Dr. “Poologs” turned Bawa’s designs into reality
Born in 1932, Dr. Kandasamy Poologasundram graduated with first-class honours in engineering from the University of Ceylon. After winning a scholarship to pursue a Doctorate in Engineering at Imperial College in London, he returned to Colombo in 1960 to work as a project engineer with the State Cement Corporation. During this time, Dr. Poologasundram provided informal consulting services to architect Geoffrey Bawa and the Edwards, Reid and Begg architecture firm (ER&B). He eventually joined ER&B in 1966, and together, Poologasundram and Bawa built one of the region’s most successful architecture and engineering firms at the time.
In a 2024 interview with Shayari de Silva, chief curator at the Geoffrey Bawa Trust, Dr. Poologasundram explained that this partnership came about after he told Bawa that he had been offered a position with Singapore University. Recognizing Poologasundram’s expertise and talent in the field, Bawa called him back to offer him a job. Dr. Poologasundram agreed, but on two conditions: first, that the firm add “engineers” to its name, and second, that he be made partner.
Bentota hotel then: Photographed by Dr. Poologasundram
By 1968, Poologasundram and Bawa were sole equal partners at ER&B, a prolific working relationship that would last almost three decades.
Dr. Poologasundram helped bring to life some of the firm’s greatest architectural achievements, including the Bentota Beach Hotel (1967), Ruhunu University (1980), the Presidential Secretariat (1982), and the Parliament building (1979-83), the latter of which bears a plaque commemorating the work of Dr. Poologasundram, alongside Bawa and Vasantha Jacobsen, who was the project architect from the firm.
While Bawa was the creative force in designing these now iconic buildings, it was “Dr. Poologs”—as he was affectionately called—who turned those designs into reality. He not only led the firm’s structural and civil engineering team through construction but also oversaw the entire project management, working across administration, financing, and surveying.
“Dr. Poologasundram was the ultimate architect’s engineer. He was the engineering mind of the firm and the efficient manager and strategist,” says former colleague Anura Ratnavibhushana, who worked part-time at ER&B in the early 1960s while studying architecture. In his 2009 memoir, Anura writes: “Dr Poologs amazed me with his off-the-cuff engineering solutions, his quick mind, and his genius for unravelling the most convoluted engineering and architectural problems that flummoxed a lot of other professionals.”
Dr. Poologasundram had the unique ability to see an architectural project in its entirety. He spoke about how working with an architect is not just about the engineering but seeing how all the elements will work together to bring the designs from paper to form, to a functional building. His role was both chief engineer and managing partner, and he felt that if he wasn’t able to imagine the whole project, then he wouldn’t be able to complete it successfully.
Friend and colleague, Philip Fowler, who also worked for ER&B at the time remembers “Poologs” as a genius in ensuring the smooth execution of projects. “He was exceptional at handling important high-level meetings with clients from varying backgrounds, from the President and his Cabinet Ministers, to diplomats to major international construction firms. Watching Poologs conduct a business meeting was a masterclass in negotiation. Bawa would sit at one end of the conference table, smiling silently while at the other end Poologs would orchestrate the show to the satisfaction of all, but especially that of the firm. He could have been an outstanding international diplomat.”
Dr. Poologasundram enjoyed a long and productive career. In 1979, he was appointed President of the Sri Lanka Institute of Engineers, and in 2021, the Geoffrey Bawa Trust presented him with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the fields of architecture and engineering.
Dr. Poologasundram leaves behind a lasting legacy as a highly perceptive project manager and exceptional engineer.
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