Being Happy.............

I m not sure who initiate this romantic  idea but in architecturally there is no good or bad buildings,It's  only happy buildings and sad buildings.

We have happy moments in life ,but happy building or buildings which make us happy?

I was very happy kid when I first time attend to Sunday service at Horana  church.

I have no idea who design this place or what it call church but I do remember one thing,that was very feeling of freedom space to run over one end to the other.this church was known as air craft because of the shape .

As an architect student later I came to know it was not air craft the arch.Velantine Gunasekara 's concept behind   this was a giant bird who is looking towards the other mountain.

However it  was not about the form it was the feeling I experienced ,the openness,stunning unobstructed view.the monsoon  wind which cleansed both our soul and the mind.

Believe me I was very very small,this was even before 1990 but still I feel it like yesterday....

Of course I was very  happy to go there.Every Sunday I was counting dates to be honest it s not about the faith to the god,it is about the feeling of that place.

                                                       the plan form of the building.

We played hide and seek  with this soft curve walls.walls. Damith,Madhura,Subhani we all enjoyed playing there.

the massive roof structure which  always made to think that someone always above me.

Horan church actually name was   St .Martin's DE Porres'  but all known as " Gal  edadugoda palliya" . Gal the meaning in Sinhalese was stone.Sri lankans those who really good in Sinhalese may aware of it the other meaning ,  I m sure  here it is only  meant boulders or stones., of course there are lot of boulders.Still,Arch.Velantine Gunasekara  nicely had manipulated those boulders as a part of the church.

                                             Arch.Velantine Gunasekara and his wife.

By the time I went to the church those benches were not there.The Parrish council by that time had decided the benches are not comfortable enough to  get close with the God. By that time benches had turn into long chairs with back rest...But still the place was open  like this.

                           The view of the paddy fields  and still remaining boulders at site.

Things were happy at those days,but then eventually I became a teenager,who was extremely confuse,nothing matter to me except looking  for a boy friend,During the Sunday mass I was out of luck.I guess the X- factor of my was not strong enough,ended up me being very confused,no  body is playing hide and seek anymore,Sri Lankan girls after the first period happens they become completely different but except me.

Simply I was not fitting to the church.....

But It s not only me that feel not fitting to the church..Even people who come to Sunday Mass started complains.

The monsoon,the wind the openness has become a  barrier to connect with the god during the mass.

Even the father not  to mention the name ,but said it s very difficult  to have the Sunday mass during the rain.Sri Lanka ,this is a tropical country we have heavy monsoons over three to four months. Apparently new father does not want  to get disturb  by rain during the Sunday service.

Newly elected Parrish  council decided to have special  meeting ,on  that matter.A genius Parrish Council member had suggested  to cover the entire  building with black glass windows with aluminium frame.

Everybody agreed on this brilliant idea.What next A raffle ticket for fund raising.

The ten commandments were written on a top of mountain,while Mosses was busy with writing ten commandments people did what the want ended up giving the biggest disappointment to the God.

People were not changing still,while the raffle ticket processing ,there were conflict among the Parrish council members.

It s not a major issue ,Just that someone wanted to become honest than the other..Imagine when you collect money  and when  there is no proper audit on it...

Even with all these debates there were Christmas,Easter Friday, of course I  was not happy at going to church now.

I had a feeling that father does not like me at all,simply because I started skip the Sunday Mass most of the time I sneaked off and started lean against a boulder.Actually father put me in to a some work but I was not enthusiastic.

Some how with all these nonsense  they finished covering the Church completely with Aluminium windows.I do remember after one Sunday service there was a demonstration how to open sliding Aluminium Windoors.

It was kind of new thing instead of timber frames.

Of courses now we don't get disturb during the monsoon,While there is no God we have the view which is now equally  divided into rectangles.

There is no rain,but thanks to the black win-doors inside  always feel it s raining outside.

The funny thing is even though it looked outside raining people did not want to stay much.As the moment Father finished the they want to push each other and get the hell out of the church.

I realized to know that happened  as soon as father ended his Sunday mass the care taker of the church turned off the fan. Everybody  was sweating  they wanted to get out to breath freely..

Now the happiness of the building going little by little away.Regular church ladies are bit worried there is no place to Gossip.Sunday mass is over,door doors were locked,fans lights switched off,everybody go home.

