2013 March
Visit: Department of Architecture welcomes Dr Charles Doidge, British senior don who was responsible for the commencement of the M.Sc. in Architecture four decades ago
Dr Charles Doidge was happy to see the progress made in the Department of Architecture on 4th March 2013. Dr Doidge was invited to assist in the development of the postgraduate teaching in Architecture at the Department and in 1973, the initial batch comprising of five students were enrolled for the first time in Sri Lanka for the M.Sc. in Architecture. He left the department in 1977 after the postgraduate programme was well established.
He was a lecturer who adopted a Sri Lankan life style and went beyond the call of duty when he conducted lectures and tutoring classes even at his home at Park Road always entertaining the students to snacks lunches and dinners . Architectural model making classes were conducted in his garage and students were often taken on study tours for days along with his young family and the MSc programme have given the former students, now very senior architects and academics an unforgettable post graduate experience!
He was invited to be the RIBA external examiner twice on the very course he started and was the key note speaker when the department celebrated 50 years of architectural education in Sri Lanka in2011. When he visited the department in March 2013 he conducted a lecture followed by discussion for students and both his wife Theress and him, said 'how much they felt like being at home in Sri Lanka'. The department wish them both good health and contentment in their retirement in UK.
2013 February
Exhibition: Students’ exhibition at SLIA annual sessions at BMICH Colombo
The Department of Architecture, University of Moratuwa took part in the Architect 2013 Exhibition held at BMICH Colombo from 19th to 23rd February 2013.
In architectural design works of the students were displayed in the stall, with emphasis on the 2012 final year Comprehensive Design Projects.Large number of visitors including the Secretary, Ministry of Urban development and Defense : Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa visited the stall.
The exhibition is an annual event held by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects and traditionally the Department has been a continuous participant for the last two decades.
In addition during the Public Affairs Forum held on 20th February 2013, the 4th year students of the Department of Architecture made a presentation under the theme of the forum: “Think smart- Innovative Enterprise Architecture” and was well received by the audience consisting of foreign and local architects.
2013 January
Accreditation: Re- Validation of the Honors degree of Bachelor of Architecture by Sri Lanka Institute of Architects
Board of Architectural Education (BAE) of Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA) re-validated Honors degree of Bachelor of Architecture of University of Moratuwa after a visitation by an accreditation panel on 11th January 2013.
The visitation panel consisted of Archt. Dr. Locana Gunaratne, Archt. V.N.C. Gunasekara, Archt. D.B. Navaratne and Archt. Veranjan Kurukulasuriya. They inspected the student portfolios of all five years, question papers, sample answer scripts and resources at the department. . The panel met students and academic staff in two separate meetings.
On the recommendation of the panel , SLIA re accredited the Honors degree of Bachelor of Architecture and exempted,
a. The first there years of B. Arch. Degree from part 1 examination of SLIAb. The fourth and the fifth years of B. Arch. Degree from part 2 examination of SLIA for five year period, until 2018.
The revalidation will allow the graduates of five year B. Arch. Degree programme to sit the part 3 examination of SLIA after two years of practical experience and become a chartered architect.
2012 December
Retirement: Retirement of Prof. Shiranee Balasuriya
A group of students from the architecture department took part at the Architecture Students Jamboree held as part of the The 15th Asian Congress of Architects (ACA) convened by the Asian Regional Council of Architects (ARCASIA). It was held in Bali, Indonesia from 29th October to 2nd November 2012.
The Student Jamboree organized simultaneously with the ACA was held at Werdhapura, Bali, and was hosted by the Architecture Department of the Udayana University. The Jamboree saw the participation of more than 350 architecture students from the 18 ARCASIA member countries which included Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Nepal among others. Nine students of architecture from the University of Moratuwa and one student from the City School of Architecture were featured as the Sri Lankan delegation at this event. The Student Jamboree held sessions corresponding to the main ACA event under the theme, ‘Global Challenges in a Local Setting: A Cultural Approach towards Sustainable Asian Cities and Architectural Heritage’. All papers submitted by the Sri Lankan student delegation were selected to be presented at the sessions and were published in the journal issued by the ICSTD (International Conference on Sustainable Technology Development).
The students participated in a sketch competition and a practical workshop on bamboo construction as well as in social activities of beach conservation and mangrove planting. A city tour and a cultural excursion to the traditional village of Tenganan were also organized as part of the programme. The students also had the opportunity to attend lectures conducted by award winning architects Kevin Low, Yumi Kori, Chan Soo Kian and Chan In-Souk during the event. The event culminated with a fellowship night with cultural performances by all member countries.
