Designing the Future

How did ancient Sinhalese culture influence the initial design concept at City of Dreams Sri Lanka?

The notion of ‘influence’ is hard to illustrate in a correlative sense. A neat chain of direct causality remains elusive in this instance. Rather, I’d say ancient Sinhalese culture was one thread of influence. A singularity within a complex tapestry affecting both conscious and subconscious intent. For example, ideas of pattern, colour and a celebration of nature run deep in ancient Sinhalese culture. These ideas permeate the City of Dreams concept, but we didn’t draw from specific traditional examples. So what is the nature of this influence?

To answer your question a little more definitively, the clearest influence of ancient Sinhalese culture manifests in the scalloped arc form - the primary datum within City of Dreams. Probing the initial concepts sketches, a memory arose from the ancient past. Guardstones and moonstones, the markers of auspicious thresholds. We were drawn to the beauty of the arcs found in both vertical guardstones (Muragala) and horizontal moonstones (SandakadaPahana) In particular we recalled the ornate threshold of the Vatadage in Polonaruwa. Guardstones and moonstones are also infused with meaning: protection ,prosperity, change, celebration, new beginnings, blessings and a welcome. We were drawn to these metaphors too.

The curvaceous shapes of these stones were a source of reference in the design development. Again we are not talking about literal replication, but rather an echo or reflection of sorts. The arc is inspired by these curves and meanings. An aethereal mix of the past and the contemporary.

Could you elaborate on how fractal, prime number, and Ammann grid frameworks shaped the design algorithms?

First we need a little more context. Pattern is interwoven into the very fabric of life, from the movement of the planets and the arrangement of rose petals, to the arrangement of our genes, as well as the DNA sequences within each individual gene. The concept of life in the existential sense, and its celebration, lives within the City of Dreams design concept. Pattern served as a visual metaphor and medium to convey this idea.

Pattern isn’t decorative. Rather it is generative. A design system in its own right. The pattern we see is simply an end result. The visual manifestation of a code of instruction. This seed of action is the catalyst for all the occurs. Enter algorithm. An algorithm is simply a repeated geometric or arithmetic rule. So we can say that algorithm drives and determines pattern – meaning pattern is algorithmic.

From large-scale facades and interior tiling arrangements, to ceilings and lighting, many parts of City Of Dreams are powered by algorithm.

Excluding our one-off custom algorithms (such as the pattern on the Western sea-facing façade), we derived the majority of our design algorithms from fractals, prime numbers and Amman Grids.

Fractals

We created two algorithms from the scaleless self-similarity of a fractal system. The first is what we call a frac-tile. This is an organisational system of tessellation based on a series of interlocking shapes. If we go into one of these shapes, we find the same configuration of all the previous interlocking shapes – just on a smaller scale. The frac-tile adds syncopation and movement to many floors in Cinnamon Life including levels 2, 7, 8 to name a few. Think of a frac-tile as a fractal abstract of sorts.

The Cloud Sculpture in the Cumulus Ballroom L22 is an example of a pure 3D fractal. We took a Dodecahedron and ‘cut it’ in half. There is fractal system of organisation that creates the ‘packing’ or ‘mass’ of the Dodecahedron, leading to its actual form, in a loosely ‘atomic’ sense. The algorithm driving this ‘packing’ was used to create the four geometrically complex clusters. Forms too complex for the human mind to conceive autonomously. The artist has an abstract idea. Then we engage with mathematical process. The creative journey is a negotiation.

Prime numbers

Primes are the fundamental building blocks in number theory. They are the givers of arithmetic life – indivisible units from which all other whole numbers can be constructed through multiplication. When we plot Primes on the number line, there appears to be no regular order. But what if we plot the numerical gaps between the Primes? Now we enter into a deeper realm of patterned organisation.

We created two algorithms. The first complied the gaps between primes with a vertical dash. As we run the sequence we obtain a compression of dashes in rows. An aesthetic mapping from which we pulled various sections, creating processional lines on many interior floors – including the Hotel and Conferencing Lobby L1.

The second algorithm again compiled the gaps between prime numbers, but on an X and Y axis. So the first gap was plotted as a value on the X axis moving to the right, the second as a value on the Y axis going up, the third as a value on the X axis going left and the fourth on the Y axis going down. We then go back to the first move and repeat. As the algorithm runs, we obtain an orthogonal web with moments of dense and complex compression, followed by wider and more sparse patterns. We used these tracings to create both two dimensional patterns and the three dimensional lighting piece ‘Network’ in the Hotel Lobby L1.

