Dotted journey of a sensitive sitarist

 

Pic by Ravindra Dharmathilake

A world class instrumental musical concert is a rarity. Yet, such experience still remains a luxury in Sri Lanka, which only a few can afford. Pradeep Ratnayake, one of the finest sitarists, who has traveled extensively for his concert Pradeepanjalee says that this can be resolved with proper organization within the country. “When a ticket for a concert is priced, there are various elements to be considered including facility fees and number of seats in the audience. When all this is considered, it is inevitable that concerts become a luxury,” he pointed out. “Lionel Wendt is the only place in Sri Lanka which could be used for acoustic performances. There is no other proper stage. Only about 540 people can be accommodated there. If there were such facilities in the country, maybe this issue can be addressed,” Ratnayake opined.

Ratnayake, usually never seen without his sitar, has taken the Sri Lankan identity to the international music world. He is one of the few Sri Lankans who performs experiments and research on fusion of eastern and western music. His earliest memories of playing music are when he was just five years old. After little Ratnayake’s talent were recognized, he had been sent to learn the Hawaiian guitar at the age of five under Partrick Rodrigo.

“He was my first western music teacher. My first sitar guru was Mr. D A Dewage. I started practicing at the age of six. I didn’t even have a sitar at the time. I played my father’s Esraj and tried plucking its strings without the bow. My father noticed this and bought me a sitar,” Ratnayake recalled. His master DA Dewage was one of the few Sri Lankans with a degree in sitar music at that time. With his help Pradeep conducted his debut public performance at the age of 10 and was able to earn the title of Visharada from Bathkande College of Music when he was just 12 years old.

Though he gained admission to a Colombo university, physical science faculty after following ALs in the mathematics stream, he gave it up to enter the University of Visva Bharati, Santiniketan, India. There he had the opportunity to become a pupil of Professor Indranil Bhattacharya, son of Timil Bharan. He was the first pupil of Ustad Allaudin Khan; a student of Pandit Ravi Shankar. Ratnayake said that he was inspired mostly by Ravi Shankar’s music in this period. “At the age of ten, I met Padit Ravi Shankar on his last visit to Sri Lanka. I played the sitar and SW Randuwa played the Tabla with me in an event held in Hotel Intercontinental,” he said.

Observing Pradeep’s young talent Ravi Shankar extended an invitation to this little boy to become his pupil and accompany him to India. “I was too small and was the only boy in the family. So my father didn’t allow me to go,” he recollected. “I don’t know how I was inspired by his music. I have listened to other sitarists at the time, but I noticed a difference in Shankar’s work. I found his work on raga very creative,” he said while explaining how he was enthused by Shankar. In India he was trained within the Maihar gharana (a specialist school of classical music); the same gharana of Pundit Ravi Shankar. “I cannot be another Shankar. In fact there’ll only be one Ravi Shankar. I only took his concepts,” said Ratnayake. Pradeepanjalee XVII is being held as a tribute to this legend.

Returning to Sri Lanka, well trained in Maihar gharana, Ratnayake started the concert series Pradeepanjalee in 1997. “All the concerts were popular in Sri Lanka at that time and this was something new and different,” said Ratnayake. After over 15 years, Pradeepanjalee series now blends the traditional with the modern, the classical with the folk, rock and jazz and it has become one of the most popular concert events in the country. Pradeepanjalee was held in many foreign countries. So far, Ratnayake has held Pradeepanjalee concerts at the UN Headquarters in Geneva, the Asia Society in New York, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in Washington DC and Universal Studios, Los Angeles. He is due to perform his Kuveni Concerto in South Africa in March 2014 with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, with him on the sitar and Boris Kerimov on cello, under the baton of Yasuo Shinozaki. 

Pradeep became a lecturer in Music at the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and left for India again for his Master’s Degree. Simultaneously he started composing and music directing. The first film he directed music for was directed by the distinguished Sri Lankan film director, Dr. Lester James Pieris. Music for recent films Dheevari and Sri Siddartha Gauthama was also directed by him.

He expressed his contentment towards the response he received from western countries. “Pradeepanjalee was something new to them with the western musical elements like Jazz being blended with it. I even tried introducing Gata beraya with the sitar,” he said that Ravi Shankar himself didn’t try to break these limits. According to him, that is what makes his music unique.

