Geoffrey Bawa Awards for
Excellence in Architecture
The Geoffrey Bawa Awards were conceptualised in 2007 to recognise and reward outstanding examples of contemporary Sri Lankan architecture. The Geoffrey Bawa Awards scheme is modelled on the awards scheme of the prestigious Aga Khan Trust for Culture in Geneva, widely acknowledged as having had a significant impact on the architecture of developing countries. Deshamanya Bawa received the Aga Khan’s Special Award for a Lifetime’s Achievement in Architecture in 2001. The winner is awarded a sum of one million rupees.
Several trailblazing architects were recipients of the Geoffrey Bawa Award during the past five cycles of its existence.
Palinda Kannangara was awarded winner of the Geoffrey Bawa Award 5th Cycle for his design of the Frame Holiday Structure at Imaduwa.
Thisara Thanapathy was adjudged winner of the Geoffrey Bawa Award 4th Cycle for his design of the Spa at Santani, Kandy.
Pradeep Kodikara was awarded winner of the Geoffrey Bawa Award 3rd Cycle for his design of the Kadju House in Tangalle.
Winner of the Geoffrey Bawa Award 2nd Cycle was Thisara Thanapathy for his creation, the Sarath Abeyratne House in Colombo 5.
Two winners shared the Geoffrey Bawa Award 1st Cycle: Lalyn Collure for his creation, The Boulder Garden Hotel, and Shyamika de Silva for her design of the Nalin Indrasena House.
5th Triennial Geoffrey Bawa awards
for Excellence in Architecture 2019/2021
Winner:
Palinda Kannangara
Frame Holiday Structure at Imaduwa
Honourable Mentions:
RAPA Chartered Architects
Café UFO, Ella
Feat.Collective
The Lanka Learning Centre, Parangiyamadu
Associate Professorship of Architectural Design & Timber Construction
Santhi Children Home, Rakwana
Lifetime Contribution to Architecture in Sri Lanka:
Laki Senanayake
Dr. K. Poologasundram
Dr. Roland Silva
JUDGES
Prof. Barry Bergdoll
Barry Bergdoll is Meyer Schapiro Professor of art history in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University. From 2007 to 2013 he served as Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Professor Bergdoll's broad interests center on modern architectural history, with a particular emphasis on France and Germany since 1750. His interests also include the intersections of architecture and new technologies of representations in the modern period, especially photography and film.
Archt. Veranjan Kurukulasuriya, FIA (SL)
Veranjan Kurukulasuriya is the past President of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects and Chairman of the City School of Architecture. He is a former Board Member of the Urban Development Authority and the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation & Development Corporation. He has more than 35 years of professional experience in the public sector as an architect and planner.
Nadija Tambiah
Nadija Tambiah is a law graduate from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, a Barrister at Law (Middle Temple), UK and an Attorney at Law in Sri Lanka. She heads the Legal and Company Secretarial functions of the John Keells Group. She also heads the John Keells Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of John Keells Holdings PLC. She is a Trustee of the George Keyt Foundation, Geoffrey Bawa Trust, Lunuganga Trust, a member of the Executive Committee of the Colombo Museum of Modern Art and sits on the Council of the Sri Lankan Institute of Directors.
Swarna Mallawarachchi
Swarna Mallawarachchi is an award-winning Sri Lankan actress, starred in over 65 films winning the “Best Actress award” 28 times, more than anyone in Sri Lanka, or anywhere in the world. She has won numerous life achievement awards nationally and internationally, and now sits on the panel of jurors for an impressive number of international film festivals. She was made a UNHCR Ambassador for Women’s Rights in Sri Lanka in 2004. She is the founder of Swarna Mallawarachchi Foundation (SMF).
4th Triennial Geoffrey Bawa awards
for Excellence in Architecture 2017
Winner
Spa at Santani, Kandy (2015)
Archt. Thisara Thanapathy
Residential (best of category)
Studio Dwelling, Rajagiriya (2015)
Archt. Palinda Kannangara
Commercial (best of category)
Citizens Development Business Finance PLC Bank and Corporate Office,
Colombo 10 (2015)
Archt. Shayan Kumaradas
Institutional (best of category)
Kaithady District Vocational Training Center, Jaffna (2015)
Archt. Chinthaka Wickramage and Nileeka Senerath
Industrial, transport and infrastructure (best of category)
Sterling Aftercare Center, Gall (2016) Industrial
Arch. Thushara Waidyasekera
JUDGES
Archt. Mok Wei Wei
The principal architect of W Architects, Singapore. He is professor in Practice of the Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore and is often invited as a jury member for design competitions and awards. In 2012, he was a member of the Grand Jury at the World Architectural festival.
Archt. D. H. Wijewardena
The Senior Vice President of Sri Lanka Institute of Architects. He has also served as a visiting lecturer at University of Moratuwa and University of Sri Jayawardenapura and now he is serving in this capacity at the city School of Architecture, Colombo.
Ms. Sharmini Pereira
The founder and Director of Raking Leaves and the Sri Lanka Archive of Contemporary Art, Architecture and Design. She was the Guest Curator at the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, in 2014 and for the Abraaj Capital Art Prize in 2010. In 2006 she co-curated the first Singapore Biennale and has written and lectured about South Asian contemporary art for the last 20 years.
