CONCEPT OF UNITY IN ARCHITECTURE 
-THE MANIFESTATION OF SPIRIT O F PLACE-
A d i s s e r t a t i o n p r e s e n t e d to the F a c u l t y o f A r c h i t e c t u r e 
U n i v e r s i t y o f M o r a t u w a . Sri L a n k a 
for the M . S c ( A r c h i t e c t u r e ) E x a m i n a t i o n . 
7? " 0 2 " 
A.A.Het t iaraehchi 
F a c u l t y o f A r c h i t e c t u r e 
U n i v e r s i t y o f M o r a t u w a ~~~f ^ J ^ *~J 
Sri Lanka 
Apri l 2002 
University of M o r a t u w a 
78167 
7 8 1 6 7 
//; 1854, "The Great White Chief in Washington 
made an offer for a large area of Indian land and 
promised a "reservation "for the Indian people. 
Chief Seattle's reply, published here in full, has 
been described as one of the most beautiful and 
profound statements on the environment ever 
made: 
How can you buy or sell the sky. the warmth of the 
land' 
The idea is strange to us. 
If we do not own the freshness of the air and the 
sparkle of the water, 
how can you buy them? 
Every part of the Earth is sacred to my people. 
Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every 
mist in the dark woods, every clear and humming 
insect is holy in the memory and experience of my 
people. 
The sap which courses through the trees carries the memory and experience of my people. 
The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man. 
The white man's dead forget the country of their birth when they go to walk among the stars. 
Our dead never forget this beautiful Earth, for it is the mother of the red man. 
We are part of the Earth and it is part of us. 
The perfumed flowers are our sisters, the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our 
brothers. 
I he rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and the man. all 
belong to the same family. 
So. when the Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, he asks 
much of us. 
The Great White Chief sends word he will reserve us a place so that we can live comfortably 
to ourselves. 
He will be our father and we will be his children. 
So we will consider your offer to buy land. 
But it will not be easy. 
For this land is sacred to us. 
This shining water that moves in streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our 
ancestors. 
If we sell you land, you must remember that it is sacred blood of our ancestors. 
If we sell you land, you must remember that it is sacred, and you must teach your children 
that it is sacred and that each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lakes tell.: of events 
in the life of my people. 
The waters murmur is the voice of my father's father. 
The rivers of our brothers they quench our thirst. 
The rivers carry our canoes and feed our children. 
If we sell you our land, you must remember to teach your children that the rivers are our 
brothers, and yours, and you must henceforth give the rivers the kindness that you would 
give mv brother. 
We know that the white man does not understand our ways. 
One portion of land is the same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the 
night and takes from the land whatever he needs. 
The Earth is not his brother, but his enemy and when he has conquered it, he moves on. 
He leaves his father's graves behind, and he docs not care. 
He kidnaps the Earth from his children, and he docs not care. 
His father's grave, and his children's birthright arc forgotten. 
He treats his mother, the Earth, and his brother, the same, as things to be bought, plundered, 
sold like sheep or bright beads. 
His appetite will devour the Earth and leave behind only a desert. 
I do not know. 
Our ways arc different from yours ways. 
The sight of your cities pains the eyes of the red man. 
But perhaps it is because the red man is a savage and does not understand. 
There is no quiet place in the white man's cities. 
No place to hear the unfurling of leaves in spring, or the rustic of an insect's wings. 
But perhaps it is because I am a savage and do not understand. 
The clatter only seems to insult the cars. 
And what is there to life if a man cannot hear the lonely cry of a whippoorwill or the 
arguments of the frogs around a pond at night. 
I am a red man and do not understand. 
The Indian prefers the soft sound of the wind darting over the face of the pond, and the smell 
of the wind itself, cleansed bv a midday rain, or scented with the pinon pine. 
The air is precious to the red man. for all things share the same breath - the beast, the tree. 
the man. they all share the same breath. 
The white man does not seem to notice the air he breathes. 
Like a man dying for many days, he is numb to the stench. 
But if We sell von our land, vou must remember that the air is precious to us, that the air 
shares its spirit with all the life it supports. 
The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. 
And if we sell you our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where even the 
white man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow's flowers. 
So we will consider your offer to buy our land. 
If we decide to accept. I will make one condition - the white man must treat the beasts of this 
land as his brothers. 
