Design Anthology - Asia Pacific Edition
Studio Culture
We take a look inside the tropical studio-cum-home of Sri Lankan architect Palinda Kannangara
Aperforated brick cube floats over a paved carport, punctured at the far end by a dramatic opening that frames lotus blooms and dense mangroves. This is the visitor’s introduction to the studio-cum-home of Sri Lankan architect Palinda Kannangara.
Given the tranquil views of the stunning wetland and its abundant fauna and flora, visible through the full-height sliding window, it’s a miracle that anyone gets work done, but work the team of eight architects, draughts-people and interns does, in a cavernous space tucked under the mezzanine floor.
When I visit, Kannangara is at one of the studio’s wooden tables. Nearby, a strategically placed shelf of his favourite architecture books nudges him to focus on the design task at hand. ‘I always sketch the initial concept on a survey plan, including 3D perspectives, a skill developed during my student days and now my mantra for every project.’ Similarly, physical modelling is crucial to the process, and two or three models are created for each project, he says. A full-time model maker works at another table in the double-height space.
Multifunctionality is at the heart of the entire building. ‘Each space transitions seamlessly from studio to personal use; only the bedroom is private,’ he says. The double-height area is a lobby for visiting clients; the model-making table doubles as a meeting table, as does the large dining table on the mezzanine, which is used for larger meetings with clients and consultants. The giant television in the adjacent living room, usually used for screening movies, becomes a screen for client presentations. Kannangara’s favourite hangout space is on the mezzanine floor, where he indulges in his other passion: listening to any of his 5,000 vinyl records. ‘Friends often wonder if I’m a DJ masquerading as an architect,’ he laughs.
When Kannangara established his practice in 2005, he worked from his sister’s home in a beautiful but less convenient location. In 2012, he put the word out among local brokers to find a small plot on the edge of a marsh or body of water closer to Colombo. A few months later, he received a call with news of such a property — an open plot down a leafy red-earth lane, just 20 minutes from Colombo’s CBD. ‘It was love at first sight,’ he says. ‘It was too good to pass up, and any residual doubts vanished when Pinko, the four-legged “owner” of the site, adopted
me.’ Throughout construction, Pinko was site supervisor, and when Kannangara and the team moved in, in 2015, she added two puppies, Taco and Nacho. A few years later, the family expanded when the architect’s partner, landscape architect Varna Shashidhar, rescued street pup Burrito from Bangalore.
Lunchtime in the ground-level staff room and kitchen is a lively occasion. Each team member brings a home-cooked lunch, and they all share tasty morsels. Movie evenings and Friday night wine and wadai (lentil patties) celebrations take place on the top floor, which floats over the cube. The glass doors slide into the end walls and the fun spills out onto the outdoor decks, which are filled with marsh grasses and water plants that appear to have magically migrated to the upper level. It is, as Kannangara says, ‘A dream come true’.