The performance and behavior of a building’s structure and façade elements as a component are what defines beauty in architecture. The structural form should be appealing to the eye while still being motivated by engineering considerations. An elegant design is the result of technical inventiveness, meets efficiency and economic standards, and is also refined.
With that being said, Darnie Rajapaksa is the Principal Architect of Studio Vivege, founded in 2010 in the living room of her apartment with just one project and one person; this was a watershed moment in her life. The company’s expansion was entirely unforeseen, but she is glad for the many wonderful projects the business has performed over the years to serve as references.
She went on to work under prominent architects like Anura Rathnavibhushana and Nela de Zoysa after earning a Bachelors in Built Environment and a Masters in Architecture from the University of Moratuwa. In the years to come, the knowledge she gained from them had a significant impact on the way she viewed architecture, design, and architectural practice. After traveling with her family to the United States in 2001, she worked in the nation for more than 6 years, which was a unique and important experience in every part of her profession. Resorts, hotels, apartment complexes and interiors, offices, and hospitals are among the projects she works on and she has recently been experimenting with ideas for modular housing concepts as a remedy to the region’s housing trend. Naming a few of the luxurious resort projects are the Ulagalla resort, Jungle beach, Chen’s huts, Uga bay, Sigiriyana.
A highly distinctive project of Darnie’s is The Oceanfront Condominiums. The project, which was inspired by the Galle Fortress, has 101 residential apartments spread out across 15 levels. With the main building constructed on a single pane, all apartments offer a magnificent view of the open sea. The Condos include homes with one to four bedrooms and floor spaces ranging from 750 to 2550 square feet.
The conventional duplex flats are divided into two stories, with the lower floor housing the living, dining, and kitchen areas, as well as a bedroom and powder room, and the upper floor housing a television lounge, additional bedrooms, a bathroom, and a utility balcony overlooking the courtyard. In addition, there are two elevators for passenger transportation, CCTV surveillance in lobby areas and at the entrance and exit, fire protection, among other amenities. The property contains a Heritage Building replicating the Galle stronghold, a Café Deck, a serene courtyard with a swimming pool, and a gymnasium, providing homeowners with an opulent lifestyle experience.
Oceanfront Condominiums towers on the Colombo – Galle Main Road, just minutes from the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel, in the historic city of Galle. It is also close to a multitude of attractions, including the Galle National Museum, the Historical Mansion Museum, and the Harbor, to name a few.
The apartment complex gives occupants an experience that is between a warm home and a weekend escape to an exotic resort combining modish and bequest elements to create a sense of exclusivity for a life of wealth complete with all the luxuries.
Over the previous decade, Studio Vivege has expanded from one designer to a staff of fifteen, and the company’s passionate and enthusiastic young team of architects and designers has developed alongside it and is now a part of its success story. In the ever-changing industry of architecture, Darnie continues to create timeless settings, taking on words of inspiration, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty”. – Maya Angelou