Ocean View

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Ocean view is a proposal for a residential high-rise high rise in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  The project represents a delicate balance between simplicity and controlled complexity in an attempt to meet efficient repeatable balcony elements at the building scale while also addressing the city scale for a differentiated iconic form.  The design creates a unique identity using the balcony component with a gradient field effect.  The balcony as the defining characteristic of the building was derived from the idea of utilizing interstitial space as a defining character for the architecture prominent in Geoffry Bawa’s work in Sri Lanka as well as by the adjacent towers designed by Dr. Nihal Perera, once the tallest building in Sri Lanka. 

The basic unit planning was associated with a modular design based on the rooms.  The tower features a central core that allows for units to have views in every direction.  The mass is designed to be symmetric for utilizing repeatable components for ease of construction.

The project goal was to create a space for a lifestyle of open connection to the environment and natural ventilation by treating the balcony space as an extension of the living areas, thereby creating a human-scale experience within an urban scale façade.