Amman Grids

Amman tiling evokes the Fract-ile in nature. As it is also an organisational system based on a configuration of interlocking shapes that self-replicate on smaller scales. But when we go beneath the pattern we find something alternate. The dimensions for the Ammann tiles are derived from a hidden set of meshing grids, running diagonally to the lines themselves. Our algorithm generated a series of travelling lines form these hidden grids and we obtained various abstract maps of triangulation. The conventional orthogonal nature of grid, with its inertia and trapped rectangular segmentation, was replaced by a kinetic grid of triangulating axes. We used these grids for the floors and ceilings in the Cumulus and Celestine ballrooms respectively, as well as within the pre-function space connecting the two areas. Busy and energetic lines guide us through space and burst into life throughout the interiors.

How did you ensure the design was iconic, symbolic, and metamorphic as per the client’s brief?

Iconic – to us this will all about thinking and doing different. Using new methodologies to create a building that redefined the very parameters of possibility. From the breathing façade to the expanding cantilevers, City of Dreams oozes innovation. In terms of typology, conventional mixed-use development planning models focus on horizontal organisation – functional buildings placed next to each other in a grounded cluster. We subverted the thinking and went vertical. This required new strategies and methodologies to integrate a dense and demanding set of building functionalities within the principal arc form.

Symbolic – City of Dreams had to have an instantly recognisable form – an undeniable shape that stays forever in the mind. The compilation of forms with the arc as the anchor, delivers on this idea.

Metamorphic – There’s no doubt that the City of Dreams will change everything from how we work, eat and live, to communities and economies. But how to embody this evolution? Animation held the key. The building is in constant motion, moving both vertically and horizontally in a spatial and structural exchange of energy. Simultaneously, every façade is different – breathing, moving and rippling. Once we imagine geometry as the composition of generative ideas, rather than inert objecthood, we obtain the kinetic by default.

What’s the significance of capturing the 'energy of the place' in the interior design?

Buildings can’t be autonomous externalities. An object placed on a site. Rather they must embody and encapsulate all the qualities of the site and the brief. To summarise - a building isn’t its own thing. Rather it is a reflection of things. City of Dreams lies at the heart of motion – the movement of the sea to the west, the growth of the city to the east. Colombo is a diverse and constantly shifting city, possessing a nexus of cultures, religions and ethnicities. All these things are in state of flux. So the building has to reflect this dynamism both inside and out.

In other words, there should be a synergy between exterior and interior. Therefore if we have animate architecture, we must also create animate interiors. Spaces that move and shift, offering syncopated experiences on multiple scales. With our use of colour, pattern and sculptural artistic statements within the City Of Dreams public interiors, we experience constant movement, energy and shifts in form.

A kinetic site. A kinetic building. A kinetic interior. Total synergy.

How do you integrate Balmond Studio's intellectual property into architectural projects like this?

It isn’t so much a case of explicit integration. Rather I would say it’s about our conceptual starting points. If all our architects and designers understand the Balmond approach to space and form, we are in a strong position. We acknowledge that design is philosophy of practice as experiment. We work in the energetic space of disciplinary overlap. We engage with the materiality of number. We explore emergent form and structure. We embrace an informal and non-linear design approach.

In any project there is a certain amount of push and pull between the hypothetical and the real. Budgets, problems and so on can affect conceptual outcome. The key lies in knowing how to navigate these waters, maintaining both the integrity of the our thinking and adapting to real-time scenarios. There is a certain amount of flexibility, compromise and adaptation involved. However our conceptual foundation and philosophy always remains.

What was the most challenging aspect of making City of Dreams stand out as an architectural icon for Sri Lanka?

I wouldn’t say there was challenge in making the building stand out as an icon. From concept to execution, City of Dreams pushes the laws of physics, redefines paradigms and smashes limitation. This iconic architecture stands out by default. The challenge lay in completing the building, despite the plethora of political and socio-economic factors that affected the project. Terror attacks, COVID, the economic crisis and political upheaval all created extremely turbulent and tempestuous conditions. And yet the building stands – undeniable.

Did any personal experiences or inspirations play a significant role in shaping your design vision for this project?

Cecil’s childhood spent in Colombo definitely played a role in the process. His understanding of the site and area, its nostalgic past (with hot dogs and sodas at the Elephant House Café) and future potential, all had some kind of influence on the conceptual process. Again we are talking in general terms versus correlative specifics. Of course his fascination with mathematics and geometry were influential. As previously discussed, he also found inspiration in ancient Sinhalese structures and decorative elements. Of course his experiences working on so many ground-breaking projects in the West were a massive factor. Cecil is very much hybrid – a fusion of Eastern and Western sensibilities. This puts him in a truly unique position – he is the only one who could have conceived of such a building.