Blog
In April 2008 Louise Southwell from White Design spent a month in Sri Lanka helping the charity Surf Sufficient to build a sustainable Surf Lodge. Click on the days below to read Louise’s daily blog of her trip:
Day 1 “Aayu-bowan Sri Lanka!”
“Hello Sri Lanka!” Arriving in the rain
Day 2 Our Aspirations for the Surf Lodge
Where the project has got to and where its going
Day 3 Gone fishing
An insight into the lives of the fishermen
Day 4 First impressions of the site
Thoughts on the architecture and planning regs of the site
Day 5 Lost in translation
Communicating our designs to the carpenter
Day 6 Re-clarifying our ideas
Evaluating the project and what we hope to achieve with it
Day 7 Suffering for (architectural) fashion
Local architecture; the contradiction between appearance & practicality
Day 8 Verbal designs aren’t worth the paper they’re written
on Contractual disagreements and visiting a local family
Day 9 Everyone gives their two rupees worth
The difficulties with design decision making and their context
Day 10 Waste not, want not
The solution to composting toilets
Day 11 Cricket and calculations
Designing on site
Day 12 The rich world of un-sustainability
The big, new hotel next-door
Day 13 Bawa-utiful
Galle and Geoffrey Bawa’s Lighthouse Hotel
Day 14 Sweet goodbyes
Leaving Weligama
Day 15-22 The Grand Tour: Up hill & down dale
Traveling around the Hill Country
Day 23-29 The Grand Tour: Monks, magma & mighty
architecture A meditation center and the ancient cultural sights
Day 30 Returning to the scene
Final thoughts on the project