This year The congress was hosted by the Indonesian Institute of Architects (IAI) and was themed ‘A Modernism Challenge: Asian Cities and Architecture Heritage in a New Paradigm’. Delegations from professional bodies of 18 member countries including Sri Lanka participated at the event. The 16th ARCASIA Student Jamboree is scheduled to be held in Nepal in October 2014.
2012 December
Award: Silver Paper Award – NBRO Symposium 2012
The paper titled “Landslide mitigation - A novel Architectural and Engineering Intervention”, by Archt. Anishka Hettiarachchi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Architecture and U.K.D.C Dilshan, Level Five student of B. Arch Degree Programme, Department of Architecture was awarded “ Silver Paper” at the 4th Annual National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) Symposium conducted under the theme “Creating Disaster Resilient Built Environment “held at Ministry of Environment, Colombo on 13th December 2012.
2012 November
Presentation: By Bangladeshi Architect Rafiq Azam
A presentation by award winning Bangladeshi Architect Rafiq Azam was held on Saturday 24th November 2012 at the Department.
He is the principal architect of the architecture firm Shatotto, based in Dhaka, Bangladesh and has worked on projects in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Malaysia. He is also a teacher, a lecturer and a painter.
Mr. Azam’s specialization is unearthing the lost history and heritage of Bengal and recreating the missing link of its urban and rural culture. Extensive use of Water, Greenery and Fair faced concrete and exposed bricks for the structure are his trademark. In the presentation he explained how these elements are exploited to create contemporary buildings and spaces, but which were rooted in tradition and nature. Some very interesting projects done in Bangladesh and overseas were discussed and it was an enlightening and engaging presentation.
2012 November
Jamboree: ARCASIA Jamboree in Bali, Indonesia, 29th October to 2nd November
A group of students from the architecture department took part at the Architecture Students Jamboree held as part of the The 15th Asian Congress of Architects (ACA) convened by the Asian Regional Council of Architects (ARCASIA). It was held in Bali, Indonesia from 29th October to 2nd November 2012.
The Student Jamboree organized simultaneously with the ACA was held at Werdhapura, Bali, and was hosted by the Architecture Department of the Udayana University. The Jamboree saw the participation of more than 350 architecture students from the 18 ARCASIA member countries which included Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Nepal among others. Nine students of architecture from the University of Moratuwa and one student from the City School of Architecture were featured as the Sri Lankan delegation at this event. The Student Jamboree held sessions corresponding to the main ACA event under the theme, ‘Global Challenges in a Local Setting: A Cultural Approach towards Sustainable Asian Cities and Architectural Heritage’. All papers submitted by the Sri Lankan student delegation were selected to be presented at the sessions and were published in the journal issued by the ICSTD (International Conference on Sustainable Technology Development).
The students participated in a sketch competition and a practical workshop on bamboo construction as well as in social activities of beach conservation and mangrove planting. A city tour and a cultural excursion to the traditional village of Tenganan were also organized as part of the programme. The students also had the opportunity to attend lectures conducted by award winning architects Kevin Low, Yumi Kori, Chan Soo Kian and Chan In-Souk during the event. The event culminated with a fellowship night with cultural performances by all member countries.
This year The congress was hosted by the Indonesian Institute of Architects (IAI) and was themed ‘A Modernism Challenge: Asian Cities and Architecture Heritage in a New Paradigm’. Delegations from professional bodies of 18 member countries including Sri Lanka participated at the event. The 16th ARCASIA Student Jamboree is scheduled to be held in Nepal in October 2014.
2012 October
Fund Raiser:THE GAMEFEST 2012, 14th October
As the initial step the Arcnest team has already commenced on a projects under the social service pillar and the public awareness pillar, of building a house for an identified underprivileged family with four children in Polonaruwa using low cost material. In order to achieve the overall vision of the Arcnest and to cover the expenditure of the non profitable projects such as mentioned above, THE GAMEFEST 2012, a fund raising program was organized by the “Arcnest” team. The event took place at the Shalika Grounds on 14th of October 2012 mainly focusing on the stake holders in the field of architecture in Sri Lanka.
