National Trust unveils ground-breaking book with Aitken Spence Printing support

The National Trust Sri Lanka selected Aitken Spence Printing as the sole print solution partner to produce a coffee table book which is a great value addition to the architectural knowledge of Sri Lanka.

Aitken Spence Printing is known for its high-quality standards and state-of-the-art technology in carrying out responsible printing and packaging services. Aitken Spence Printing, being a pioneer in the printing industry of Sri Lanka, formed a partnership with The National Trust Sri Lanka that is dedicated to protecting and raising public awareness about Sri Lanka’s rich heritage.

Together with The National Trust Sri Lanka, Aitken Spence Printing took the lead in sponsoring a coffee table book titled ‘Geoffrey Manning Bawa: Decolonizing Architecture’ by Shanti Jayewardene, an important contribution to recognising Sri Lankan artists.

“Aitken Spence Printing is proud to have been the sole sponsor of The National Trust’s book on Geoffrey Bawa as it is a landmark publication which promotes Sri Lankan heritage in a cultural and aesthetic realm. Aitken Spence believes that the book is a task of national importance that would showcase a rich aspect of Sri Lanka’s wide heritage,” commented Aitken Spence Printing Managing Director Prasanna Karunathilake.

“We want the new generation of architecture students to know Bawa’s significant creations, as narrated by Dr. Shanti Jayawardene. This is the only book which carries multiple architectural view images of his creations. We also contribute to this community of architecture students by printing the quarterly magazine ‘The Architect’ and ‘Wasthu’ among the other relevant publications for this field of study,” added Karunathilake.

The publication centres around the work of Geoffrey M. Bawa (1919-2003), which is acclaimed internationally for its relationship with the traditions of Sri Lanka’s architecture. Bawa’s work reveals him discovering the traditions of Sri Lanka’s architecture while reshaping and learning in an effort to engage with European and Asian design cultures from a decolonial perspective.

Some of the exceptional architectural work of Bawa has been captured at Aitken Spence Hotels such as Heritance Kandalama, Heritance Ahungalla and Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara. Bawa’s experience of cave monasteries such as Kudumbigala, Dowa and Dambulla has been captured in Heritance Kandalama hotel.

Aitken Spence Printing is a leader with over six decades in the printing industry in Sri Lanka. It has evolved into a dynamic operation and is ranked among the top printers in the country specialising in both offset and digital printing technologies. In addition to coffee table books, Aitken Spence Printing offers a range of services from packaging, publications, magazines and seasonal products such as calendars and diaries. It caters to a wide range of industries such as tea, apparel, FMCG and pharmaceuticals.

Operating in a fiercely competitive industry, Aitken Spence Printing enjoys a leading market share in the printing industry of Sri Lanka. The company was also the first LEED-certified, carbon neutral printing facility operator in South Asia.