I am a savage and do not understand any other way. 
I have seen a thousand rotting buffaloes on the prairie, left by the white man who shot them 
from a passing train. 
I am a savage and do not understand how the smoking iron horse can be made more 
important than the buffalo that we kill only to stay alive. 
What is man without the beasts'/ 
If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of the spirit. 
For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. 
All things are connected. 
You must teach vow children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of our 
grandfathers. 
So that thev will respect the land, tell your children that the Earth is rich with the lives of 
our kin. 
Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the Earth is our mother. 
Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. 
If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves. 
This we know - the Earth does not belong to man - man belongs to the Earth. 
This we know. 
All things are connected like the blood, which unites one family. 
All things are connected. 
Whatever befalls the Earth - befalls the sons of the Earth. 
Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it. 
Whatever he docs to the web. he docs to himself 
Even the white man. whose God walks and talks with him as friend to friend, cannot be 
exempt from the common destiny. 
We may be brothers after all. 
We shall see. 
One thing we know; which the white man may one day discover - Our God is the same God. 
You mav think now that vou own Him as von wish to own our land, but you cannot. 
He is the God of man. and His compassion is equal for red man and the white. 
The Earth is precious to Him. and to harm the Earth is to heap contempt on its creator. 
The whites too shall pass, perhaps sooner than all other tribes. 
But in your perishing vou will shine brightly, fired by the strength of the God who brought 
you to this land and for some special purpose gave vou dominion over this land and over the 
red man. 
That destiny is a mystery to us, for we do not understand when the buffalo arc slaughtered, 
the wild horses tamed, the secret corners of the forest heavy with scent of many men. and the 
view of the ripe hills blotted bv talking wires. 
Where is the thicket'.' Gone 
Where is the Eagle? Gone. 
The end of living and the beginning of survival. 
End of Extract from The Irish Press of Friday June 4th, 1976. 
Acknowledgement 
This dissertation w a s made a reality due to the co l lec t ive support and encouragement 
received from many. It is indeed m y duty to g ive them a word o f thanks, wh ich by no 
means balances out their inspiriting efforts, at this hour. 
First and foremost I w i sh to thank Professor Nimal de Si lva , Head o f Faculty o f 
Architecture, and all m y lecturers, present and past, for the proper gu idance 
throughout m y university life. 
Special thanks g o out to the dissertation coordinator, Dr M.P.R. Emmanuel and year 
masters o f the Sixth Year. Dr S. Manawadu. Archt. G. Weeras inghe and Archt D .de 
Si lva. for preparing and sett ing m e on course to achieve m y goals . 
I'm i m m e n s e l y indebted to Archt S.R.Goonarathne for his priceless t ime spent to 
scrutinize m y work and v o i c e out inspiring words o f advice . His gu idance and 
profound understanding in the subject area was dec i s ive in m o l d i n g out the 
dissertation. If not for him. the very ex i s tence o f this dissertation w o u l d not have been 
a reality. 
There were m a n y others w h o were bes ide m e during this journey. A m o n g them I am 
greatly beholden to. 
My co l l eagues . Dekum and Ratnamalala for helping m e in c o p y i n g the photographs, 
sacrif ic ing their o w n work. 
Mihiri. Indika. Kithmini and Kalan for their kind vo ice s at t imes w h e n I w a s stuck. 
Renu. Jaye and Mrs. A s h o k a Nanayakkara for helping m e b y prov id ing photographs 
at a short notice. 
M y brother S u s e e m a . for d o i n g all the odd jobs , patiently and with a smi le . 
M y dear sister for inquiring, soo th ing things out and bringing back lost s m i l e s 
w h e n e v e r I was feel ing really d o w n . 
Very spec ia l ly m y grandmother ( m a m m a ) , for her invaluable contribution to this 
dissertation, by sharing her l i fet ime spiritual experiences . 
M y dear parents for bringing m e up. educat ing and be ing there b y m y s ide w h e n e v e r I 
needed a shoulder to lean on. 
Last but not least to m y S u y a m a for he lp ing m e by all m e a n s , p i ck ing m e up each 
t ime I fell and for a lways be ing bes ide me . 
I k n o w that I can never repay you: nevertheless I need you to k n o w that I'll remain 
ever grateful from the very depths o f m y heart. 
