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SIte Specific MUSeums 03

admin — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 13:11:20 +0000

At Sigiriya (SriLanka) in the fifth century, the parricide King Kasyapa, on the basis of existing structures, built his palace and the gardens, shaped like a lion. The geological structure consists of a large volcanic rock, over 350 meters high.
Along the way to climb, there is a wall that reflected frescoes, painted by artists from all over the Indian continent.
Among the special features of this site there is a courtroom, made by cutting a monolith: the smaller part, rotated, is located on one side, to allow a smooth transition between the two pieces.
The facade has a “modanatura” (“toro” with astragalus), that defining the perimeter of the room.

SIte Specific MUSeums 02

admin — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:56:44 +0000

A Polonnaruwa (SriLanka) in the twelfth century, the king Parakkramabahu has built the Gal Vihara.
The sleeping Buddha, the Buddha in meditation posture and the temple were carved in granite.
In this great archaeological site, a specific intervention was carried out: it requires a very small influx of materials from outside the construction site, because only the auxiliary structures, visible in the plant, are made with materials from off site. Again the artificialisation of the site respects the natural and geological structure exists.

SIte Specific MUSeums 01

admin — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:49:57 +0000

Dambulla (SriLanka) was a geological structure of granite, shaped like a large horizontal crack.
The natural site, in the first century BC, was the shelter of king Valgamba, fleeing an invasion from Tamil.
The artificialisation of this site is “sustainable”: no material is brought from outside and the great statues of Buddha are carved on the spot.
Only the wall, that closes the caves and porch overlooking leading to the “sagrato”, was added.
A big “ficus religiosa” completes the entire operation.