Bringing out the best in a building
Leading architect Sunand Prasad was here to deliver a talk on ‘Good, true & beautiful’ at RIBA Sri Lanka’s first AGM
Amerger between a feted Italian racing bicycle and architecture sounds somewhat bizarre! Yet the ‘lines’, ‘sustainability’, ‘user-friendly’ and ‘human- health’ all championed by the sought-after Cinelli bicycle could aptly translate into a ‘good’, ‘true’ and ‘beautiful’ building, said celebrated architect, Sunand Prasad, Past President of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Sunand, founder of Penoyre & Prasad and one of the London Mayor’s Design Advocates and a Trustee of the UK
Green Building Council, was in Colombo on a ‘flying visit’ last Wednesday from London to share with local RIBA members his thoughts on ‘Good, true & beautiful’ at RIBA Sri Lanka’s first AGM.
“We have competitions and awards to recognize what a good building is all about, yet it remains a contested area,” he said, alluding to the refreshing motif of a racing bicycle. A cycling enthusiast, Sunand’s prelude to the “extremely serviceable item” set the tone to the stimulating presentation which unfolded at Sooriya Village. The maxim “a car burns your money and makes you fat but a bike burns fat and saves money,” was interestingly applied by Sunand to what it takes to make a sustainable building.
Reminding the audience of the Platonic theory of ‘the good, true and beautiful’, Sir Henry Wotton’s translation of Vitruvian Virtues of ‘Commodity, Firmness and Delight’ and Vedic teaching ‘Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram’ which complement each other, the acclaimed architect added that at the same time they trigger paradoxes. “Functionalism can achieve beauty,” noted Sunand citing the classical examples of Ajanta caves and modern architectural work embracing minimalism. “Beauty comes from intrinsic facets,” he said, reiterating that this is achieved by ‘symbols of sacredness’ at times, as in the case of the Ajanta caves and so many ‘pegs and joints’ which go into oblivion to realize an austere product.
The architect’s power is manifold, said Sunand. He/she could ‘conceal’, ‘reveal’, ‘intensify’ or ‘fetishise’. Applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’ to a building, he further said that buildings could very much become a living embodiment reflecting ‘self actualization’, ‘esteem’, ‘love and belonging’, ‘safety’ and ‘psychological’. “Buildings are a social organism, a cultural memory,” reflected Sunand who illustrated the point with his work including the Children’s Eye Centre at the Moorfields Eye Hospital, Welwyn Garden City Hospital (QEII Hospital) and the Business and Mathematics School of the University of Kent.
An iconic building in London today, the Children’s Eye Centre at the Moorfields Eye Hospital’s motto ‘let there be light’ is literally achieved with its stunning “playful intervention”. “The emotional impact of a building is important,” noted Sunand, adding that especially in case of a children’s hospital, it was imperative to quell the clinical feeling and bring out the lively aspect of it including game areas, shops, cafes etc. The integrated art programme with a lighting sequence programmed for dusk which envelops the entire area has become part of everyday existence for London city dwellers, so much so “they complain if the lights of the building are NOT lit!” Sunand revealed with a smile.
Ranked among the top 100 environmentalists in 2008, Sunand, a product of the University of Cambridge and Royal College of Art, is also a catalyst of sustainable design. One of his recent projects- the Business and Mathematics School of the University of Kent best speaks for his credo“beauty should not be oblivious to sustainable pursuits.” Nestled amidst a grove of trees, the new faculty virtually blends into the nature it is sustained by. A building of three units merging into a singular entity it is not merely an architectural treat but also a social unit enabling better integration among the students of three disciplines.
The revamped Welwyn Garden City Hospital (QEII Hospital) is a living embodiment of a “high performing building” which simultaneously minimizes the carbon footprint. It is also a “getting under the skin of a project” to experience what the actual dwellers of a particular building experience in day-to-day life. The hospital which has achieved natural cooling and natural ventilation is a further endorsement of the celebrated architect’s labours to reform architectural education and action on climate change.
Chair, RIBA Members Sri Lanka, Nela de Zoysa, welcoming Sunand as “a man close to our hearts who rekindled the links between RIBA and Sri Lanka Institute of Architects” (SLIA) good humouredly recollected, how, she, ‘hopping on crutches’ having broken both her ankles while at a site in Kerala (ironically Sunand’s home state) had the privilege of receiving Sunand at the SLIA as the visiting RIBA President way back in 2009. The visit, as Nela fondly recalled, sowed seeds for the City School of Architecture (CSA) to receive Full Accreditation from RIBA in 2011, a feat in the history of local architectural education here at home. Credit for this achievement is also shared by Archt. Jayantha Perera and Archt/Eng EeshaniMahesan said Nela adding with a smile that she was only the ‘marriage broker’ who orchestrated the process!