Intersecting art and architecture is a seminal characteristic of Ismeth Raheem’s multidisciplinary work as an Architect, Art Historian and Artist. When approaching his portfolio of works, it became clear that his practice at Edwards, Reid and Begg as a draughtsman and architectural assistant under Geoffrey Bawa and Ulrik Plesner in the 1960s had a profound impact on his ethos as a practitioner of the arts, and in fact informed his later independent works beyond ER & B. 

In unravelling the nuances of Ismeth Raheem’s broad oeuvre of works for ARTRA Magazine’s Art & Design of Ismeth Raheem Edition 67, we had the opportunity to sit down with renowned Sri Lankan architect Anura Ratnavibhushana, who was an apprentice under Geoffrey Bawa and Ulrik Plesner in Edwards, Reid and Begg in the 1960s and 1970s alongside Ismeth Raheem. In this conversation, Anura expounds his multi-layered perspective on Ismeth’s magnum opus Cinnamon Lodge in Habarana as a feat of sophisticated Sri Lankan modern architecture and landscape design, touching on his profound friendship with Ismeth from their meeting as young Architecture students at Moratuwa University in the 1960s to their strong bond persisting some 60 years later. Regaling tales of their university days together in Copenhagen and their time with Geoffrey Bawa, Anura captures Ismeth’s spirit through a series of nostalgic anecdotes brimming with admiration, humour and introspection.

Q | Could you tell us about your friendship with Ismeth?

A | Ismeth’s retentive memory makes him a unique raconteur on a range of subjects and particularly on the history of the British colonial period and its memorable personalities. He is simply a walking encyclopaedia whose passion for acquiring knowledge is impressive. In fact, Ismeth and I first met as students attending the first pioneering course in Architecture which began in 1961 at what is now known as the University of Moratuwa. We bonded instantly as we both shared a love for seeking knowledge. His varied interests ranged from biology, anthropology and colonial history to the latest advancements in science, music, wildlife, nature and so on, which clearly reflect his acute awareness was not only confined to the subjects of art and architecture. As a result, we were never short of interesting conversations around the dinner table. As they say, birds of a feather flock together, and from our days at the architecture school in the 1960s to the present day, we have remained close friends.

Q | What are some projects of Ismeth’s that you find prolific? Could you illustrate them further?

A | After a short spell of work at Edward Reids & Begg, the firm of Geoffrey Bawa, Ismeth and his close friend Pheroze Choksy formed their own studio architectural practice. Though they had stopped working for ER & B, their friendship and social bond with Bawa continued. Outstanding among the Choksy and Raheem collaborative works is the Habarana Lodge, now called Cinnamon Lodge Habarana. In a conversation with the master architect Geoffrey Bawa, I asked him what he thought of the Habarana Lodge project, and his answer was short: “It is a tour de force.” It is a work that transformed a barren dry zone land into a beautifully laid out garden, with multiple levels and spatial experiences, indigenous trees and tourist cottages of exquisite comfort and aesthetic appeal inspired by tradition and modernity. For me, his wonderful resort remains my ideal vacation spot with an authentic spirit that is uniquely Sri Lankan; It is Sri Lanka because the design is inspired by ancient monastic complexes but not imitating them as such. It has an intimacy but also allows you the privacy for escapism and the contemplation of nature.

Q | What are some of the influences seeped in Ismeth’s life and works, in your opinion?

A | Ismeth Raheem’s partner Pheroze Choksy is a tremendously good architect, and what they collaboratively produced as architecture is robust, artistic and beautiful while being utterly practical. Comfort is foremost in their designs. There’s a lot of Danish influence in our work because Pheroze, Ismeth, Vasanka Chandararatne and I studied in Copenhagen for our postgraduate studies. We had a wonderful time, and we travelled to many places and viewed the great works of world architecture in the USA and Europe. We savoured our times in the Scandinavian countries and brought back influences which are now hardly talked about. Geoffrey Bawa was delighted with the things we brought back and through us, he introduced them into his own work. Among them were masterpieces in modern furniture, crockery, fabrics with bold patterns and more.

Ismeth had mastered his techniques from others such as Laki Senanayake, Donald Friend, Ena de Silva and so on. He is very thorough in what he does. That can be attested in part to his family background. Many of his siblings are scholarly people, he would have had very intellectually stimulating conversations at home, and those have undeniably nurtured him. His depth of knowledge on any subject goes far deeper than mine, but we clicked because we were of mutual minds. For me, I took what I needed from the colonial period to inform my architecture. It honestly bores me to know the details of specific personalities of the period. Ismeth, on the other hand, would delight in knowing the specifics of who someone was and where they were buried– it is simply who he is. Pheroze Choksy would often teasingly remark “Who cares!” to Ismeth’s detailed narratives of historical knowledge. We had great fun together.

Q | From your perspective, how does Ismeth’s architecture fit into the cultural framework of ‘Monsoon Asia’?

A | His architecture is utterly tropical, it was how he was trained. Habarana Lodge exemplifies this. The best of Ismeth’s and Pheroze’s works were jointly done. Like how Ulrik Plesner and Geoffrey Bawa worked together, it is difficult to say who did which in the early period. Geoffrey and Ulrik would visit each other’s sites and they would make suggestions– Geoffrey had the keen ability to know which suggestions were important and make them work. Ismeth and Pheroze collaborated and worked side by side for many years, they studied together in Copenhagen and worked together in Bawa’s office, it was natural for one to help the other in making certain decisions. I would say that I would not separate the two, they were constant collaborators.

Anura Ratnavibhushana (b. 1940) is an architect, author and lecturer. He was an apprentice of Geoffrey Bawa and Ulrik Plesner at the firm Edwards Reid & Begg in the 1960s. In 1969, he graduated in architecture from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen and worked in Edwards Reid & Begg with Bawa for 8 years. He established his practice in 1996 and has been a mentor for some of today’s brightest Sri Lankan architects. His versatile work and accolades appear in his autobiography Creating Simplicity (2009). His limited edition book Timeless Houses: Architecture for Living in Sri Lanka (2014) deals with the poetic qualities of architecture through his own work. His architecture has been featured in several international books and journals. He is retired but continues to write, lecture and tutor students.