Ratnayake said that the stage is the place where he can relax. “Seventy percent of it is improvisation. My performances are not only about entertainment. I have declined many invitations on this ground.”

He believes that discipline should be maintained at any cost when engaged in instrumental music. He is also certain of the benefits music therapy can afford society. He opines it helps to improve sensitivity and calmness. “Sensitivity in most of us is diminishing. Music is a successful method of restoring that,” he said. “Most of us are just like robots. People can’t feel. This could be one of the reasons for the recent spate of suicides,” he opined. He reiterated that these tragic situations are caused due to the lack of aesthetic experiences.

He also spoke about how Sri Lankans still lack enthusiasm for instrumental music concerts. “Pandit Amaradeva is an excellent violinist. Sanath Nandasiri is a good tablist. Sunil Shantha was a very good sitarist. All these people gave priority to songs since it was easy to address people through that,” he explained. “The scope for music in this country is very narrow. In India there is a grading system for musicians even in the film industry. ‘A’ grade gets paid more where ‘C’ grade doesn’t get paid much. Therefore a musician in a lower grade always tries to be promoted in to a higher level,” he said. “We do not have such a grading scheme. Everybody gets paid equally, so no one wants to improve themselves,” he pointed out.

Presenting music is also an art. “Ravi Shankar was the pioneer of popularizing instrumental music in India. He knew the art and was very clever. A raga is usually lengthy. But ordinary people would not want to listen to a raga for so long. He knew how to break it according to the audience’s attention span,” he clarified. “I think the Sri Lankan instrumental music industry is improving now,” he mentioned. He also reiterated that it is very easy to become a singer today but not a musician. “Any flat voice can be made listenable with specialized software. Technology is good but there are consequences,” he added.

With Pradeepanjalee XVII, Sri Lankan audiences get a chance to listen to this world class music performer once again. Ratnayake recently toured Japan in a series of highly successful concerts and recorded his first international CD there with leading Jazz pianist, Professor Masahiko Satoh. He also mentioned the success of ‘Randooga’ method created by famous Japanese Jazz pianist Prof. Masahiko Satoh which was experimented in the northern parts of Sri Lanka with the Japanese Embassy and the Japan Foundation.

Speaking about his career in the University of Sri Jayewardhanapura, he said his dream is to make the Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, the best departments of music in the country. “I have been working as the Head of the Department of Languages and Cultural Studies in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Sri Jayewardhanapura University for years, and that takes a lot of my time,” he said. He also said that he is keen on introducing new courses to students and encouraging students to engage in experiments on music.

He also stressed that music has the potential to change the human mind for better or worse. “Patriotic songs of our country and even the German songs during Hitler’s era, all these changed the psychology of humans. It can still be done,” Ratnayake reiterated. “If this is done properly, people will become more sensitive. However he lamented that no one is interested in organizing such events. If there is a way to take instrumental music to the people, we can also join and help, even free of charge, I would not mind,” he said.

Pradeepanjalee XVII: A Tribute to Ravi Shankar

Pradeep Ratnayake’s latest CD, Santhutti (Joy), will be released today at the Pradeepanjalee XVII concert at the Lionel Wendt Theater at 7.00 pm. He will pay tribute to his hero, Pandit Ravi Shankar, by playing Shankar’s famous work to Sri Lankan audiences. Santhutti is his eighth CD.

Shankar’s immortal work will be played in Pradeep Ratnayake’s sitar, with Peshala Manoj in the role of Ustad Alla Rakha. He will also be accompanied on violin by Ananda Dabare for Raga Peelu Shankar played with Yehudi Menuhin for the Grammy Award winning East Meets West album. Sureka Amarasinghe will play the flute for the piece Morning Love that Shankar did with Jean-Pierre Rampal. It seems fitting that the musician dubbed by a former Indian High Commissioner, Niupam Sen, as the ‘Ravi Shankar of Sri Lanka’, thus pays respect to his inspiration.

    

http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/26102-dotted-journey-of-a-sensitive-sitarist.html

Education system: Planned annihilation of intellect

 

Pic by Anura Pradeep Dambharage

His village not having electricity came as a blessing in disguise for him. The battery powered radio was his window to the aesthetic beauty of the song. “I grew up listening to the radio since we did not have electricity until 1996. I remember listening to the musical program Aradhana on SLBC’s Welanda Sevaya at night, leaning onto my father,” recalled Rajee Wasantha Welgama.

