“A gallery of artistic living”
Designed by Godridge and Shan, a father and son combination, the Tara House is a 3-storey residential building sited in Nawala, a suburb of Colombo, on an 8 perch land (200sqm). This home was designed for Lavan Sornarajah, a Sri Lankan born British Citizen with a dual citizenship who had engaged with us previously for the award-winning renovation of the studio apartment.
The house is structured as two cuboids, with a less voluminous centre divide. The main spaces are conceived within the cuboids and connecting spaces within the divide where the rear of the residence faces the open marshes of Nawala.
Upon entering the house, one walks directly into the open pavilion and is instantly absorbed by the view across the semi-outdoor pavilion. The central pavilion floor is finished with “boralu” stones that inherits a sense of the outdoors within an indoor space. The rawness of the steel structure and exposed brick façade adds to this vivacious play and combines with the breath-taking views to amalgamate the home into a relaxing space.
The design pays tribute to the rugged earthiness of the surroundings through the use of exposed brick supported by a steel structure. The rear face of the dwelling faces views of the open marsh maintaining a romantic visual relationship with its natural environment at every level through the use of large steel framed windows and open floor plans.
Photographed by: Ramitha Watareka
