Palinda Kannangara Architects
The following firm biography comes from the Palinda Kannangara Architects website.
“Palinda Kannangara Architects is an award winning Sri Lankan Architectural firm known for an experiential architecture that hinges on simplicity and connection with the natural environment. The firm work has been recognized for contextual sensitivity, experimental material use and a minimalism reflective of the Sri Lankan ethos. The decade old practice remains intentionally small and personalized. The design and working process is always deeply connected to site.
The firm has worked on a varied range of projects across the island of Sri Lanka, projects which are often small in scale, the firm with its personalized approach, imbues each project with a sense of connectedness to the context, region, climate and landscape using locally available materials and technology to provide a rich spatial experience.
Recent projects include a guest house and SCADA building for a Wind Power Park in Jaffna, Book Publishers of Sri Lanka Headquarters, Colombo and an Artist’s retreat in Pittugala, Sri Lanka.
The firm has been the recipient of several prestigious awards in its decade in practice. With over 10 national awards (Sri Lanka Institute of Architects), the Commendation at the 1st Cycle of the Geoffrey Bawa Awards 2008, Golden Emerging Architect Award, Sri Lanka instituted by A+D and the Emerging Architect Asia Award by Architecture Asia (2014, 2016).Palinda Kannangara Architects have been on Architectural Digest, India’s AD50 list of best practices in the subcontinent for three consecutive years (2015, 2016, 2017). More recently the firm has been awarded 1st prize in 2A Awards Asia (residential category 2016, 2017) and Merit Award Azure Canada (2017), First Prize residential category in Geoffrey Bawa Awards (2017). Their recent work Studio Dwelling at Rajagiriya is on the long list for the RIBA International Prize 2018.
Sri Lankan Architect Palinda Kannangara’s has a background in Mathematics and Architecture. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Physical Sciences in the year 1996 with a specialization in Mathematics. His primary calling, however, was elsewhere. He joined the study course conducted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects in 1994.As a student Palinda trained under Sri Lankan modernist architect Anura Rantavibhushana, who had worked with Geoffrey Bawa for 16 years. On receiving his Charter in 2004, Palinda established independent practice in 2005.The studio is now located in Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka”