Welgama wrote the much admired Me Tharam Siyumalida Kalugal, proof that the contemporary Sinhala song industry is not completely bereft of talent. “I was able to visualize the songs with the music and those words created an aesthetic image in my mind. Those mental images helped me to remember the lyrics,” he said. He pointed out that some of the new generation songs lack this quality. This is why it is very difficult to remember the words of a song, he explained.

Welgama was born in 1981 in Pelenda, Kalutara District and received his primary education from Pelenda Maha Vidyalaya. Upon passing the grade five scholarship exam he entered the Mathugama St. Mary Maha Vidyalaya in 1990. “The first poem I wrote was sent to Vijaya, a children’s newspaper, when I was in grade three. I was very eager to read the paper and it encouraged me to write,” he recollected. He also recalled how his father encouraged him to engage in creative writing. With his father’s support he published his first poetry collection; ‘Mage Nirmana’ (My creations) when he was just ten years old.

“This was when late president Ranasinghe Premadasa’s Gam Udawa, Presidential Mobile Service came to our village and I got the opportunity to present my small book to him,” he said. After passing his Advanced Level examination he was selected to the Colombo Law Faculty in 2001. He presumes that this is when he started receiving recognition for his creative work. “I was inspired by the lyrics of Rathna Sri Wijesinghe, especially Gunadasa Kapuge’s songs,” he said. This was the age when he started to move with the society, noticing its various facets with financial challenges, university experiences and disappointments in love.

Me Tharam Siyumalida Kalugal was originally written for the We Diya Nilla Art festival organized by Rajarata University in 2004 and it was also awarded with the title ‘best poem of the festival.’ “It was Darshana’s idea to request Sunil Edirisinghe to voice the song. I was more than happy to agree, since Mr. Edirisinghe was a beloved artiste,” added Welgama.

Dharshana Ruwan Dissanayaka, who composed music for this song is another offspring of the contemporary field of music. In 2011, the song was awarded the best singer, lyricist and music composer awards at the State Music Award. “There are about eight different ragas in the melody Darshana composed. If you listen carefully you will be able to hear the sound of the stonemason’s hammer,” said Welgama, admiring its music. “It is a labor of love, a collaboration of the singer, lyricist and musician. This is why the song became a very sensitive, touching song for the listeners,” he added.

Me Tharam Siyumalida Kalugal, can be given two different interpretations; a Buddhist philosophical interpretation about life and a political interpretation of the dilemma that the traditional artiste faces. Welgama begins the story with a hypothetical situation where he goes in search of the man who carved the eyes of the Avukana Buddha statue. He is amazed by the fine work of the artiste, unable to imagine how a rock could be tender enough to be molded to depict the serene expressions of the Buddha. Welgama appreciates the competence and talent of the early artistes through his lyrics.

මේ තරම් සියුමැලිද කළුගල්
හිතන්නටවත් බැරි නිසා
මම ගියා අවුකන බුදුන්ටත්
දෑස් දුන් මිනිසා සොයා...

The man who created such masterpiece remains unnamed. Welgama finds the stonemason near Kala Wewa. As he sits on a mat in clay porch, under the shades of an Illuk tree, he watches the waves of Kala Wewa, dying and rising. The artiste sees the uncertainty of life observing the waves. Welgama depicts the misfortune of the many Sri Lankan artistes who often do not get the credit or appreciation for their work.  

කලාවැව ළඟ ඉලුක් හෙවණක
මැටි පිලක පැදුරක් එලා
රිදුම් පිරිමදිමින් බලයි ඔහු
මැරෙන ඉපදෙන රළ දිහා

Welgama tries to show how this artiste, who represents artistes as a whole, fails to give priority to his personal needs because he is immersed in his art work. When Welgama asks him about his love, the one he carved in rock at Isurumuniya, the artiste replies that he has not found his love yet. Hence he is unattached. Welgama succeeds in securing the listeners’ sympathy for the stonemason by this exhibition of signs of loneliness.

ඉසුරු මුණියේ ඔබ තැනූ
පෙම්බරිය කොතැනද කියා
මා ඇසූ විට හිනැහුණා ඔහු
තාම තනිකඩ යැයි කියා...

Commenting on the lyrics Welgama reiterated that the situation depicted in the song is the real condition of the genuine Sri Lankan artiste. “Many artistes who have created masterpieces wait for the bus, while a third party who made money from his hard work earns big bucks,” he lamented.

