Architect Muraj HWD

Proposed Residence at Thimbirigasyaya

Renovation - Store for Sewana Hardware at Rambukkana
Completed in 2025

The site is located in center of the Rambukkana city, a developing city in Sabaragamuwa province.
The site is 6p in extend with an irregular shape and three-story old building with three separate shops was there facing Kurunegala-Rambukkana main road. It was an unplanned buildup which was constructed in several stages or periods. Considerably dark interior and scattered column positions and walls were giving unpleasant and cluttered atmosphere.

The client wanted a spacious and remarkable building for his hardware store. Therefore, the architectural focus was to transform this building into modern looked, inviting and distinguish hardware store in the town.

There, special concern was given to façade development. Further, front balconies and roof was removed and introduced a double height space in entering space, while keeping the existing façade in a set backed position. All unnecessary columns removed and some were added as to have clear interior spaces and structural stability.

Ground floor and first floors are allocated for spacious display area and second floor comprises owner’s family living area. Building façade creates different modern look for the building instead of conventional type of hardware stores.

Photography - Amila Rathnayake Photography

Project Name : Residence of Mr. Nishantha Fernanado
Architect : Architect Muraj HWD / Dilantha Muraj
Project area : 3450 ft2
Land area : 7 perches
Structural Engineer : Nuwan Bandaranayake / EDIFICE Consultants Pvt.Ltd

SPLIT-LEVEL RESIDENCE AT MALAMBE
The house is located in 7 perches sloping land, in a comfortable calmful residential neighborhood, few kilo meters away from Malambe town. This is a three-bedroom house which has designed to five intermediate levels compatible with site’s natural slop. The height difference between each two level is 6 feet.
The lowest level, the lower ground floor is consisted with car park for two vehicles, servant’s room, servant’s toilet, storage and a garden space. Living and dinning areas, open pantry, powder room and rear and front gardens are located in the upper ground floor. Timber (‘paarmaara’) has been used as the floor finish in living, dining and open pantry areas as to enhance the special quality. The first level comprises with TV lounge, study area and rear balcony. In the second level, there are two bed rooms. One is located in rear side with a closet, attached bath room and a balcony, while the other bed room, a common bathroom and a storage in the front side. The entire third level has been allocated for the spacious master bed room, which consist with walking closet, attached bathroom and front verandah. Cut and polished cement floor finish has been used in master bed room in order to enhance the quality of the space. This floor is expressing a feeling of a private villa going beyond its residential limits. Further, timber finished main staircase become a main feature in the house with its spacious landings with seating areas. Overall, the finishing materials such as timber, granite and cut and polished cement have been mainly used to enhance the quality of entire house.
The client’s main idea is to build up a house with good quality to selling purpose which attract genuine buyers with good choices. Further, interiors were not comprised with furniture as choices to be flexible with the buyer.



Photography : Amila Rathnayake Photography - Architecture / Hotel & Resort Photographer

Project Name : Residence for Mr. Amila Gayan at Kadawatha
Completed year : 2017
Project area : 4964 ft2
Land area (in perches) : 40 perches

Description of the project
The site has located in Kadawatha, suburbs of Colombo, which having a high residential value. It's a 40 p land and bottle neck shaped site can be accessible from two roads. The narrow side is facing to the Kadawatha-Webada main road and left boundary is facing to a secondary access road. The house is designed for a quantity surveyor in profession and his family, wife and two daughters.

Architectural Approach
As a conceptual idea, architect decided to locate the house in linear narrow part of the site leaving the large square shaped area as the garden, which give a maximum relaxing quality for residents and minimum utilization of land.
The house is considerably set backed from the road and boundary wall is not very high not more than 5'-0” but the greenery area making the privacy of the residents. When entering the garden, granite paving area leads to the entrance and garage of the house.
When entering, passing the very simple small entrance porch small shrining area and court yard can be seen from the left side. This intermediate space creates very calm and quiet feeling which disappeared all negative feeling someone could have. Granite laid path leads to the dining area while passing the pond with water curtain giving a musical sound of flowing water.
Dining area facilitated with a court yard which enhancing natural air and lighting quality while providing the best security. Next to the dining area few steps up is the living area, which consider as the heart of the house. Rear verandah is attached to the living area which giving the most valuable contact with the large rear garden. The visitor bed room is accessible from living area and from secondary access road. When entering to the upper floor, a green terrace can be seen with a sculpture of a horse. There is a bed room which is accessible to the green terrace and next to the bed room is the TV lounge. A large built-in seat along the window which open up to the center court yard and the roof arrangement continuous the calm and quiet atmosphere experienced in the ground floor. At the end of the upper floor, it is the master bed room, which open up to the large rear garden through a row of windows in to room length.
The entire house consists with optimum natural lighting and ventilation throughout the day.
Mostly used materials in the finishes of the house are granite, timber and cement and they their particular colors are carefully selected considering the special quality and use of the each space.