Contents 
Page No 
Acknowledgement v 
List of Illustrations vii 
Abstract 1 
Preamble 2 
Introduction 3 
Chapter One: Unity - The Supreme Ideal of Existence 
1.1 Exis tence 7 
1.2 Intcrconnectedness o f ex i s tence 9 
1.3 Unity: Perceiv ing the interconnectedness 12 
Chapter Two: Architecture - Existing Within the 
Interconnectedness 16 
Chapter Three: Architecture as Place Making 
3.1 Place 19 
3.2 Structure o f place and its psychic implications. 22 
3.3 Perce iv ing the site as a place. 27 
^ Chapter Four: Architecture as a Means of Capturing 
the 'Spirit of Place'- 'Genius Loci' 
4.1 Spirit o f place- Genius Loci -An introduction. 34 
4.2 Architecture as a means o f capturing the spirit o f place. 35 
4.3 T h e task o f the Architect. 39 
4.4 Man made place as a microcosm. 45 
4.5 Uni ty - The "ulterior motive" o f Architecture. 47 
Chapter Five - The Crisis 
5.1 Introduction 49 
5.2 Spiritual crisis. 52 
J» 5.3 Social crisis 53 
5.4 Environmental crisis 55 
5.5 Loss o f unity- T h e crisis in Architecture. 57 
Afterword 60 
Notes 64 
Bibliography. 68 
vi 
List of Illustrations 
Fig No Title 
1 World is the house where mortals dwel l . 
2 Birth. 
3 Death. 
4 Earth. Sky . Divini t ies , Mortals. 
5 T h e c loud containing the universe. 
6 Interconnectedness . 
7 M e and the universe are one . 
8 W e are not less than the universe. 
9 W e need shelter. 
10 W e are dwel lers . 
1 1 W o v e n fabric. 
12 Remin i scence o f places. 
13 Meet ing soul mate. 
14 Sharing an intimate secret. 
15 Gett ing through a problem. 
16 T i m e s full o f life - Mother entertains the family and friends 
with a picnic lunch by the banks o f the river Dee . 
17 Place - A center o f activity. 
18 Place as a l ived space- Street o f Lucignano. 
19 Boundaries o f built space. 
20 S e n s e o f enclosure. 
21 Presencing from Boundary. 
22 Outs ide is an extens ion. 
D w e l l i n g - protective. 
Church s o l e m n - Lincoln cathedral. Britain, 1 2 5 6 - 1 2 8 0 . 
Chi ld ' s exper iences . 
Mountain . The mount Himalayas . 
River B o c a s del Toro, Panama. 
Plains - Pienze. Tuscany. 
Val ley . 
Friendly and protective. 
Intimidating. 
Romantic . 
Serenity - Anuradhapura. 
Sky changes the character, Florida sunset. 
D iv ine met ing place. 
In search for pride o f place. 
World as a combinat ion o f natural and man made places. 
Tree in the vi l lage. 
Tree in Sahara. 
Dance . 
Drama. 
Sculpture. 
Bridge gathers the world. 
The bridge Across the val ley o f the river Dordogne . 
Revea l ing the interconncctedness . 
M e and the site are one . 
A palace o f the hill, India 
Mount Saint-Michel seen through the mist. N o r m a n d y , France. 
Mount Saint-Michel , Normandy, France. 
A bui lding o f the hill, the temple o f Hatshepsut, Egypt. 
T h e world brought in. 
Reach out for the truth. 
A w a y from reality 
Inescapable se l f -encapsulat ion. 
Lust to gain. 
War. 
Lost hope. 
The w e b transgressed. 
Enforced wil l . The Trident o f Piazza del Popolo . 
World in chaos . N Y city 
Chapel on the water by Tadao A n d o 
Hotel Kandalama.by Geoffrey Bawa 
Hotel Lighthouse by Geoffrey Bawa. 
Cinnamon hill house by Geoffrey Bawa. 
Hotel Triton by Geof frey Bawa. 
Abstract 
This Dissertation cal ls attention to the ev idence o f a perfectly interconnected s y s t e m 
o f all the creat ions o f ex i s tence on earth. Perceiv ing this interconnectedness has been 
establ ished as the destination o f "Dwel l ing", the manner in w h i c h w e , the h u m a n 
be ings exist within this system. T h e recognition o f this o n e n e s s or unity o f all is 
considered universal and spelled out as the summum bonum o f ex i s tence . 