I stopped going to church at all.Now actually i got frustrated  when i go to church.

The entry door is locked.everybody out of the church premises with 15 minutes after the Sunday mass.

Also there were new members after the renovation work,they don' t know how this place used to be even.

I did not go to church  for a long time till I become architecture student.One day in a evening I went to church just  to see.

The place look like a desert, but there was a nice father,,,That was father Erinton  actually I spoke quite a long time a friendly chit chat.He did not ask why I am not coming to  the Sunday Mass any more,but he explained nicely  why should I come back  to church.Actually Horana Church  is a Calvary Shrine.

So father Erinton asked me to help on some work.Actually after quiet a long time I felt happy after going to the church,

So Father Erinton said he will talk with Parrish council, I don  t need to come even to a single meeting.

We did some Calvary shrine stations ,actually I did design a some crazy steps.It was not major modification,but some little interesting work.

The last station cave,steps..Actually I was happy.Still I did not go to Sunday Mass, but I did  go to church...Father Erinton did not say a word but he told me look at the statue of Jesus and try to listen to the Mass from outside.

Sometimes I did listen.But I stayed there till father finished the Mass.
To be very honest the first time I did smoking looking at this statue.....
Oh now I hate smoking.......
The unfortunate thing is happiness never going to be everlasting.Somehow It started deteriorating.

                                      Father Erinton with his pony...He was a great animal lover.


After five years of time Father Erinton was transferred into a church in Negambo,It was on  the beach road,Father Erinton was happy,he likes the beach than boulders I think so.

Due to so many reasons I could not go to church at all.But heard there is another fund raising for a major modification.Out of curiosity I went to see what has actually planned.
Hearing  what they planing to modify I was not sad...
I was angry....But new father was over confident  of what he is planing  to do...

He wanted to change the original layout.He wanted to break curve walls which we used to play hide and seek,...I feel it s waste t of time to trying  to convince the character of the building or the spatial quality....let them do what they wanted......

Later I saw they were asking donations through social medias.They broke curve walls and two  circular  chambers,as well they broke my heart into pieces,
After they break the curve walls I went  to see,actually they complained  about water leakage from walls.A building which is over 40 years  water leakage is not a punishable guilty   of  demolish .But they punished to the building  taking it s life out of it.
Instead of curves they they introduced  spikes with colored glass.

I don t think that  I ever be happy at this place again....
It is sad.....here for me it is sad forever.....

2000 years ago they punished to the son of the God, for being unconventional, for being free, for being honest, we are still worrying about the punishment they gave to him,But again it s God's wish.....
"Forgive them father,they not know what they doing"
                                            - Jesus Christ-

The Missile Man

By all means India is a great country.A great country with great people.There are some rotten mangoes but still: It was the cradle of many things.Can we imagine how our world would be without positional decimal numeral system?
That all started from Indian mathematicians,of course it  is true that Persian adopted it but the initiators were Indians.
Dr Abdul Kalam, the missile man  he was the one piece of gold of the same chain.
Actually when I heard that we lost him forever suddenly I remembered one thing.Sometimes ago he had told when he stop breathing there should not be any state funerals or public holidays of sorrow.
His request was as an honor to continue work when he passed away.

I was lucky enough to see Dr Abdul Kalam exactly one month ago In Sri Lanka.He was here on 25 th of June.But never thought that I will hear this yesterday.His life is full of achievements.
Starting from Rameshwaram in India and ended up in Rashtaprathi Bhawan, And he hold his last breath till he reached Shillong ,a hill station of India at his age of 83.
It is well known thing that NASA offered him a fortune to work for them,but he refused.
He was appointed as  the president of India ,the most important thing is all  the political parties in India agreed on that decision.
Dr Abdul Kalam is not only a scientist  he is the symbol of  ethnically  unitness  of India.Majority of Hindu population agree to have a Muslim President ,

The time India started their missile programs there were lot of criticism came against it.By that time aeronautical engendering was only passion of so called developed countries such as USA and Russia.
they started  the programme with minimum facilities which including with out basic transportation.