He expects that his own case filed in courts against a reputed music production company, which did not seek his permission to reproduce the song - Me Tharam Siyumalida Kalugal, will deliver a landmark judgment. He believes that whatever the judgment; filing this case will cause the third party think twice about reproducing music. “My intention is not to receive any compensation. If I wanted money I could have done something easier without going to all this trouble,” he said.

Welgama believes that the triage; lyricist, music composer and singer, claim an equal right to the ownership of a song according to the intellectual property act. “I am a lawyer and this company tried to rip me off. Imagine the situation of the other innocent artistes. I am ready to accept any decision but this is an issue which should have a precise court judgment. People can’t continue to make money from other people’s work like that,” he reiterated.

Welgama believes that an artiste should not only be an aesthetician but also a person who is able to criticize social, economical and political aspects of society. “I don’t call myself an artiste,” said Welgama. According to him a person doesn’t become an artiste simply because he or she creates a piece of art work. “I suppose, a majority in the field don’t fit the bill. The group of people who call themselves artistes in our country is only interested in their revenue. This group will do anything to sustain themselves,” he rebuked.

He also reiterated that people should love artistry, not the artiste. According to him, fans would be disappointed when they realize that the artistes are hypocrites. “There were some people whom we respected and wanted to make our idols. When I see what some of them have turned into now, I am ashamed of ever having respected them,” he lamented. He opined that Sri Lankan artistes do not take responsibility to meet the satisfaction of those who pin their hopes on them.

Welgama published his second poetry collection Dunhindath Duppath Wela in 2005. The song Me Tharam Siyumalida Kalugal is also included in this collection. “This song brought me recognition but it is not my first,” he said. His debut recorded song was Weralu Gaha Yata Punchi Kalaya sung by Karunarathne Diwulgane.

වෙරලු ගහ යට පුන්චි කාලය
කොහේ කොතනක අහන මොහොතක
මාවතේ දුරකථන හදවත නැවතුනා
අනේ අම්මේ කාසි ඉවරයි
ආදරේ බව කියන්නටවත් බැරි උනා...

ගමෙන් ගෙන ආ හීන කවරය
තවම ඇත බෝඩිමේ ඇද යට
සිහින විමසන මදුරුවන් මැද
නිදාගන්නත් බැරි උනා
අනේ අම්මේ හීනයක්වත්
දකින්නට මට බැරි උනා...

කොළොම්පුරයට ඉර වඩම්මන
පෙරහැරේ රිය සෙනග අතරේ
කහ ඉරක් මත හැපී මිය යන
ප්‍රේමයක් මට හමුවුනා
අනේ අම්මේ වතුර උගුරක්
දෙන්නවත් මට බැරි උනා...

‘The telephone heartbeat stopped

just then as I asked

of childhood days 'neath the Veralu tree

Couldn't even say I love you

No Mother dear,
I ran out of coins.

And the envelop of dreams
I brought along

is still there under the bed

I couldn't sleep a wink

with mosquitoes querying

about my dreams -

No, Mother dear,
there wasn't a single dream for me.

I saw love knocked down

at a pedestrian crossing

amidst the procession of vehicles

escorting the sun to the city,

No, Mother dear

I could not offer even a sip of water...’

Mohini; another song written by Welgama sung by Saman Lenin to the music of Darshana Ruwan Dissanayaka perceives Mohini, the she demon who preys on men using her baby as a lure, differently.

ගොර සපුන් ඇහැරෙන ඇදිරියේ

දොළ හඩන තුං මං හන්දියේ

කවුරු එනතුරු මග බලනවද

මෝහිනී මගෙ නංගියේ

මෝහිනී ආදර නංගියේ......

උඹේ දරුවා ගන්න කවුරුත්

නොඑන මූසල මංඩියේ

උඹට දරුවෙක් දෙන්න

ඕනැ තරම් අය ඇති  නංගියේ

උඹට දරුවෙක් දෙන්න

ඕනැ තරම් අය ඇති  හංදියේ...

සුරඟනට අමතකව දරුවන්

හඩද්දී කුණු බක්කියේ

උඹ යකින්නක් උනේ කොහොමද

කියා දීපන් නංගියේ...

