Architecture of Record 3 – Geoffrey Bawa’s Club Villas, Bentota, Sri Lanka

Geoffrey Bawa was designing sustainable architecture decades before it became popular.

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In the 1970s, his project Club Villas in Bentota, Sri Lanka quietly redefined what luxury hospitality could be:

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• No reliance on heavy air conditioning
• Spaces designed for natural ventilation
• Architecture that works with climate, not against it.

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Today, we call this sustainable design, boutique hospitality, eco-resorts.
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Bawa was already doing it – beautifully, and without the label.

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What’s striking is how modern his work still feels.

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At a time when much of global architecture is still catching up on climate responsiveness, Bawa’s approach offers a clear lesson: Luxury doesn’t need to be overt but it does need to be intelligent, contextual, and human.

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Nicholas Bonaventure created a short video exploring:

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• Bawa’s philosophy of tropical modernism
• His iconic projects like Lunuganga
• Why Club Villas became the blueprint for today’s boutique hotels.

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Bawa’s is a perspective worth revisiting. Why is climate-responsive design still not the default in global architecture?