The featuring event of the “Game fest 2012” was the thrilling six aside cricket tournament which comprised of 18 teams from the SLIA, Academic staff of the Department of Architecture, architectural firms, past students and students. Design 6 team emerged as champions beating the Damith Premathilaka Assosicates team in the very exciting and nail biting tournament. Yet the highlight of the day was no doubt the feature match between the Academic staff of the University of Moratuwa and senior practicing Architects of Sri Lanka. Along with the cricket tournament many other fun filled games and events took place throughout the day.With the presence of the President of the SLIA, senior architects, practicing architects, Academic staff members of both the University of Moratuwa and CSA and students of both academies event became an wonderful opportunity for the architecture community to get together and have an enjoyable day.
2012 September
Community Work:Rammed Earth House Project, Aselapura, Polonnaruwa. September onwards
Project Background
This project seeks to use students’ knowledge, resources and enthusiasm to design and build a cost-effective house in Aselapura, Welikanda. The house is builtfor an underprivileged family headed by Miss Wimalawathi who is a single parent with four children, eldest of them being 16 years old and the youngest reaching 2. Recent returnees to the former war-affected area, the family was found to be living in a small shanty house. Mr Asanga Hapugaskubura, who has also very generously volunteered to bear the cost of the needed material for the house, introduced the project to the Arcnest team.
The proposed new house is to be built using rammed earth as the main building material, thereby setting an example to use material that are locally available, environmentally friendly and cost-effective.
Project ObjectivesWhile providing a safe and a comfortable home for the family, the project seeks to investigate on alternative building typologies and methods of construction as solutions for economically, environmentally and socially sustainable building constructions. In addition, it also proposes to share and transfer building knowledge to the public by incorporating on-site labourtraining and up-skilling processes. Critical to this approach is to forecast and identify the probable training needs as part of the initial building conception.
From an academic point of view, the project also offers an opportunity for students to gain practical knowledge of implementing such alternative building systems and acquire an interest on participating in the social building production interventions. Capacity building – both internal and external to the university system – therefore is a key intention of the proposed project.
Project MethodologyThe project was set in motion when the members of the Arcnest team met the donor and the benefitting family, who collectively developed the building scope and design brief. In parallel to this process, research was undertaken on the local building systems, construction processes, andpossible alternative building solutions.
Taking into consideration the subsequent social, economic, and technical implications of the particular building process, design solutions are generated by the studentswith the guide from professional advisers. Simultaneously,probable training needs and up-skilling strategies will be formulated and incorporated into the building solutions.During the construction phase, the students will oversee and participate in erecting building systems,setting performance standards and transferring knowledge to the locals.
Arcnest team is an organization registered as an architectural student society of the University of Moratuwa with a vision follows;
“With spirited leadership, collaboration and team work, we intend to co-ordinate and promote the affairs of the students of Architecture in the University of Moratuwa giving them extraordinary possibilities to grow both as human beings and as professionals and to utilize their talents to make a change to lives of disadvantaged populace through modest design and construction solutions.”
The team closely works with the academic staff and past student of Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa and also with the practicing body of Architecture in Sri Lanka.
2012 August
Symposium: FARU International Research Symposium, 24th-25th August
Faculty of Architecture Research Unit (FARU) of the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, for the sixth consecutive time, has conducted its annual research symposium on 24th & 25th August 2012. The theme of this year’s symposium is the ‘Emerging Built Environments: Reflections of Culture, Technology, and Politics in Space’. The symposium opened up a forum for a wider range of research and scholarly work from the disciplines such as Architecture, Building Sciences, Environmental Design, Engineering, Facilities Management, Landscape, Product Design, Project Management, Technology and Planning.
Main Speakers were Professor Jon Lang and Professor Richard Hyde. Several members of the department presented papers on their current research at the symposium.
2012 August
Jamboree: SLIA Student Jamboree, 17th-19th August
40 Students of the Department of Architecture took part in the first ever “architecture Student Jamboree” organized by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects. The event was held over 3 days from 17th to 19th August at the MAS Institute of Management and Technology (MIMT) at Thulhiriya.
A key element of the event was the refurbishment of a building and landscaping the premises of a local school. Students also took part in various other activities including group performances based on the motivational speaker Kumar Iddamalgoda.
Apart from these activities architecture students also made a presentation to the students of the local school and their parents on various aspects of the architectural education process at the University of Moratuwa. In return the principle of the school requested for an opportunity for the school students to visit the Department of Architecture, University of moratuwa
2012 March
Workshop: Low-cost house design for the resettlement program in Vauniya
A group of architecture Students took part in a workshop to design low cost housing units for Internally displaced families in Northern Province. The workshop is conducted with the assistance from UN Habitat. Completed projects were handed over to the UN Habitat for further evaluation.
