While the client and Architect were having a discussion about the renovation project near the lake front, the client did not forget to talk about the tranquility of the surrounding setting. Our discussion took place in an ideal setting, endorsing the need to enhance this character architecturally, and to create a place for relaxation with the lake front.
There were some container boxes abandoned after the war. They were lying close by and not being used. The container boxes with their enormous interior space could provide the Architect with an excellent opportunity to design a setting using them as part of the created space.
The Architect drew the conceptual sketch considering the entire natural and manmade elements already available in the surroundings. The Architect advised the client to find the material such as timber strips from the old bunkers and weapon boxes, old used ‘H’ irons, steel rods, and used railway sleepers for the interior and exterior. The idea was to create the space using the available resources in the surrounding environment.
But the most challenging task for me in this scheme was to create a resting place that could enable the visitor to experience the environmental quality and the space without making any interruption or damage to the existing natural ambience.
Furthermore, there was no trained skilled construction team to undertake the project to make it a reality, except the soldiers who were in the camp. The Architect was given the challenge to ensure that the soldiers were able to transform the imagined abstraction into reality.
The holiday cabana at Maduru Oya became the ideal destination for the traveler seeking a relaxing and rustic vacation in a spacious, quiet, and tranquil setting.
For the Architect, creating simplicity, lightness, and positively responding to nature are the philosophy behind this project. To create the design, harnessing the resources available within the campsite, reuse of material, and cost constraints were the primary focus for the conceptual basis. Furthermore, the design had to capture a panoramic view of the rugged wilderness as well as the picturesque setting of Maduru Oya lake and the blue mountains behind. Not forgetting the picturesque sunrise over the mountains.