‘Wither Mohini dearest sister

there where the road forks

to the rivulet's soft cry

now in the dusk

of beasts' awakening?

For there are men aplenty

to father a child dear sister

with a child no one

offers to hold, to take.

And in this land
where angels pass over

infants abandoned in garbage dumps

by what decree or logic

were you dearest one
singled out for the devil mark?’

Welagama denied the common accusation that the younger generation lacks interest in the arts and literature. He believes that there is a group who lacks interest in literature in every generation. “It is not a problem unique to us. There is a group who are keen on literature today and there is a group who are not. It was the same for every generation before us,” he opined.

“Bedsides, there is a group of people, especially in this field, who are not willing to appreciate the new generation. But there are veterans who make an effort to help the new generation, to exhibit their talent to the world,” he added. “I believe people who are always pessimistic about the new generation are people who are unable to create something new,” he said. It is the same group of people who runs after financial goals who pretend to worry about the future. “Anyway, I don’t think that these low quality creations will last long as the low quality creations of the earlier eras didn’t last,” he continued.

He also drew attention to the fact that the opportunities for the new poets or song writers to enter the field and get recognized are not satisfactory even though there are numerous programs that are used to hunt for talent. “My song receiving attention was a coincidence. Both Dharshana and I received acceptance due to the kindness of a few generous veterans in the field. There are many young talents getting wasted without opportunity. It is hard to be recognized as a lyricist in our society,” he admitted.

Welgama pointed out that there is no use of promoting only the voices of good singers. That voice should be able to identify the plight of our society and address the people. “I doubt whether any of the so-called stars that have this intention and these cheap media institutions also welcome such shallow individuals,” he reiterated.

He explained that unlike previous generations, the new generations have to put extra effort on learning literature because of the weaknesses of the education system.

“The preceding education system produced competent intellectuals,” he pointed out. “The new syllabus only gets students fed up. And it is unfair to expect such an education system to produce intellectuals. In fact it seems more like a well-planned annihilation,” he opined. “There is no point in putting the blame on the younger generations. If they really want to make things right they should reenergize the education system and put restrictions on local media.” Welgama strongly believed that government intervention is necessary to steer it in the right direction. Authorities are capable of doing this, it’s just that they don’t want to,” he said.

 

http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/25631-education-system-planned-annihilation-of-intellect.html

Re-greening suburban homes

Architect Thisara Thanapathy. Pic by Chandana Wijesinghe

Their architecture promises to be a fusion of function and fashion. According to their vision statement, they focus on the aesthetic experience of spatial form. Founder of Thanapathy Associates, located at Egodawatta, Borelasgomuwa, Architect Thisara Thanapathy, speaking to The Nation said that architecture is all about striking a balance between creating spatial quality and achieving proper ambiance. “An architect is able to help his or her client have a relaxing environment while addressing issues of the physical environment,” Thanapathy said.

Thanapathy also said that this form of art cannot be taught. “My childhood and school experiences were very important in the development of these skills set.” He went on to explain that architecture is about developing the senses and honing the awareness of the environment around you. “It is an art form with a keen sense of the environment and material forms. You must be able to feel the special qualities of nature, ambiance and space,” he said.

Mathale holiday home

Pic by Waruna Gomis

Thanapathy had had his primary education from Maharagama Vidyakara Vidyalaya and joined Ananda College, Colombo 10 for higher studies. He did his Advanced Level in the Mathematics stream. After completing university education he first joined the architecture company ‘Designer group5’. “While I was there the company completed many projects in Colombo including the high rises and this was a great opportunity for me to learn many valuable techniques,” he recalled. He was awarded with the Geoffrey Bawa Award, considered the most prestigious award for an architect in Sri Lanka, in 2011 for his excellence in the field. His design for the Mathale Holiday Bungalow also received an honorable mention at the Geoffrey Bawa Award Ceromany in 2010. In addition he was also awarded the second place for the low income housing project, ‘SHELTA’ in Mirihana.

“Take dining for example, we have to create the mood and the atmosphere for our client to carryout this activity with full attention,” he explained. He also said that it’s only the technical drawing and construction skills that a person can learn from a university, but the creative and conceptual skills depend on the architect himself. “You can’t teach art or architecture to a person. Only the techniques can be taught. It has to come from one’s inner self,” he said.

