palinda kannagara introduces nature into linear house in sri lanka

an economical house with close connections to nature was built in the battarmulla area in sri lanka for a young family by palinda kannagara. challenged with a narrow plot of land that sits within a larger family home, the spaces have been designed to wrap around and branch off from the garden and water elements on site.

all images © sebastian posingis

despite the narrow site and the low budget, palinda kannagara worked with existing resources and a pared-back approach to create a three-storey linear home that would provide rich experiential qualities to the family inhabiting. the southern wall of the home is integrated with timber screens that shades the harsh summer and is punctuated with a latticed pattern influenced by the narrow urban street fronting homes of sri lanka. a play in shadows is experimented as shade is important in the tropics. this is approached through the diverse light and shade conditions from the fenestrations and the material palette.

the feeling of living in a nature-immersed setting is achieved immediately upon entry, an open courtyard planted with sapodilla trees takes focus on the ground floor. the dining room sits adjacent to this paved courtyard space and is completely open to instill the feeling of tropical living. as the spaces unfold, a series of other courtyards have been introduced into the narrow home.

upstairs, the first floor features a lounge, master bedroom and two additional bedrooms; slender wood bridges seemingly cut through the tree tops and lead to the rooms. the master bedroom has a double screen with an exterior balcony that overlooks the sapodilla trees, while the timber screen filters natural light and keeps the rooms cool without the need of air conditioning. the rooftop space is also utilized as an entertaining area and for hosting quiet dinners in the evening.

each end of the communal room opens up to a courtyard

a central staircase serves as partitioning between the dining and lounge area

the upstairs master bedroom

a simple but tactile material palette has been adopted in order for the architecture to blend into the environment

water and greenery promotes the tropical feeling in which the residents want to live in

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project info:

architecture: palinda kannangara architects
built areas:
ground floor: 1138.5 sq ft
1st floor: 1119.5 sq ft
total area: 2258 sq ft
site area: 2325 sq ft
completion date: december 2014
construction budget: approx $57,000 USD

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