Architecture, a fundamental aspect o f dwel l ing , is determined as a process c o n v e r g i n g 
upon this s e l f same ultimate goal imply ing it to exist harmonious ly within the s y s t e m 
o f ex i s tence . At this juncture, a perceptual framework is brought in which personi f ies 
* the site, nature or the system o f ex is tence , and treats the world as a 'being" or a 
' consc iousness ' . Subsequent ly , the nature is dist inguished as a pre-exis t ing p lace 
which has it's qualitative, intangible total phenomenon, it's o w n guardian spirit, 
parallel to a human being, which is termed the "spirit o f p lace ' or 'Genius loci' in 
Latin. Capturing this spirit o f a place is dist inguished as the k e y to penetrate the 
sys tem o f ex i s tence . 
The task o f the Architect is demonstrated as penetrating this sys tem by m e a n s o f 
concret iz ing the spirit o f a place in to bui ldings or man made places . In v i e w o f that, 
*• the bui lding or the man made place is recognized as a tool or a d e v i c e c o n d u c i n g to 
the perception o f unity, which is the ulterior mot ive o f Architecture. 
T h e essay dist inguishes our era as a dark era o f spiritual crisis, where the authentic 
qualitative values o f d w e l l i n g and Architecture are be ing fatefully covered up b y the 
i l lus ive , self-centered, d iv i s ive wor ldv iew o f mankind. The present human b e i n g is 
identified as an unbalanced be ing w h o has lost his unity - the supreme ideal o f 
ex i s tence . Thus , the essay stresses on the need o f regaining the lost unity in order to 
safeguard our world from the mass ive catastrophe, to which it is heading rapidly. 
1 
Preamble 
The origin o f this dissertation has its deep roots in the crisis o f the contemporary 
world; the crisis brought about by the wonders o f S c i e n c e and T e c h n o l o g y or rather 
due to the change in m a n ' s perception o f the world, wh ich has engul fed all m e a n s o f 
our ex is tence . What w e s ee today is a 'non-man world ' where the authentic man is 
hasti ly vanishing. The man o f contemporanei ty l ives in i l lusion, far from reality such 
that the real mean ing o f l iv ing as a human being or rather his pride o f p lace in the 
world is not be ing acknowledged . He l ives in a world where physical , quantitative and 
materialistic aspects dominate over qualitative realm. Architecture, a fundamental 
aspect o f m a n ' s be ing in the world, be ing no except ion from the reality o f ex i s t ence , 
has taken its share o f battering as wel l . 
T h e true sense o f Architecture is not known to the man o f contemporanei ty . In this 
materialistic world, it has b e c o m e a mere tool o f form and function, wh ich provides 
shelter and protection, so le ly catering to the physical, quantitative aspects o f human 
be ings . For many, it is a d e v i c e o f express ing their status, wea l th and prosperity. 
Fatefully. qualitative and artistic realm o f Architecture is obscured today. A b o v e all. 
the agoniz ing truth is that the pride o f place o f Architecture within the reality o f 
ex i s tence , has been totally forgotten. The site, or nature, is recognized as a l i fe less 
physical entity comprised o f mere ' things' or 'objects' . Man today d o e s not k n o w that 
every spec o f dust, every drop o f water, every s ingle tree and ray o f sunlight is part o f 
o n e s ingle reality, within which he h i m s e l f exists . He is entrenched in the bl ind be l i e f 
that Architecture is a process o f convert ing the ' l i fe less s ite' into a 'place" where 
humans can attain dwe l l ing . T h e addiction to this ' thingly' percept ion has lead a lmost 
all o f the present day Architects to enforce their wil l upon the world b y w a y o f 
ex treme exploitat ion. Thus the face o f the planet earth, the on ly h o m e for man in this 
universe , is be ing rapidly changed putting into stake the e x i s t e n c e o f all creat ions 
inc luding man himself . 
Th i s dissertation probes into the manner in which Architecture b e c o m e s an aid for the 
realization o f m a n ' s pride o f place within the ex is tence , and thereby gaining the lost 
order o f our world.