Thanapathy also said that he finds a connection between spirituality, religion and the work he does as an architect. “The purpose of life is spiritual satisfaction. Whatever you do, if you do it to your fullest efficiency, you are in your peak performance. That helps your spiritually. It’s the same in designing. When you do your best you feel that fulfilled. Maybe it is momentary, but it is valuable,” he iterated. “Our architects try to create human feelings rather than give priority to social image,” he said. “The architect should know how to create this by articulating space. If the architect is successful in this, his creation would help his client concentrate on what he is doing. It will be like meditation,” he continued. The architect should be able to address peacefulness of mind and relaxation and reject the pretentiousness of social images created by the consumerist culture.

Thanapathy explains that the Sri Lankan architect’s work should be appropriate to the tropical climate. “A modern design should include the qualities of openness and freedom, continuity and immensity. It should also have the simplicity and peacefulness of a dwelling of the past,” he opined.

He mentioned that he has attempted to create timeless beauty in his projects. “Consider the traditional vernacular architecture; it is based on local needs and construction material, and reflected local traditions, but tended to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural, technological and historical context. Even these are not academically planned, this kind still plays a major role in the architecture and design, especially in local branches,” he explained. He also said that this traditional beauty is observed less in modern architecture. “Now the buildings and the designs are not as beautiful as the old designs. I believe this resulted from a change in culture and the mindset of the people,” he said.

Thanapathy believes that Sri Lankan architects are comparatively advanced. Therefore Sri Lankan architects have a good demand both locally and internationally. He said that this is a result of the correct guidance of the first generation of Sri Lankan modern architects. “Our first generation of modern architects tried to mix modernism with traditional architecture. Even though India had a very rich cultural history their local architecture is not strong. They have to get architects down from foreign countries,” he said. “Our first generation architects did a commendable job. But the new generation is not very keen on improving the field, but copy the work of the first generation,” he said. “The architect too is commercialized, as anything else. He has to market himself and when he markets himself he loses his genuineness. Now the designing is not about relating to the context, you have to think about our economy and environment. Rather than trying to be better than the others if the architect can focus on addressing the real issues, especially the environmental issues, they can help to minimize the issues up to a certain extent,” he explained.

He also believes that people are conditioned by society, commercialism and consumerist culture. “They are detached from their inner self. These influences have created false images in people’s mind. Majority wants to just show off. They are out of touch with the true beauty of nature. People want to project an image through the design, but don’t know how to feel the beauty of it,” he said.

He said that it is almost impossible to convince their customers of the economically and environmentally healthy designs. “Most of the time the customer is not educated or knowledgeable enough to understand that there is no point in spending large amounts of money to build a house,” he said. “But a skilled architect can also find a way to be environmentally healthy while satisfying the customer’s needs. Also we can raise public awareness of critical social and environmental issues,” he further said.

Our urban areas are becoming denser and less green. Natural beauty of the suburban landscape is fast diminishing. To address the space issue, related to this Thanapathy Associates have come up with a small housing system with split levels. “It is time to answer these broader environmental and social issues through personalized house design other than satisfying individual needs. A ‘Split level house’ is a strategy developed specially to create a garden in suburban houses, which helps to preserve greenery as much as possible,” he explained. Split level houses accommodate part of the activities in the ground floor of a typical house on a mezzanine level- the intermediate floor between main floors of a house, while maintaining functional relationships. This creates an additional garden space equal to the area of the mezzanine floor.

He further explained how the architect can address environmental issues. As he explained, the building industry has the ability to influence a significant portion of the total Carbon dioxide emissions in urban areas; therefore architects should consider ways to minimize the carbon dioxide amount emitted per square meter. “Even the high-rises can be designed in an environmentally healthy way. Even when you choose the material you can select less energy consuming raw material. Wood consumes very less energy and you can also regrow the trees,” he reiterated.

Speaking more about environmentally healthy designs he said that a proper environmental design would address the surrounding environmental issues in a broader sense. The architect should consider low energy design principles and also the wellbeing of the people, using daylight, natural ventilation and innovative solar design strategies in their designs.

“Environmental design will also encompass areas such as historical preservation and lighting design. It should also fit human activities into this built environment so that those activities function efficiently, have high visual quality and will have minimal impact on natural systems. This can only be achieved as a collaboration between planners, architects, civil engineers and landscape architects. In other words, I suppose, this is what we all call sustainable development,” he added.

http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/25364-re-greening-suburban-homes.html