located at Kiribathgoda close to the Colombo – Kandy road, is a good example where both the architect and the client appreciate the simplicity, clarity and positive response to nature in design.
Entering through the front gate and climbing up a few steps to the left and walking through a front garden, one reaches the living room of the house through the spacious front verandah. The lower elevation of the site towards the right boundary has been taken into advantage in placing the garage, living, dining, quarters for domestic help and kitchen at split levels to create interest and to minimize the circulation spaces.
The front and rear gardens provide light and ventilation and glimpses of nature to the living areas, creating a sense of spaciousness, thus bringing a lightness to the structure, and creates a peaceful atmosphere. Simplicity of roof structure, avoiding of elaborate detailing, placing of narrow windows at correct positions add to strengthen this character.
The softness of the lush green grass in the front and rear gardens and white painted walls is intentionally broken down by the introduction of rugged textures in the garden benches, exposed rubble and brick walls in the courtyards, cement rendered floors, cement tile paving in the verandahs etc. The architect says “ this is a true interpretation of nature and the life itself, ”who further adds, “ creating a simple, peaceful built environment, while responding to nature positively, by making minimum disturbance to nature, is my concept in the design of this house“.
The greatest challenge was to achieve the desired sense of lightness and void and at the same time confirm to the urban environmental requirements. The design aspired to create a dialogue between solid and void, building and landscape features. This dialogue is evident from the street as visitor walk along the covered path through the front courtyard. The solidity of one volume is put together against lightness of the other; the landscape and built elements fuse with one another. The outside permeates the interior and the home is enveloped with natural light and ventilation.
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