Hiranti Welandawe- Women in Architecture 2000 Plus: An event by The Hecar Foundation.

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Hiranti Welandawe qualified as an architect from the University of Moratuwa in 1980 and received her postgraduate training from the same University in 1983. She specialized in Urban design at the Helsinki University of Technology. Hiranti began her career in architecture as a trainee at Stein Doshi & Bhalla headed by Prof. B. V. Doshi. After working at several offices in Finland and Sri Lanka she set up her own practice in partnership with Madhura Prematilleke

. Hiranti Welandawe is a lecturer at the Colombo School of Architecture. Her work is published in several architectural journals and publications. "My work has been largely affected by the transformations in Sri Lankan society in the past few decades - Socialist policies, open economy and new technologies. In this context, my work has focussed on developing a contemporary and essentially Sri Lankan language.

I have been investigating methods of maintaining the traditional inside outside relationship. This has oftenbeen the spin off point for means of natural ventilation by wind tunnels / air currents. Daylight is used as a method of creating hot air currents and to dramatize and articulate the internal space.

As an urban designer I have used context generated solutions in projects to weave into the existing urban landscape."

The De Silva house is the residence of two lawyers and their 3 year old daughter. The house is built on a 7 perch plot on three levels.
The top floor houses a chamber for the two lawyers while the ground, the mezzanine and the first floors house the residential facilities.
The spiral staircase that leads up to the chamber is treated as a dominant element in the composition. Its height is emphasized by the water tank placed on top of it.
The entrance to the chamber and the house is placed around the stair tower. Central within the interior space is the courtyard pool. The activities of the entire house and the chamber are placed around the central courtyard at different levels.

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