Beyond Bawa

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa was among the most influential figures in south Asia. In houses, hotels, public buildings and his country estate at Lunuganga, Bawa achieved the harmonious and pleasurable fusion of local building traditions with modern forms. His forty-year career has become legendary across the world and remains an inspiration for generations of architects.

Bawa was the principal force behind what is today known globally as 'tropical modernism', and examples of his ideas can be found in Sri Lanka, Singapore and Bali but also throughout wider Asia. Beyond Bawa considers his continuing influence through the work of contemporary architects working in the region.

The first section of the book is an overview of Bawa and his contribution to contemporary architecture which presents material that has come to light since the publication of Geoffrey Bawa: The Complete Works . The main section is the presentation of twenty-four contemporary architects, ranging from well-known practitioners such as Australian Kerry Hill to local talents such as Anjalendran, and works they have created over the past ten years that reveal the long-lasting significance of Bawa's uniquely sensitive approach to building and the landscape.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Geoffrey Bawa (1919-2003) was trained in two professions--architecture and law--and integrated two architectural traditions. Like Louis I. Kahn, he admired such modern techniques and design principles as clarity of structure, integrity of materials, and open plans; also like Kahn, he united a modernist view with a vernacular tradition--namely, the regionalism of tropical Sri Lanka. Robson, who taught with Bawa at Sri Lanka's University of Colombo in the 1970s, previously published a monograph on the architect (Geoffrey Bawa: The Complete Works). This volume's first 100 pages make up more a historiography than a history of Bawa and his work, and the influence of the Aga Khan's support of the so-called White Book, Brian Brace Taylor's 1986 monograph, becomes evident. The balance traces the influence of Bawa's achievement on numerous architects and designers in Sri Lanka and Singapore, locations of the majority of his work. An epilog summarizes the principles of Bawa's legacy and includes useful notes on the environmental effects of cooling ("The Use and Abuse of Air-Conditioning"). Powers's photographs are highly descriptive, but the small number of floor plans is regrettable. Highly recommended for larger or comprehensive architecture and interior design collections.--Paul Glassman, Pratt Inst., Brooklyn, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.