Mr. Ward Beling
Trustee the Geoffrey Bawa and Lunuganga Trusts.
3rd Triennial Geoffrey Bawa awards
for Excellence in Architecture 2013/2014
Winner
Kadju House in Tangalle
Archt. Pradeep Kodikara – 2007.
Runners Up:
The Royal Bar & Hotel in Kandy
Archt. Yudish Ganesen – 2011
Architect's House in Mattegoda
Archt. Chamila Alwis Weerasinge – 2004
Honourable Mentions:
Guava House in Mawanella
Archt. Ranjan Aluwihare – 2008
Lifetime Contribution to Architecture in Sri Lanka:
Honorary Professor Dr. Ronald Lewcock
Emeritus Professor Dr. Senake Banadaranayke
JUDGES
Architect Ashok B. Lall, B.A. Cantab, AA Diploma, AIIA
Architect specializing in sustainable design based in New Delhi.
Prof. Chitra Wedikkara
President, Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, Managing Director– Chartered Architect/Quantity Surveyor Qserve (Pvt) Ltd.
Ms. Eugenie Mack
Trustee, Geoffrey Bawa Trust
Deshamanya Prof. Radhika Coomaraswamy
Former Under Secretary General of the United Nations and Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict.
GUEST SPEAKER
Renowned Indian film director and producer Mira Nair delivered the keynote address at the award ceremony.
2nd Triennial Geoffrey Bawa awards
for Excellence in Architecture 2010/2011
Winner
Sarath Abeyrathne house in Colombo 5
Thisara Thanapathy
Runner up
Udayapuram School at Periyakallar
Yudish Ganeshan
Honourable Mentions:
British High Commission in Colombo 7
Richard Murphy Associates
Holiday Bungalow in Ulpatha, Matale
Thisara Thanapathy
JUDGES
Suhanya Raffel
Trustee, Geoffrey Bawa Trust, Deputy Director, Curatorial and Collection Development at the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane Australia.
Kerry Hill, Architect
One of the foremost architects of Asia and has won numerous awards including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2001.
Ajita de Costa
Chartered Textile Technologist by profession, heads a well known family owned clothing enterprise. He is also the Chairman of the Heritage Foundation for the Environment and Arts.
Jayantha PereraFIA(SL), Architect
Past President of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (2008 –2009).
Trustee Archt. Channa Daswatte and Archt. C. Anjalendran joined the judges to help facilitate effective on-site Technical and Physical Reviews.
1st Triennial Geoffrey Bawa awards
for Excellence in Architecture 2007/2008
Joint Winners:
The Boulder Garden Hotel
Llalyn Collure
Nalin Indrasena’s House
Shyamika Silva
Runners Up:
The Suzuki Maruti Complex
Nela de Zoysa
An Estate Bungalow
Palinda Kannangara
JUDGES
Archite, Jayantha Perera, FIA (SL) President, Sri Lanka Institute of Architects
Archt. Jayantha Perera completed his Architectural Education at the University of Moratuwa and subsequently was elected a corporate member of the SLIA and the RIBA. He was on the Academic staff of the University of Moratuwa and the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. Having served mainly in the private sector in Sri Lanka for over two decades with short stints in Oman and Nigeria, is presently the Principal Architect of his own practice “Architect Jayantha Perera”. Currently the President of SLIA, and has held several key Offices in the Council and in Boards of the SLIA. In addition was the Chairman of the ARCASIA Committee on Architectural Education.
Prof. David Robson
Architect, Academic and Author has divided his forty year career in Architecture between practice and teaching, having been Chief Housing Architect to the new town of Washington in England and a professor in the University of Brighton and the National University of Singapore. He first came to Sri Lanka in 1969 to develop the new course in Architecture in the University of Ceylon, Colombo. Later, in the 1980, he was an adviser to the National Housing Development Authority on the Hundred Thousand Houses Programme. He is the author of a number of books on Architecture, including a monograph on Geoffrey Bawa, His latest book “Beyond Bawa – Modern Masterpieces of Monsoon Asia” will appear in the autumn of 2007.
Prof. Senake Bandaranayake, D.Phil. Oxon.
Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya. He was the founding Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology and Archaeological Director of the Sigiriya Cultural Triangle Project, posts he held for many years. He was later Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, Director-General of the Central Cultural Fund, and a member of the University Grants Commission. He also served as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to France and UNESCO and High Commissioner in India. Prof. Bandaranayake has published more than 100 research papers and authored or edited a number of books including Sinhalese Monastic Architecture (1974); Sri Lanka-Island Civilisation(1977); Sigiriya:Excavations and Research (1984); Ivan Peries Paintings: 1938-88 (1986; co-authored with ManelFonseka) The Settlement Archaeology of the Sigiriya-Dambulla Region (1990; co-editor); The Rock and Wall Paintings of Sri Lanka (1996) and most recently Sigiriya: City, Palace, Gardens, Monasteries, Paintings (2005) and The University of the Future and the Culture of Learning (2007). He holds the national honours of Vidyajothi and Deshabandu. Architect Anjalendran and Trustee Ms. Eugenie Mack joined the Judges to help facilitate effective on-site Technical and Physical Reviews.