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Brickbats and bouquets
By Laila Nasry
Architect and interior designer Nela de Zoysa, the winner of more than a dozen national and international awards for architectural excellence has been in the news recently. The recent hue and cry in political and media circles over the renovation of the offices of the Urban Development Authority, has come alongside her winning a prestigious international architecture award. But she remains quite unfazed by all the fuss.

Nela received the 'South Asian Architects' Commendation Award', at a ceremony held in Bhopal, India on March 8. It was, in her opinion, for a successful project and architecturally good product that had been immensely satisfying to her: The 'Priyanthi Stephen House'.

The award was a fitting tribute to what had been a challenging undertaking. The location of the house being far from residential, had proven to be a considerable poser. "It was a very strange kind of environment," recalled Nela, of the environs of the 12-perch site, situated on a busy road directly facing the morgue of the National Hospital.

"The road was very busy by day, with the Medical College and Carey College just round the corner, but very spooky by night."

Nevertheless, behind a rock-stoned facade, a three-storey house took shape. The 'kalugal' wall chosen by Nela was both tactical and practical, blending with the sombre surroundings and making an ideal backdrop to camouflage the dust and grime rising from the highway. The main door in black, white and grey making a definite statement provided a strong attraction to the front elevation.

In contrast, the interior in soothing white saw the private areas of the house set back with bedrooms on the top floors overlooking the rear portion shaded by a Madatiya tree, she had chosen to preserve.

The garden walls were a riot of colour, in shocking pink, robin blue blended with kabok dissolved in water and innovatively slapped on the walls with 'chemifix'.

With the artful use of vegetation, Nela created both a visual and sound barrier giving the house both privacy and tranquillity which was greatly lacking on the outside. Coupled with a system of pergolas giving filtered light she transformed the house into a home, affording its occupants both a warm and relaxing ambience, reiterating one of her strongest convictions that 'man creates the physical surroundings he lives in and the surroundings in turn create man'.

Drawing a parallel with the controversial redecoration of the offices of the Ministry of Urban Development, Reconstruction and Public Utilities under former Minister Mangala Samaraweera, she said, "There, I created a work environment which will best inspire those working within its ambit and an office that was becoming of a minister, not necessarily Mangala Samaraweera."

Refuting allegations that she was related to the Minister, and hence been given the contract, Nela said, "Although the Minister spoke to me about his vision for the ministry which I believe was also the vision of the ministry, my client was the ministry and not the Minister, who was merely the primary user and subject to change."

Nevertheless, she adds that Mangala Samaraweera being a qualified dress designer certainly had an eye for design and wanted a pleasant working environment. When he took over, the offices were in a deplorable condition. "When we first visited the place, the AC had been removed, light fittings were missing and it was certainly not an office conducive for work."

The plans for redecoration, kept in mind the function of such offices and their secondary users, who vary from the common man from the electorate to potential foreign investors, government officials, private entrepreneurs and VIPs. "We made sure the offices were fit for a Minister and his officials."

Once the project got underway, the UDA, which owned the ministry's building had two chartered architects administering progress at their end coordinating with the design consultants, Nela and her four-member architect team. "The entire project had a budget and it was definitely not an open ended one."

Thus, from the outset the consultants forwarded three competitive quotations, from the highest to the lowest to the client for every item or accessory, all of which were locally obtained with the exception of the controversial blue glass wash basin.

"At every point be it the furniture, partitions, flooring, lighting, etc., it was the UDA that made the final choice. The only exception being the paintings, which were contracted to one artist alone. As for these dealings the Minister had no clue as to who got any contracts."

Nela, vehemently countered the claim of money made other than what was their fee. "We don't believe in it. It's against our principles, code of practice and professional ethics." The only thing she received other than her fee was "a zillion compliments" from everybody visiting the offices, claiming it to be on par with international standards.

Brickbats and bouquets apart, she says, "Of all the work done it has been one of the most satisfying."

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