Dr Abdul Kalam  never seeking help so called developed countries but ended up Agni,Pruthvi.. so and so...
After the five years of presidency period  Dr Abdul Kalam continued his teaching with his inspirational speeches.He traveled throughout India ,even the last day of his  life he spent with young student.

         

                       

Dr Abdul Kalam with students.He was role model most of  youngsters.

Dr Abdul Kalam with Bill Gates, during his time in Rashtaprathi  Bhawan

In 1981 the India's first satellite  before the lunch.Imagine if this happened in  Sri Lanka ,We will start hiring most expensive vehicle for transportation and will ask help from China  for road construction.And we will put our Flag on someone else s  satellite.
I was wondering what happened to our satellite ?No a Clue...
Might be it already reached to the other Galaxy.....

                                               The missile man,Dr Abdul Kalam,

 "you cannot change you r future,but you can change you r habits.
And surly habits will change you r future"
              -Dr Abdul Kalam.
That 's something I do always think......

A Moving Life

Sunil Perera, a musician and the leader of the popular musical group Gypsies with  some other politicians have been accused of engaging in activities that have defamed ex president during TV talk shows.Former President already sent letter of demand and Sunil Perera has been charged  for one billion rupees.Even we have really low rate for Sri Lankan Rupees for US dollars,One billion  is a quiet a lot ....
Today Sunil Perera may not face difficulty of finding this amount,the  Gypsies  musical band did so well in past decades .
Actually once Sunil Perera told the name Gypsies he used purposely because at the time he started the group all the group members were like Gypsies ,they were not stable both financially and professionally.
I don't really believe what he is saying,though Sunil Perera claims  that he did not get through Ordinary level  Examination his ideas seems to be very broad and far sighted.I have a thought long time ago before I even  heard of Gypsy king Sunil Perera might have been a good fan of them...

All this came to my mind was seeing  the real gypsies on my way to office.The
We don' t have large gypsy culture like in Europe.They never had caravans, these people actually originally came from India most of them talking Theligu or Tamil,majority of them settled in Easten Province but still there are some living as an isolated groups in some parts of the  country.

Traditionally donkeys  or mules to carry their  belongings .Except the movie which Malani Fonseka acted as a Gypsy girl I haven't seen it in reality.Of course that movie is very elaborated and exaggerated.
One thing is quiet true those days they did not  stay over a week in a same place.
Actually they were moving from place to place.Also there were many bare lands and people did not mind  coming them even  to a private land.
They do snake charming,fortune telling and showing monkey dancing so and so...
Still they do the same thing, but what they really don t do is now they don t move.They are perfectly staying at one place over six months funniest thing is they are fighting to stay forever.
Of course we should all aware everything around us have changed.This Gypsy community can't move around  like old days,lands are being divided in to smallest as possible.
We may easily say they can join with the normal society,but these people they don t have any identification,no birth certificate,no school actually no name so they don t get permanent job.
They only surviving what they can do but staying in one place.Some of them do labor jobs on daily basis.
Now they don t have traditional  materials for their shelter,such as Palmaira leaves ,now they use
every syntactic materials which they can get free.
Actually I spoke with some of this modern Gypsies.The most shocking thing I heard was it is very difficult to find some one to marry them and they are getting married in to their first cousins  and more worst scenarios than that.
So ended up in disable children more frequently and most of the government hospitals also refusing them even for child birth.
Quoting from  Lord Buddha  even a birth has a human is great thing we have to do so much good work to be born as humans from the previous birth.
All Buddhist believe life is a cyclic and rebirth.
But Imaging born into such life?

Sunil Perera, the Sri lankan Gypsy King

The Popular Actress,Ex-parliamentarian Malani Fonseka in her Gypsy costumes.












Some Gypsy people  with their snakes...
Snake charming is a very popular thing among most of them.
Actually snake is like their  most valuable thing.All grown up male gypsies are keeping snakes or a monkey .This still has not changed much.

Old picture of snake charmers.

Old Group of Gypsies with their traditional shelters.
Not anymore...

