Sri Lanka

This issue of Domus Sri Lanka draws attention to the conflict of creative freedom and practicality, and the architect’s responsibility to serve society.

The importance of moving into the new century with mind and not just means has also been highlighted. Two Sri Lankan projects have been featured, one being the “Wanigaratne and Anita house, Kelaniya”, a design by Shayan Kumaradas during his transitional stage into independent work. A house that affords a visual link to greenery, it is in this design that the “tree of life” metal sculpture by Laki Senanayake is situated, a sketch of which adorns the front cover of this issue. In contrast, the other project is the home of architect Channa Horombuwa, a contemporary minimalistic house built on a ten perch land in the suburbs. The international articles in the issue include The Close Observance of Space, which illustrates John Tuomey’s unique teaching methods; The Platform Over the Stream – Walter Pichler’s last project that showcases communication through earthy drawings and Transformers – an exhibition curated by Hou Hanru. The international project feature, From Drawing to Photograph explores the modus operandi of the Bouroullec brothers and their design pieces, while Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza’s most recent exploit the Cala House in Madrid has also been described. The latter is a Raumplan-type house created in a triple-height diagonal space. And finally in this issue, we explore the fusion of classical and modern architecture in Berlin – a city that runs deep with history.