Project Description

Located by the marsh, in Rajagiriya Sri Lanka, this is a studio home of an Architect. Although located near a series of high-rises, and urban fringe. The building is designed like a fortification. It is sealed from the heat, traffic and noise of the road but once within reveals unexpected views of the marsh and is totally permeable to the natural setting. The building plays with volumes to create many areas for living, work and leisure, and also with materials and tectonic devices to create a cooler microclimate within the building. A roof top entertainment/ living pavilion on the upper level opens out to views of the city as well as dramatic sunsets over the marsh. The roof top is also indistinguishable from the marsh, an intensive green roof that has ponds and an edible roofscape encourage biodiversity and use.

Materials of Construction:

Material palette is simple, concrete wall, dark cement rendered flooring, cement rendered walls at the lower level, and local salvaged timber floors in the bedroom and upper pavilion. No painting is necessary, hence no vocs and toxic components’. Low UV glazing has been used to keep the temperatures within cool. Reused stone pavers from demolished sites were used for ground floors paving, and main staircase. 

Special green Features:

Southern and Western solar exposure is avoided by creating of a breathing wall of un-plastered bricks that creates a baffle effect

Specially designed double height windows ( 6m high ) offer uninhibited views of the marsh.

Noise of the roads are additionally filtered through this Jaali  screen system

 Additionally cooled winds that pass through courtyards with native trees (neem, syzinium)

Adjustable vertical glass lovers can control air and the rain entering the interiors

The building totally opens out to the northern filtered light and extensive marsh views. Maximum use of daylight (hardly any artificial light is required during office hours).

Rainwater collected is used for landscape irrigation.