IFRC Community Centre, Sri Lanka Tsunami, Mathara Building, Images, Architect, Design

IFRC Community Centre, Sri Lanka : Mathara Architecture

Building for Tsunami Effected People – design by Chinthaka Wickramage Associates

28 Nov 2011

ar+d Emerging architecture awards 2011 : selected amongst 10 highly commended projects

26 Sep 2011

IFRC Community Centre for Tsunami effected community

Architects: Chinthaka Wickramage Associates

Location: Gandara South, Thalalla, Mathara

Community Centre Building recently completed in 2011.

Design intentions: IFRC Community Centre, Gandara South, Thalalla, Mathara, Sri Lanka

This Building was designed as a community center for tsunami affected community of Thalalla, Mathara in Southern Sri Lanka. Located in a Buddhist temple premises the community center was donated by an international humanitarian organization international federation of red cross and red crescent societies (IFRCS) as a token of gratitude towards the chief monk of the temple who helped Tsunami effected communities of Thalalla, Mathara in Southern Sri Lanka by providing food and lodging in the difficult days after the 2004 boxing day Tsunami.

This Community center was conceived as a cost effective building due to budget constraints, with flexibility for future expansion in terms leaving provisions to install a mezzanine timber deck later in the ample double height volume available in the cathedral like height of the community center.

Walls were constructed out of brick works which were left exposed to cut costs and the steeply sloping roof was constructed out of exposed couloured timber rafters in a ceiling-less clay tiled roof cover. Reinforced concrete structural skeleton of columns and beams were also left as raw concrete enhancing the textured tactile quality of the building.

As a counterpoint to the otherwise somber surroundings, splashes of colour were introduced by way of cheerfully coloured doors to the interior of the building. Community Center was raised above ground using reinforced concrete stilts in the Buddhist image house construction tradition of buildings on pillars called ‘tam pita viharas’ since the center was located in a Buddhist temple.

All timber framed glazed windows were opened and closed using a specially designed top and bottom pivot system.

Facilities in the community center include a reading room, a library, male and female toilets and a common hall for meetings. It serves as Buddhist religious school on Sundays in addition to being a preaching hall on Buddhist religious full moon ‘Poya’ days.

With the above multipurpose flexibility of the community center building it was expected to serve wider variety of public in various ways in this region of Tsunami hit Southern Sri Lanka.

The IFRC Community Centre was donated by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as their Tsunami Livelihood close-out project to the Tsunami effected community of Gandara South Thalalla, Mathara Sri Lanka.

IFRC Community Centre Sri Lanka – Building Information

Walls: Exposed Brick Walls
Structure: Reinforced Concrete Structural Skeleton
Floor: Raised on stilts pre cast concrete floor slab
Roof: Clay roof Tiles

IFRC Community Centre Project Team
Architect: Chinthaka Wickramage
Consultants: Chinthaka Wickramage Associates
Structural Engineer: Keerthi Rathnayake
Quantity Surveyour: Sunanda Gnanasiri
Supervisor: Janaka Jayaratne
Contractors: Akre Corporation
Client: International Federation of Red Cross & red Crescent Societies (IFRCS)

Photographs: Kesara Rathnavibhushana

Chinthaka Wickramage Associates – based in Nugegoda, Sri Lanka – are led by Chinthaka Wickramage, B. Sc. (BE) Hons, M. Sc. (BE) London, AIA(SL) Chartered Architect/Designer