Newly wed Gypsy couple

Modern Gypsy shelters, where they live longer period than they used to be.Diff rent materials for shelters.

have been accused of engaging in activities that have defamed ex-President Mahinda Rajapakse during various TV talk shows. As a result of these practices, MR had sent letters of demand to these five individuals. Moreover, they have been charged one billion rupees each except for Minister Mangala Samaraweera who has been charged Rs.500 million - See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/81131/replies-to-mr-s-letters-of-demand#sthash.TNkYTTBh.dpuf

The Tower Crane Trap

With large projects Colombo city has become one construction site.Even though  that Fort city project holding at the moment,but there are considerable amount of really large construction works are happening.
Of course we are growing vertically.
Passing through these construction sites if I had to park my car ;  unconsciously I m looking up searching  are there any tower crane being operated.I have very insecure feeling parking close by a tower crane.Kind of forbia.
I don't know  the others but for me  looking at the tower crane  from distance  the whole thing seems to be  outrageous.....
Since they have no support wires of any kind why don't this structure fall over?It has often rise over hundred feet into the air also it can reach out just as far.......
All the heavy building materials lift by tower crane...
But surprisingly I haven't heard  any accident of falling of a tower crane here while Sri lanka rest of other things falling apart but tower cranes seems to be very stable.........
The tower crane what it can do seems nearly impossible.It also grow taller as the building grows taller and lifts tons of heavy building materials to make our lives more easier.
All these things came to my mind because I had no any experience working in a site with tower cranes.There is a first time for everything....
Sometimes life gives very thrilling experiences suddenly,same has happened to me... Right now I got eight tower cranes  one is already growing right in front of me.
The first element of the is stability.Every construction company do hard working to build the large concrete pad which poured weeks before the cranes arrive.
This massive concrete pad  most cases over 150,000kg being supported by friction piles.Some times those piles has gone to the bedrock. Large anchor bolts embedded deep into the pad to support the base  of the crane.
when it explain it very simple way the base of the crane very strongly bolted to the ground ensuring it s stability.
Then  top of the  tower which known as slewing unit , the gear and motor.On top of the slewing unit there are working arm ,the long horizontal Jib that is the portion which carries the load,
Then the operators cab,I think it has AC,I never get any chance to climb up to operator's cab.
 I don t think I will.
In Sri lanka operating a  tower crane consider as very masculine work.I also agreed.I haven t seen any tower crane operating female figure here, but in South Korea apparently there is a one female tower crane operator.This was told by our  deputy design manager Mr.Chun Sung Tae.Hope that she will come to our site.That 's something called gender equity.
It s hard work.There is no toilet or such utility facilities.The poor fellow have to  all the down to for those things...Imagine that climbing 100-150 feet in the burning sun through cat ladder in three four times a day.Cant believe they do it really?I have no idea.Only what I have seen is climbing it in the   morning.
But still their may be accidents occur unless we did not follow the safety precautions.I know there is no any way of climbing a tower crane, because it s   restricted only allows skilled operators...

Here are some picture which I got  today from the adjoin building terrace.

Base of a tower crane

  Operator's cabin

 Tower cranes at neighboring site.

Who want  to be a tower crane operator?

A sad Sunday......

It was last Sunday that I started looking  Lankadeepa for Daya Rajapakshs's comic  story.Bit disappointing because it was not in the paper.Then I waited till this week .

Of course Sunday Lankadeepa was available since Saturday morning.but the story wasn't there either This is the first time  according to my memory repeatedly it was  not published for two weeks.
Even I told  my mother it's  strange,After few minutes  while I was  checking some web news I saw that  Mr Daya Rajapaksha passed away at general hospital Colombo today morning.
What a sad thing to hear...

I started reading   his stories  with " Gginibath Kiritaya"which means the burnt crown.
It was a story about a small shop owned by Sinhalese in where majority of the people Tamil s who work in tea estate.actually I was very small I do remember the name because I didn't know what s the Sinhalese meaning for Kiritaya.
Actually my grandfather who explained this word and said don't think  of reading this kind of stories simply these are adult's stuff.And remanded me to read Lowada sagarawa and Sirith Maldama,Both were poem books without a singe illustration and full of advice of well mannered Buddhist children supposed to follow.
Being stubborn was typically being myself and later on I read those books when i was studding in Sunday school but that did not stop the addiction for Daya Rajapaksha's  comic stories .I never missed  those  stories till this Sunday.
Daya Rajapaksha even did child comics stories for Wijaya paper.But his work always meant for adults.He never did stories with beautiful princess or fairy tales castles with rainbow colors.
The last story he was writing based on older peoples life in a Elder home.

