Lina Ghotmeh frames Geoffrey Bawa’s architecture through the senses

Installation view 01 of Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses at the Vitra Design Museum

More than 250 objects, photographs and archival materials trace the work of Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa in Architecture for the Senses, a retrospective at the Vitra Design Museum. Designed by Lina Ghotmeh, the exhibition turns the museum into an immersive setting for a practice shaped by climate, craft and close attention to place.

Installation view 02 of Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses at the Vitra Design Museum — Bernhard Strauss

Installation view 03 of Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses at the Vitra Design Museum — Bernhard Strauss

Installation view 04 of Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses at the Vitra Design Museum — Bernhard Strauss

Installation view 05 of Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses at the Vitra Design Museum — Bernhard Strauss

Installation view 06 of Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses at the Vitra Design Museum — Bernhard Strauss

Installation view 07 of Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses at the Vitra Design Museum — Bernhard Strauss

Installation view 08 of Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses at the Vitra Design Museum — Bernhard Strauss

Installation view 09 of Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses at the Vitra Design Museum — Bernhard Strauss

Installation view 10 of Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses at the Vitra Design Museum — Bernhard Strauss

A spatial practice shaped by landscape

Across a career spanning five decades and more than 200 projects, Bawa developed an architectural language that brought modernist principles into dialogue with Sri Lanka’s histories, materials and building traditions. The exhibition follows this evolution through drawings, models, furniture, film and photography, from early buildings to landmarks including Lunuganga, the Bentota Beach Hotel and the Kandalama Hotel.

Rather than treating buildings as isolated objects, the presentation foregrounds Bawa’s response to terrain. Rocks, trees, contours and views become active parts of the architectural experience. New photographs by Iwan Baan revisit several buildings, recording how they are inhabited and how their settings shape perception.

Lobby interior at Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla, Sri Lanka — Iwan Baan

Aerial view of Number 11, Geoffrey Bawa’s house in Colombo — Iwan Baan

Guest living room at Number 11, Geoffrey Bawa’s house in Colombo — Iwan Baan

Hammered metal and gilded staircase door by Ismeth Raheem at Number 11 — Iwan Baan

Living room interior at Number 11, Geoffrey Bawa’s house in Colombo — Iwan Baan

Exterior of the House for Pradeep Jayewardene in Mirissa, Sri Lanka — Iwan Baan

Aerial view of the University of Ruhuna in Matara, Sri Lanka — Iwan Baan

University of Ruhuna library interior seen from the upper level — Iwan Baan

Roof detail of the New Sri Lankan Parliament in Kotte — Iwan Baan

Chamber interior at the New Sri Lankan Parliament in Kotte — Iwan Baan

Courtyard at the Lighthouse Hotel in Dadella, Sri Lanka — Iwan Baan

Passage at the Lighthouse Hotel in Dadella, Sri Lanka — Iwan Baan

Lounge interior at Bentota Beach Hotel in Sri Lanka — Iwan Baan

Elevator door designed by Anura Ratnavibushana at Bentota Beach Hotel — Iwan Baan

Entry portal with inverted grinding stones at the House for Osmund and Ena de Silva — Iwan Baan

Archival photograph of Lunuganga by Geoffrey Bawa — Geoffrey Bawa

East elevation of St Thomas’ Preparatory School, photographed by Geoffrey Bawa — Geoffrey Bawa

Exterior of St Thomas’ Preparatory School with bas-reliefs by Anil Gamini Jayasuriya — Geoffrey Bawa

Interior living space at Polontalawa Estate Bungalow — Geoffrey Bawa

Administration Building of Ceylon Steel Corporation in Oruwala — Sebastian Posingis

Steel and glass pavilions at Expo 70 with Laki Senanayake’s Bo Leaf sculpture — Geoffrey Bawa (attributed)

Interior of the Ceylon Pavilion tearoom at Expo 70 — Geoffrey Bawa (attributed)

Site plan for Polontalawa Estate Bungalow

Elevation drawing for a tree house scheme at Yala Bungalows

Perspective drawing for Yala Sand Dune House

Cross-sectional elevation of Bentota Beach Hotel

Perspective drawing for the New Sri Lankan Parliament

Ground floor plan for Number 11, Geoffrey Bawa’s house

Section through the main display for the Singapore Cloud Centre competition

Lunuganga map drawn by Sumangala Jayatillaka

Section through the site of Kandalama Hotel

Site plan for the House for Pradeep Jayewardene

Architectural model of the University of Ruhuna

Architecture in collaboration

The retrospective also considers Bawa’s collaborations with Sri Lankan artists and craftspeople, including Ena de Silva, Laki Senanayake and Barbara Sansoni. Their batik, sculpture and textiles were integral to the spaces, connecting architecture with art, making and local employment. Together, these works frame Bawa’s practice as both an architectural and social project.

Lunuganga copper pendant lamp — Andreas Sütterlin

Lounge chair with welded iron rod and mesh frame, upholstered in Barbara Sansoni fabric — Andreas Sütterlin

Bentota Lounge Chair in teak and rattan — Andreas Sütterlin

Kandalama Lounge Chair in black epoxy-coated wrought iron — Andreas Sütterlin

Geoffrey Bawa at Lunuganga — Dominic Sansoni

Main House at Lunuganga in Bentota, Sri Lanka — Kavindu Sivaraj

Sandella Garden Room at Lunuganga in Bentota, Sri Lanka — Kavindu Sivaraj

Gate House at Lunuganga in Bentota, Sri Lanka — Kavindu Sivaraj

Curated by Johan Deurell, Shayari de Silva and Ikko Yokoyama, the exhibition presents a layered account of Bawa’s legacy, placing ecology and cultural context alongside the label of Tropical Modernism.

Publication cover for the Geoffrey Bawa exhibition

Project Credits

Exhibition: Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses
Exhibition design: Lina Ghotmeh / @lina_ghotmeh
Curators: Johan Deurell, Shayari de Silva and Ikko Yokoyama
Venue: Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany
Dates: 26 September 2026–28 February 2027
Archive images © Geoffrey Bawa and Lunuganga Trusts, all rights reserved; Lunuganga Trust
Installation views: Bernhard Strauss