Oral Histories: Channa Daswatte

Channa Daswatte is the current Chairperson of the Geoffrey Bawa and Lunuganga Trusts. Channa worked with Geoffrey in his later years, starting with the landmark project which is the Kandalama Hotel. He was also an equal partner in Geoffrey Bawa Associates, which was founded after the closure of Edwards, Reid & Begg. Channa, together with Murad Ismail, then went on to set up the practice MICD Associates. The practice is responsible for many iconic buildings both in Sri Lanka and overseas, most recently having completed the renovation of the Bentota Beach Hotel. He is the author of the publications ‘Sri Lanka Style: Tropical Design & Architecture’ and ‘Colonial Period Furniture in the Geoffrey Bawa Collection’. Channa recalls with humour and detail, the experience of being a young architect in Geoffrey’s office, while shedding light on Geoffrey’s process of design, including the theatricality of his conception of space and place. The Oral Histories Project is an ongoing endeavour that will continue after the centenary year celebrations, and the Trust encourages submissions of potential historians and anecdotes to archives@gbtrust.net.

Om Podcasten

The Sri Lankan Architect Geoffrey Bawa is one of the most important and influential Asian architects of the 20th century. The podcast of the Geoffrey Bawa Trust builds on the repository of information available on Bawa and his practice, as well as the discourse on art and architecture in the island, through oral histories, lectures and discussions.