2012 February
Exhibition: Archi department stall at the ARCHITECT 2012 Exhibition
This year again, the Year 2 students took part in the Architect 2012 Exhibition. In addition to the design work of the students which is being traditionally displayed, this time the year 2 students erected two life-scale structures on site, a ‘tensegrity’ structure and a membrane structure. Exhibition interior was constructed using ‘waste’ cardboard tubes.
Department’s 4th year students made a presentation held a discussion on ‘Regenerating Sri Lanka” at the SLIA National Conference concurrently held with the exhibition.
The exhibition is an annual event held by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects and traditionally the Department has been a continuous participant for the last decade or so.
2011-11-17
Presentation: By delegates from ‘BlueScope Lysaght Lanka’
A group of engineers and officials from ‘BlueScope Lysaght Lanka’ made a product presentation on their roofing, walling and structural steel solutions, targeting details on structural connections, material properties, environmental protection, water-proofing, thermal insulation and formal design. The session was attended by students and staff of the department of architecture.
2011-11-12
Lecture:Visit by staff and students of Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture in Juhu, Mumbai
Archt. Ainsley Lewis, Head of Department, Six other staff members and 85 students from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for architecture in Juhu, Mumbai, India visited the Department.
The following lectures were delivered by the Staff of the department for them
• Sri Lankan architecture- Ancient period- Prof.M.S. Manawadu
• Sri Lankan architecture- Medieval. Colonial and contemporary periods- Archt.D.P.Chandraekara
• Evolution of city of Colombo- Dr. Janaka Wijesundara
2011-11-08
Lecture: Visit by Prof. Jaimini Mehta and Architect. Mrs. Punita .J Mehta
Prof. Jaimini Mehta and Architect. Mrs. Punita .J Mehta visited the Department. Prof. Jaimini Mehta delivered a guest lecture on “Rethinking Modernity- Towards post rational Architecture”
2011-09-24
Seminar: Coming of Age - A mid century architectural conversation on community, shared values and possible horizons
Visit by a group of world-renowned architectural scholars and practitioners from Australia, Italy and the United States.
The visiting delegates – headed by Prof. Paolo Tombesi, the present Chair of Construction at University of Melbourne - conducted a series of presentations and a conversation on issues related to the international practice of architecture on the theme “A Mid-Century Architectural Conversation on Community, Shared Values and Possible Horizons”. Archt. Ashely De Vos chaired a round-table discussion at the conclusion of the presentations.
The following presentations were delivered at the seminar:
• The Children Museum in Pittsburgh - Julie Eizenberg
• Beyond the prototype: After the CBF in Ougadougou - Riccardo Vannucci
• The student cafeteria at the Polytechnic of Turin - Emanuela Valle
• The relocatable classroom design program in Florida - William Lenart
• Low-cost high-value housing in California - Hank Koning
• On measure in architecture: The toilets of the Sydney Opera House - Paolo Tombesi
2011, 28th August to 3rd September
Workshop: Joint Design Studio on Urban Design: University of Kyushu, Japan & University of Moratuwa
A joint Design Studio was held at the University of Moratuwa on “City Design” from 28th Aug to 3rd Sept. 25 participants both staff and students of the disciplines of Architecture, Urban Design, Planning, Engineering, Environmental Engineering from Kyushu University and 25 participants including, Practicing Architects, Planners, Engineers, Staff and Students from Architecture, Urban Design, Planning and Engineering from the University of Moratuwa participated in this workshop.
The selected site was the centrally located Wanathamulla area which consists of a mixture of Shanties, slums, large plots of government owned land and government housing schemes such as “Sahas Pura” high rise housing scheme. Group work on Master Planning, urban design, housing, Services and Structures was conducted with interim presentations, group discussions, desk crits and a final presentation to an invited panel. Site visits to Lunuganga, Bawa’s House, Seema Malakaya, Colombo Fort – City Tour, Waste Disposal sites, Water Purification Plant and Central Environment Authority were also part of this event.
2011-May
Lecture: Visit by Archt. Valentine Gunasekara
Archt. Valentine Gunasekara visited the department and delivered a guest lecture. It was well attended by the senior architects, past and present students of the department. He also inspected the works of 1st year B. Arch students done under the “structures” project.
Valentine Gunasekera is a prominent Sri Lanakan architect who was active in the architectural field in Sri Lanka during 70s and 80s. Now he resides in the USA. ‘Imagining Modernity’ by Anoma Peiris documents his life and work.