The photographer's name
Mr. Eresh Weerasuriya

Project Name : Residential Villa for Mrs. M.H.N Wickramaratne at Nugegoda
Completed year : 2016
Project area : 6700 ft2
Land area (in perches) : 30 perches

Photography - Mr. Eresh Weerasuriya

“Architecture expressing a life journey”: A Piece of Architecture that reflects the perseverance that a strong mother had to go through in life and hence a serene architectural tribute for her.

Description of the project
This 6700 sqft house located at the heart of Nugegoda town, along Samudra Devi Road in a 30 perch plot of land and comprises of a master bed room with en suite bath room facilities, shrine room, pantry and curry kitchen, maids room and maids toilet, living room, dining room, security room and generator room in the ground floor and two bed rooms with two en suite bathrooms with a large veranda for family members. The user is a 79 years old matured mother named Mrs. Wickramarathne.
This maturity is not just merely gained through age, but through the hurdles and perseverance she had to face in the life journey of 79 years. This mature perseverance is the main character which used for the architectural language.

Architectural Approach
The tedious life journey which this mother had to go through is expressed through some of the traditional type of architectural features, which almost carves into the earth with robust solidity and with a mysterious quality. The play of light and darkness is so mysterious thus conveying the success, the happiness she achieved amidst the dark hurdles in her life span. Now, this architectural artifact is to brighten her life in a marbled glamorous living room, also with a robust flavor with, strong columns haunting the past yet opening out for a serene bright future.
The entrance dressed with strong solid chunk of rubble from the gate up to the entrance which is about 75 feet recessed from the gate resembles the antiquity in a way. The specially selected trees to name a few ‘chena pera’ and ‘dung’ trees are adding majesty along the path while giving a nice shade and a copy of shadows on the boundary walls.
This leaner entrance slot now, meets a long veranda. The heavy strong traditionally flavored columns are bravely and honestly welcoming the visitor. These columns are growing straight from a rubble paved veranda floor. The traditional architectural taste mingles throughout the house with 15” thick walls with smooth white antique finish.
This veranda next takes the visitor to the living space and dining spaces which are highly fascinating and celebrating the wining mile stone of this aged respected lady. There is another veranda at the back of the dinning space with a day bed to sit and ponder while looking at the garden making another unique atmosphere of its own with ‘karada’ and ‘finger palm’ trees. The rubble paving has mingled with the entrance veranda to this rear veranda creating an enchanting inside outside space.
Next to the dining, is the pantry which continues a marble floor finish from the living, dinning and extends up to her bed room specially design for her. Her glorious life, through her life series follows in the architecture of this traditionally flavored artifact.
The upper floor which has a wooden staircase is stepping up, next to the dinning. On one side of her bedroom is the shrine room and on the other side is the pantry executed for her convenience.
The shrine room that necks the old two story, house in which she lived earlier, is given an architectural touch which comprises of outdoor finish, timber columns and open space veranda facing the front garden.
The Upper floor which, is for the family members consist of two bedrooms with en-suite facilities with a massive common veranda. The upper floor also has the traditional flavor integrated onto the architecture yet in a quite a different manner to the ground floor. One such example is the wooden flooring resembling the timber attic with wooden columns and further adding this traditional inspiration, with clay half round tiles on the roofing. The architectural artifact that expresses a life journey that went through ‘dark’ hurdles and emerged with ‘glorious’, glamour is unveiled from below images.

The house is located in a congested area in Matara town. It is a three story house with 5 bed rooms, a pool, a lift and other related facilities.

The ground floor (2000 ft2) is consisted double garage, living, dining, verandah, pantry & rough kitchen, store room, servant’s room, servant’s toilet, driver’s room and powder room.
The first floor is consisted TV lounge, study area, visitor’s bed room with attached bath room, two bed rooms with common bathroom and verandah.
The second floor is consisted master bed room with dressing and attached bathroom, verandah, swimming pool and small bed room.

Concepts used.........

It is an introverted house that has maximum interaction of spaces and between family members during the time they spend there in their busy lifestyle. The ground floor was mainly allocated for common and visitor’s functions. The second floor was designed with master bed room ,a living verandah and swimming pool as they wanted a family villa type space in that floor.

Photographs by Amila Ratnayake