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Lakelife Bolgoda - Holiday Home At Panadura

Design Awards - 2022

F.S Latiff

Off Diggala Road, Old Galle Road, Panadura North, Sri Lanka

Private Residencies - Merit Award

The property sits on land with water frontage of the Bolgoda Lake as well as with a wetland forest within the property. The house witnesses a silent merging of the lake with the surrounding forest and marsh life. The property is a vantage point to observe the surrounding wildlife, especially as the area is known to be a haven for indigenous and migratory birds. The concept was to create a low-cost building with minimal footprint. The living, dining, 2 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and a large verandah with pool, has been designed with a mixture of vernacular and modern minimal elements combined. The lean-to roof shelter accommodates all the basic requirements in the best possible arrangement. The main entryway does not give an indication of what you are to witness. On climbing a few steps you enter the living and dining space with an open pantry and witness the vast expanse of nature and the splendor of the outdoors. This then leads out to a large roofed verandah which enhances and expands the available living space. The large aluminium glass doors have been used on the façade to let the environment in. A careful selection of building materials to make the construction cost-effective where; an un-plastered brick with lime wash was used instead of plaster with paint for internal wall surfaces and fair-faced exposed bricks for the external wall surfaces with repurposed clay tiles for the roof covering.


Archt. Shehla Latiff

I, Fathima Shehla Latiff, received my architectural education at the University of Moratuwa Sri Lanka, which is fully accredited by the RIBA. I obtained a B.Sc in Built Environment, which I completed on 2002.08.01. And I completed an M.Sc. Architecture, on 2006.09.01, which educated me further into design and Theory as well as the profession, economics, and industry. I sat the SLIA Qualifying Examination in 2007 and was elected an Associate Member of the Institute in 2008, of which I am a member to date. To set up my own architectural practice, I registered and established ‘Urbanarc Architectural Consultants’ in 2013 as a sole proprietorship company and I have successfully completed over 50 residential, commercial and mixed development projects, in the fields of new construction, renovations, and interiors. My clients seek my specialized expertise to provide structures and spaces that speak of socially responsible, sustainable, modern, minimalist, and contemporary designs.