‘Bawa Staircases’ book at Barefoot

Friday, 23 November 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Written by David Robson and photography by Sebastian Posingis

‘Bawa Staircases’ is a compelling addition to the works on the architectural legacy of Sri Lanka’s preeminent architect, Geoffrey Bawa. Aimed at students, professionals and his numerous admirers, Bawa Staircases focuses on his fascination with staircases through the ages and how Bawa incorporated these elemental features into his innumerable designs — residential, public works and hotel and resort architecture.

BAWA Staircases - Robson Posingis

Part One of the book centres on Bawa’s early life and education, his movement towards architecture and his trips to Europe where he discovered the splendour of Italian architecture and Italian garden design. A section devoted to Italian Renaissance staircases that Bawa so admired is followed by a chapter on German Baroque stairs, in particular the work of Balthazar Neumann about whom Bawa wrote his dissertation. A chapter on the historic and visually spectacular staircases of Sri Lanka which inspired Bawa in his own design work completes the background to this fascinating study. Part Two showcases 35 of Bawa’s projects in total, some featuring multiple stairs, and demonstrates the bewildering array of staircase designs incorporated into this Master Architect’s collected works.

Stunning photography from Sebastian Posingis and learned texts by David Robson are accompanied with contextual shots, plans and illustrations.

The book showcases how staircases provide buildings and gardens with not only efficient horizontal and vertical movement, but also the opportunity of ever-changing vistas, many imbued with arcane religious or cultural significance.

It is the first book to focus on Geoffrey Bawa’s interest in European architectural movements, especially influences from the Italian Renaissance and German Baroque, written fluently and compassionately by the maestro’s official biographer.

Its elegant, serene photography combines architectural significance with the beauty of Sri Lanka’s and Europe’s heritage

David Robson is an architect, academic and writer who had a personal friendship with Geoffrey Bawa. He is Bawa’s official biographer, having published four books — ‘Bawa: The Complete Works (2003),’ ‘Beyond Bawa’ (2005), ‘Bawa: The Sri Lankan Gardens’ (2009) and ‘In Search of Bawa’ (2016) — about him. He is also the author of ‘The Architectural Heritage of Sri Lanka’ (2016) and knows both Bawa and the island of Sri Lanka intimately.

In 2017, the Geoffrey Bawa Trust conferred on him a special award that has only been given to two previous recipients — a Lifetime’s Achievement for Services to Sri Lankan Architecture. During a long and illustrious career, he has contributed to many academic journals and books.

Sebastian Posingis spent much of his childhood in Sri Lanka and India and gained a degree in anthropology from the University of Canterbury in the UK before turning to his first love as an architectural photographer. He was the photographer for ‘The New Sri Lankan House’ (2015), a showcase of the island’s residential architecture; ‘In Search of Bawa’ (2016), a guide to major Geoffrey Bawa buildings in Sri Lanka; and contributed to ‘Sri Lanka, The Island from Above’ (2015). His work has appeared in many newspapers and magazines around the world.