Geoffrey Bawa's Residence — Attraction in Colombo

I had visited this place today at 2 PM (invoice no. 4623) - this is so that I don’t get a reply that my review is fake and I didn’t visit the place. Now, with all due respect to Bawa and the beautiful place, and surely a must visit place in Colombo, even if you are not an architect. However the staff there is really something I want to write about. A. Racism - The short hair lady who was showing around the house was completely racist to the fact that she addresses brown skin guys as ‘these kind of photographers’. To begin with she politely said that we can all take photographs with ease later once the tour ends, quoting her “we all would love to take the photographs.. don’t we ? “later once the tour got over just for the sake that she doesn’t have to handle the tour people she cordoned off the space and refused us to take the photographs. To all the white skin guys, she was all nice and sweet while she would see the Srilankans themselves down upon. B Mannerism - It was really rude behavior and the foundation should really have someone who understands architecture and the emotions of architects who have studied Bawa and his architecture and the joy of being there. Srilanka got the independence, this lady is yet to get one.

Editing the Review as a Reply to the Response (!!?)

Behavior was completely different - I had just politely asked few questions about the foundation drawings and the books, which I am not sure got you upset or read my behavior as different. Sure my behavior would be like a young happy kid who has studied Geoferry Bawa in my school days and this was the first time I was visiting his place.

I have utmost respect to the place and the house rules, We had no intention to take photographs of the place that were restricted, we just wanted to revisit the corridor space with those light shafts that you had mentioned that you could revisit later once the tour to the terrace is done. Let me re-quote you " As there are too many visitors today, it would be difficult to take good photographs, I would suggest we all see the place first and later visit back to take the photographs."

The question about taking photographs was asked you at 2:45 PM. Which was way before your next tour starts of 3:30 PM.

Learning to Respect house rules ? - Once we went out we overheard you shouting out to some of the other people in tour - such kind of photographers -- We would have really got back inside to ask you what did you mean by it, but we didn't want to get into such talks with you, we had that dignity to respectfully accept your negative answer to walk out with the visual memories. But you shouting about us 'kind of photographers' without even knowing us said a lot about you and the quirky smile on the rest of the people s face also did.

I also wish you the best of the new year and i hope other architecture students and young professionals, who comes to the house with their starry eyes enjoy the place at ease and take back good memories of visuals as well as...

Firstly when we arrived 15 minutes early for the tour we were very rudely told by the lady who runs the tour that there was no place for us to wait inside. Furthermore be aware that there is no real parking at the residence and no indication of this , if you arrive by car you need to park in the next street. As you enter there is a beautiful vintage car parked in the garage and the current residents personal vehicle parked next to it. Personally if found this a bit tacky and thought the modern car detracted from the overall effect of the space as presented on the tour.

The introductory video gives a good description of the house but offers no insight into the life of Geoffrey Bawa or the overall philosophy and design principles of the house. When led inside the house a description of each area and each point of interest is given and a pamphlet with more information is given to visitors . However , the tour guide was not particularly knowledgeable about the house or the life of Bawa. When asked for more insight the tour guide would simply say 'read the pamphlet'. Bawa possesses the most interesting person collection of paintings and sculptures and it is well worth spending time to appreciate each piece. Be aware that inside were the most interesting artifacts of Bawa's personal collection are housed there are no pictures allowed.

It is ridiculous to run a professional tour with no place for visitors to wait, surely some small waiting area could be provisioned inside ? We were largely ignored by the tour guide and treated as more of a nuisance than a guest. Personally I think the tour has a lot to be desired for in both in the presentation of the tour and the attitude of the tours management. To present the work of Geoffrey Bawa is a privilege and should be treated with respect ,those who present his work should be passionate and well read and versed in his life and work .

However ,having said the above , the work of Geoffrey Bawa speaks for itself and is a definite must for architecture lovers. There is a real sense of lightness and surprise within the house. I would advise visitors to ignore the inadequacy of the tour and the rude staff and simply enjoy the house as it was meant...

After visiting the Lunuganga property, this visit was anti-climactic. Not only were we grouped with more than 20 other people who came late on the tour, the space is not meant for large groups, and on hot days, can be suffocating. One person from our group couldn’t complete the tour because he was unable to handle the heat and large crowd. Additionally, we were not allowed to take photographs of the main part of the house. There is currently no publication with photos of his residence and few photos online. Photos cannot be purchased either. The reason given was not clear, and we were told to contact the trust for permission and further details. The guest house was also off limits. One part of the house is under renovation. This was not shared with us at the time of reservation. Bawa’s signature was definitely present in the small space and the tour guide was professional, courteous and enthusiastic. He shared interesting details with us and was with Bawa for eight years before his passing. While it is an interesting structure, it is more ideal for those wishing to pay homage to Bawa and learn more about...