During 1988 -1989 he wrote a story about a poor family who sold their child.It was a time lot of Children were sold to Western Europe countries, this kind of stories really happened  at that time very often.Nowadays we read  overwhelming articles of return  those kids as adults  to Sri Lanka searching for their biological parents.In rational way it s not a worst  thing that a child grew up in a European country with higher life standards.
But again we can't really agreed of the idea of selling a child.
however the story ended in as that  father who actually sold the kid commit suicide.
there was a small note that  Daya Rajapaksha made saying  that he had to stop this story due to various pressure....

It s like end of an era.Now most of the news papers does not have a comic story.
Also there is no any esteemed runner to hold the batten.As readers we are  interested in electronic medias and  reading printed news papers not a growing habit of younger generation .
We have all E news alerts.New President providing WI-FI ,  It easy,

The truth is even I got Daya Rajapaksha's  death  from E news web.actually I was realizing   that I don't have a reason of buying   Irida Lankadeepa now
Can I blame myself?

Nortan Bridge Daya Rajapaksha and the leading female figure of his most of comic stories.

Passing through Hamilton Canel

It s Saturday..Technically I supposed to be work at office.Instead of stopping near Slave island Railway Station I went towards Galle face green,Early morning enjoying the sea breeze ,I kept moving towards Mutwal.
End the end I was near Hamilton canal.
I was about six or  seven years old when I first time saw this canal.Actually I did not notice the canal even.I went to Leprosy hospital with my Mother.
I was more exited about the hospital than this Canal.
Sometimes later I was passing through Hamilton canal,but road s were really we never tried going through the banks of the canal.
Actually Hamilton canal was not designed to be  drive vehicles over the bank of it.The whole idea behind the Hamilton canal was use the canal it self as a way of transportation.
I got old picture of it...The Dutch designed it,definitely they influenced by their country.
unfortunately  i did not have a picture how it look like in late 80's .

This is a very old photograph.I can t remember Hamilton canal like this.when i saw it those days it was not  clean like this at all.

This is a place where majority of the people involved in fishing industry.Actually it is not supposed to be crystal clean water front retreat.

we have experienced different levels of urban retreats  within past three four years. Hamilton canal also has developed as urban retreat area.

It was around 7 a.m .There were not much  people as well dynamism of the fishing community seems dead.There were long line of fishing boats but there was no life in it.

Actually  I was thinking should I go forward towards Uswata keiiaywa or should I take a u turns.

I m not a fan of U turn except the movie which Sean Penn and Jenifer Lopez appeared.

So why not Keep moving forward...

So  I took the coastal line towards Negambo..

We Sri Lankans  have a popular joke among friends,which is going to UK.It s  that all Sri Lankan been to United Kingdom,but most of us been  to UK,that is  Uswata keiiaywa  UK. Subtle beach which is really close  to  Colombo.There are people who brought lands and have their own beach villa Around Preethipura or UK.When we are passing through the beach road road elevation gives  different social layers of Sri Lanka,

Beach Villas which were designed  by  eminent architects and also small shack dwellings.Some land owners have sold most of  their land to an outsider now looking at the well designed boundary walls happily, Obviously they don' t enjoy beach or the sea breeze, may be looking at the sea for too long...

That is  human nature we do get board on most romantic things very soon,and we are loosing it forever.

As well there are identical clone copies of beach Villas in Malibu,plus local interpretation  of post modernism architecture with over decorated pediment and  Corinthian , Doric columns and extravagant minimalist  architecture..

Can we always agreed that Less Is More?

Hamilton Canal long time ago...Thanks to the google

Hamilton Canal now..

Its a common Sri Lankan style of urban retreat..Somewhere in future it may  recognize as MR style  or Ghota Style.What ever  it s typical  red color cement block pavings with concrete curb .

UK beach.....Not early morning....this is actually evening.

palm village hotel gardens.I m not advertising.Had a tea..that 's all.

Negambo is an another story...hopefully somewhere in future...

124 DAYS PROJECT.

2015,close to the end of the last four months......

