Lunuganga
I’ve a growing obsession with the life and works of renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. Stepping into the Lunuganga Country Estate therefore was quite the thrilling experience.
As the country home and estate of Bawa since the year 1947, it was often used as his muse and experiential grounds for fresh ideas. His idea was to use it to create a tropical version of a European renaissance garden, and hence, has gone through many changes over the years, and its spaces and structures renewed in time. It was here that he toyed with interplay between building and landscape, between inside and outside space.
The Geoffrey Bawa Trust took over the land after his demise in 2003, and offer tours and stays of the estate and its many little country houses. I’d recommend a mid-morning or late afternoon visit (I picked the latter) and a call in advance just to make sure of the timings as they tend to cancel certain timings on occasion.
I’ve known many colleagues and friends to fuss about the difficulty of finding the estate but apply the address into Google Maps and follow it to the tee. There are no signposts anywhere, and no directions along the way — the roads are extremely narrow so I also suggest traveling in a small vehicle. If you happen to be early, the gates will not be opened for you until the exact time of the tour, so be mindful of that and try not to fret as many tend to do. Carry a bottle of water and perhaps a sunhat or small umbrella as the heat can be quite the bummer. Have your cameras and phones on the ready and you’re in for a treat!
As one of Asia’s most prolific, celebrated and influential architects, Bawa embodied tropical living in his works, including at Lunuganga, to the greatest extent. The estate is located on the banks of the Dedduwa Lake, and you’ll find excellent views of it from two ends of the property — a feature that Bawa made possible by lowering the land on one end. He also made changes to the grounds in terms of providing himself more privacy and less disturbance by his neighbours.
The land originally served as a cinnamon plantation during the Dutch perion, and then a rubber plantation during the British period. When Bawa acquired the land, he then designed a rustic bungalow that became his weekend escape, along with its lush enchanting gardens. As his muse, the estate was an experimental ground and you’ll find many resemblances to some of his works in other parts of the island where his architectural creativity flourishes.
Upon arriving at Lunuganga, its easy to be enthralled by the greenery and tropical folly. Its everywhere, in every form and shape and it can be quite overwhelming. Expansive trees provide a great deal of shade including the occasional cool breeze as you begin the tour. The first bungalow has an age-old checkerboard tile flooring that follows through to the cement slabs on the grounds, and leads to Bawa’s favourite afternoon meal corner, overlooking the lake. A rustic metal bell hang nearby, and you’ll find plenty of these in many parts of the estate — each bell has a distinctive sound, and when rung could be heard throughout gardens — fascinating! Most of the other dotted bungalows across the property have similar architectural features — high ceilings, glass windows, open spaces and a penchant for blending with nature.
You’ll come across many works by artists such as Donald Friend and Laki Senanayake as well as artifacts from Asia and Europe at many intervals of the estate. They add character and charm, an air of flair and a rather European quality to Lunuganga.
The ideology of tropical modernism — the formation of a new architectural identity — was brought to life by none other than Bawa. His vision of blending the outside and the inside, creating open spaces to increase ventilation, where building and environment blend seamlessly together is clearly evident. There’s a sense of serenity at every corner, and I think that is what resonates the most to me about Lunuganga. It feels like being in an enchanting forest; a landscape that almost never ends, greenery as far as the eye can see, fresh cool air and the sounds of little bees and birds not too far away.
An hour or so later, the tour was over, but it’s easy to want to continue to wander across the garden and bask in the lushness. Lunch can be arranged in the main country house (but with prior notice, of course) and many of the other little country abodes have been converted into vacation homes that can be booked for stays.
*Pictures are my own.
Visiting Lunuganga is currently semi-restricted. You could visit their site to check out which dates offer free passes and how you can register.
