In Sri Lanka’s southern province is the scenic river ‘Madu Ganga’, lined with mangrove forests and enlivened by echoes of birds, rustle of leaves and the occasional wooden catamaran creating ripples in its deep green smooth waters. The tropical climate brings seasonal heavy rains and alternating sunshine, breathing life to this rich eco-system. Pia Nesensohn of Austria saw this as the perfect recipe for a long sought tropical sanctuary of peace and serenity, and a 68 perch sloping land on the riverbank was selected to build her home away from home.
The design is essentially a manipulation of cuboid forms, bonded by the contrasting play of solids and voids, and rustic and smooth textures. The solid and the rustic is animated by light penetrating through carefully configured voids, and softened by a prudent selection of tropical vegetation. Pia’s favorites are the white of peace lilies against its lush green foliage, occupying the verdant landscape between the villa and the ‘Madu Ganga’. The peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) sit in contentment at the base of the villa’s plinth, against a backdrop of coconut and ‘jak’ trees nearer the riverbank.
This is the riverside reservation, and the villa occupies the buildable area at the top of the slope. The structure is well grounded with retaining walls and is rather a solid edifice. Yet it respects the existing contours of the site, and the building’s different levels are organized to effortlessly integrate with site levels. A ‘red gravel’ (locally known as ‘boralu’ stones) pathway is the entrance to the villa from the gate. This leads to the main door wedged into a clean slit in the rubble wall on the side of the villa. The path contains several stepped levels to arrive at the ground plinth level of the villa.
Through the front doors, one immediately enters the living and dining room with its massive opening towards the rear-side views, or in this case, the frontal views of the ‘Madu ganga’. Invited to the edge by the mesmerizing views afar, the entrant is then exposed to the bed of peace lilies, calmly sitting at the base of the concrete plinth and forming a view of continuity towards the river – an awe-inspiring site!
The building itself is acclimatized to the tropical climate. The rubble stonewalls provides thermal mass protection to the westerly and easterly facades and helps to keep the interiors cool and pleasant. Expansive openings provide inlets for the cool river breeze, and the relatively open plan arrangement circulates it throughout the villa. The stairs on the left lead to the two bedrooms above, and the doorway before that leads to the kitchen and powder room downstairs. The upstairs bedrooms opens to the same view as the downstairs living and dining space, but of course at a higher level affording more distant views of the river. Rustic yet smooth timberworks, together with soft accent lights provide a calm and homely ambience. Timber louvers filters in natural light providing a sort of kinetic energy to the otherwise still space.
Opposite the main door at the other end of the living and dining space downstairs is another puncture in the solid wall; the doorway to the pool. The water reflecting on the outside wall hints at what awaits. Once through this opening, one is confronted with the marvel of the manmade pool sitting in harmony with nature. Its long edge is an infinity line spilling the view into the rear garden framed with the ‘Madu ganga’ and its riverside vegetation of coconut, ‘jak’ (artocarpus heterophyllus) and ‘kiri-palu’ (buchanania axillaris) trees. The poolside wall itself is adorned with ‘Diyapara’ vines (Dillenia triquetra), a plant endemic to Sri Lanka.
The garden itself is layered at deferring levels, following the curvilinear contour lines themselves. Very little has been altered within the riverside reservation. The building sits in a benign symbiosis with its environment and is intended to weather in seamless harmony with nature. The rubble stone glints in daylight and is dark during rainfall. Accumulation of moss only adds to its naturalness. The same is true for the poolside area with its cement-pressed tiles. The pool itself is adorned with tiles in shades of teal in following with the aquatic shades of deep green of the river waters.
The tropics are unpredictable, and to contend with the never ceasing rains and ever consistent sunlight is a mistake that this villa does not make. It requires very little maintenance over time and simply exists, timelessly and in benign harmony with nature.
Projet team:
Principal architect: Godridge Samuel
Project architect: Chathurika Kulasinghe
Structural engineer: CLEF Consultants
Quantity surveyor: Construction Cost Consultants
Contractor: D. E. De Silva & Sons
Landscape contractor: Sarath Landscapes
Pool contractor: Infinity Pools
Text credits: Kalpanee Jayatilake