I was wondering have I spend past months usefully.I can t be sure about it.what i m trying to do is coming next 124 days do something new and experimental  per each day.I have 10 -11 hours working the office.But still  I have 14 to 13 hours.so where  I an getting board is on that time.if i can do some exiting thing per day and I will ended up doing 124 things  in the end of the year.
 So just a brief introduction about what I do.....
currently i m working as the project architect in  water front development resort  project.project. Glennee Street ,Colombo 02.I have no idea how this area looked like 30- 40 years ago..but I can show you how this place look like  now and how it will be in 2018 if  I m going to survive till the end of this project.
Mainly we are working with Koreans. All of them are Kim,Lee or Kang.The diversity of people which we can see from south Asia will never experienced form them.They dress same,talk same , very identical.Scared to say good morning , because I have a feeling that they will never reply the same way....And I have experienced that...
But working ethics are superb. Punctuality,accuracy ,perfection those are the things really matters when we are working with  Korean People.I never been  to South Korea.....I believe it s land of perfection and accuracy......If some one  can comment on that....
Also first time in my life i m working as with a Portuguese  architect from the consultant office.
In school days I have learnt that our  coastal area and some parts of the country was controlled by Portuguese,  apart form that one of my cousin sister  is married to a guy whose surname is De Zaa ,claims that his ancestor are Portuguese but except for this name there are no any evident  proofs that he is  Portuguese.
What  I learnt from history that Portuguese are infamous for being ruthless during their time in Sri Lanka.Don Jeranimo Asawedu one person that I remember.History  is not always fascinating.So I think the Portuguese chapter in Sri lanka is  not really fascinating at  all.
For me Sri Lankan history is not fascinating at all.it s good not to talk about Sri Lankan history...I might get into trouble....
so I will show some random pictures of the site now.
any one has how this palace look like 10-20 years ago...if so please  upload...for recording purpose only.....
My first experience about this was as a student we had a joint student programme with Architect student from University of Singapore.That was 10 years ago...But did not record anything at the edge of the Biere Lake..All I remember is the Hotel Nippon with Pink color ,now of course they have changed the color and the candied introduction about Slave Island Railway station From Prof.David Robson.Of courses the railway station is bit famous with it s historical look and  steel trusses.
Even in another 20 -30 years if you go into this railway station I believe this place will pretty much the same..
If you are really this was a shooting location for movie  "Water"
These are some random pictures of the site....actually this is my first time experience  with tower cranes...Lot  of things for me this project is the first place....

so what will my today excitement...first I m going  to work in the office...till 6 p.m...Hope by that time I wll get to know something to my mind as a sudden gumption.

but anyone can help I m relay thankful.I have almost 10 hours.....https://goo.gl/maps/pkS2G

Yet Another Election?

where to float...?

As Sri Lankans   we are facing to an election for the second time in this year...this all started calling for a presidential election By ex president MR two years in advance as per his royal astrologers forecast.

Now ex President running for prime minister post which is absolutely not worthy positions in Sri lankan constitutes.Since 1977 with the introduction of the new Constitution  Prime Minster post has become only a positions which was technically held by most   catatonic politicians ever.This is not for the country...

Ten year of presidential period of the ex president Sri lanka gone through a lot.Of course we  won the war during this period.we can got to Jaffna by train even, but forgetting the fact it the the most expensive rail road per KM.

Colombo ,the commercial hub of Sri Lanka  everywhere paved ,floating markets,towers over 300 m  of course we have gone through a lot in the past..but why over 6 million people vote against the former president ?

What most of Sri  Lankan lost during his time?

Well it is not only the ex-president who is responsible for destroying the most of things what we consider as pillars of the any democratic country.It is not the Ex-President who appointed chief justice first time by his own,Even former president Chandrika Kumarathunga did the same with former chief justice.Ex president was only an extension of the same worst  cycle.

Corruption,from  when to start? Sri lanka never had a leader  with clean hands..

but out of all Ex- President was far more clever  than others..he had very good team..even after the fall of the past election  he has a team who always willing to appear on behalf of him.

So what do we going  to do?can we trust the current prime minister who already mislead the entire country with central bank treasure bond scandal.Or else are we going to have faith on JVP?As it appears to me this is the most confused and unclear election ever in Sri Lanka?There is no one to trust?So no one  to vote.

We don't have choice of voting based on policies......