Fort can be the icon of S.E. Asia’s colonial architecture – Balmond
Perhaps nothing can identify a place quite as clearly as its architecture. Whether it’s through reflective urban planning or tallying to cultural movements, the visual design of a city can carry you through time, while lodging you firmly in a very precise place.
Mr. Cecil Balmond
Cities are very central, not just for the world of architecture and urbanism but also for their economies, says Cecil Balmond, the London-based, Sri Lankan-British architect when captivating his audience at the “Big Architecture and Cities” which saw discussions on sustainable living and the impact of big developments on cities at a breakfast meeting organised by Council for Business Britain on Thursday.
Balancing creativity and commerce in the urban arena is a feat, according to Sri Lankan-born Mr. Balmond. One of the best-known global architects of Asian origin, his inspirations as a youngster were largely drawn from his home at Colombo’s Havelock Town when he attended Royal College and Trinity College in Kandy, where his father was president of the Peradeniya University which was the country’s only university at the time, he reminisced to the Business Times after the session, over Kiribath and Seenisambol.
Mr. Balmond was one of the two people who provided the complex engineering design for the CCTV Headquarters which won the 2013 Best Tall Building Worldwide from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. He has pioneered the intersection between advanced art, architecture and science by altering the relationship between designers and the built environment.
Some of his other famous architectural works include the Arcelor Mittal Orbit for London’s 2012 Olympics with Anish Kapoor, the Star of Caledonia, and many others.
The Cinnamon Life project has drawn him back to his homeland and he said: “I am proud to be Sri Lankan.” With Cinnamon Life, Mr. Balmond has brought modern living complete with retail, office, hotel and entertainment spaces to the heart of Colombo. Cinnamon Life, he said will be a composition of several forms, from an architecture and design point of view. “It will be like nothing Sri Lanka has ever seen”.
While the civil war ‘crippled’ the country Sri Lanka is fairly fortunate compared to other nations which have many challenges in terms of architecture, Mr. Balmond said highlighting that design has been stagnant for a very long time in Sri Lanka because of the war.
Good trade
But he is hopeful that the country is open for trade. “We have a good future. We are moving forward. This is the main reason that I set up my office in Colombo to be a major hub for Asia and the region where I am doing projects in countries like Myanmar, the UAE etc,” he said.
He noted that the planners of the city have a political agenda as they really want to ‘sustain something’. Stressing that Colombo needs a full revamp of sewerage and water systems, Mr. Balmond highlighted that the city will need a few flyovers to beat the congestion.
He also noted that Fort in Colombo has the ability to become the epitome of the revival of the colonial architecture in Southeast Asia. “Fort is a magical place if you look at the plan,” he said. However he was worried that this part of the city will be neglected. “I am scared for Fort. I remember those beautiful buildings in my youth but now they are decayed and derelict. Now we can see the depositories of the past. It needs a special plan. And it needs to be done now,” he said wistfully highlighting that it is the gem of the world for colonial architecture. Mr. Balmond added that he would like to speak to authorities about Fort and help Colombo to uplift this part of the city.
He said that the urban population is expected to increase over the next few years, bringing about a rapid, large-scale change and this growth pressure is having an impact on the functioning of cities, on their governance, and on quality of life.
Mr. Balmond has a special affinity to public art. He said it is important to not underestimate the power of public art. “The country needs public art and this can make public spaces more approachable.”Arts improves the image and identity” of their community, attachment and cultural identity, he said noting that indirectly influences how people see and connect with a place, providing access to aesthetics that support its identity and making residents feel appreciated and valued. Aesthetics is one of the top three characteristics why residents attach themselves to a community.