Open House Colombo
Since 1992, Open House Worldwide has engaged citizens to learn about architecture and city making, and have a meaningful role in shaping these spaces. Open House Worldwide is now a network of over 50 organisations hosting festivals and conversations about architecture, design and cities across the globe.
Gardens and Green Spaces in Colombo
23–24 and 30–31 March 2024
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Venues: Colombo
Open House Worldwide is a global network fostering increased access to host cities’ architectural and design-focused features. In keeping with the themes around ‘To Lunuganga,’ this year’s Open House edition will highlight spaces in Colombo that embrace urban greenery. Follow Open House Colombo on Instagram for updates!
The schedule will highlight various spaces around the city that emphasise urban ecology, including:
COMING UP NEXT:
Saturday, 30th March:
MJF Centre West
Tours: 9:00 a.m. / 10:00 a.m. / 11:00 a.m.
Ishq Colombo
Tours: 3:00 p.m. / 5:00 p.m.
Open access: 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, 31st March:
Borella Cemetery
Tours: 8:00 a.m. / 4:00 p.m.
PAST EVENTS:
Saturday, 23rd March:
Saara Nilla
Tours: 10:00 a.m. / 11:30 a.m. / 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m.
Open access: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Chloe de Soysa House
Tours: available every 30 minutes.
Sunday, 24th March:
Gordon Gardens
Tours: 8:00 a.m. / 4:00 p.m.
Open access: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Lakmahal Community Library
Tours: 10:00 a.m. / 12:00 p.m. / 2:00 p.m. / 4:00 p.m.
Open access: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour
Tours: 3:30 p.m.
More information and registration here.
Gardens and Green Spaces in Colombo fact sheets: English / Tamil / Sinhala
Gardens and Green Spaces in Bentota
Sunday, 23 July 2023
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Bentota
The Geoffrey Bawa Trust, as organiser of Open House Colombo in conjunction with Open House Worldwide will give access to gardens and green spaces of Bentota.
Schedule
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Boutique 87
10 a.m. – 4 p.m Lunuganga, Number 5 - Ena de Silva house
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Heritance Ayurveda, Brief Garden
Gardens and Green Spaces in Bentota fact sheets: English / Tamil / Sinhala
The Kannangara House
20–21 May 2023
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. / Tours at 11.30 a.m. daily
A house and office designed for lawyer Aelian Kannangara (1959-61). It is situated at the end of a lane off Horton Place, Colombo 7. The building occupies a large portion of the site. The column-free living area takes up a large portion of the ground floor and is sandwiched between two bedrooms and service areas.
Kannangara House fact sheet: English
Open House Colombo:
Contemporary Practices
Day 1: 24 September (Colombo 2, 3 and 4)
Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters (Justin Samarasekera)
Colpetty Market (Justin Samarasekera)
Dr Perera House (Minnette de Silva)
The Jesuit Chapel (Valentine Gunasekara)
C H Fernando House (Minnette de Silva)
Day 2: 1 October (Colombo 7, Nawala)
Department of National Archives (Panini Tennekoon)
Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (Geoffrey Bawa)
Senanayake Flats (Minnette de Silva)
St. Anthony's Nursery (Valentine Gunasekara)
Nawala House (Panini Tennekoon)
Since 1992, Open House Worldwide has engaged citizens to learn about architecture and city making, and have a meaningful role in shaping these spaces. Open House Worldwide is now a network of over 50 organisations hosting festivals and conversations about architecture, design and cities across the globe.
In our first event as the organisers of Open House Colombo, The Geoffrey Bawa Trust explores the work of five architectural practices responsible for shaping the contemporary architectural language of Sri Lanka. The programme unlocks buildings by Justin Samarasekera, Minnette de Silva, Geoffrey Bawa, Panini Tennekoon and Valentine Gunasekara to understand the distinctive responses of these contemporaries in architecture, working in a shared context and responding to the specificities of Sri Lanka at the time.
More information here.