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Geoffrey Bawa is no more

by Karel Roberts Ratnaweera

Sri Lanka's internationally recognised architect, Geoffrey Bawa is no more. He passed away on Tuesday morniing and was cremated at Lunuganga, Dedduwa, Bentota, on his private estate.

Geoffrey Manning Bawa and his elder brother Bevis were the only two children of Justice Bawa. Their mother was a member of the well-known Dutch Burgher Family of Schrader, from Negombo.

Born in 1919 and educated at Royal College, he then went to England and read Law at Cambridge. Called to the Bar from the Inner Temple,Bawa spent several years living abroad before returning to the island where he practised Law as Junior to Justice E.F.N.Gratiaen. But he abandoned Law for Architecture in which he obtained the highest degree from the Royal Institute of Architects of Great Britain, and from the American Institute of Artchitects as well.

A well-known Colombo figure, he would drive his Silver Cloud Rolls-Royce down Galle Road, attracting much attention as he drove down South or back to Colombo. The highpoint of his distinguished career was when he was asked to design and build the new Parliamentery complex on the Diyawanna Oya in Kotte.

He told this writer in an interview that he had designed the vast complex using ancient Sinhala artchitectural tyles as a guideline. Bawa also designed and built the Bentota Beach Hotel, the first hotel to be designed by him, and one of the first hotels in the South. He also designed and built Kandalama Hotel according to his unique sense of design applied to the climate and terrain.

Geoffrey Bawa had been ailing for some years but that did not prevent him from going to good concerts of Western Classical Music, being wheeled into the hall in his wheelchair. He was an aesthete who abhorred anything that was less than aesthetically pleasing, and he applied these high standards in his work.

Geoffrey Bawa's brother Bevis, also lived in Bentota and predeceased him some years ago.

For all his talent and sophistication in personal style, he was a shy man and dreaded newspaper interviews.

Geoffrey Bawa's Colombo residence, also reflecting his architectural styles, was in Inner Bagatalle Road, Colombo 03.

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