Gandara: Walle Walawwa and Its Veranda

Walle Walawwa stands in Gandara West. The house combines a largely preserved, originally Dutch floor plan with details on the front veranda. For a travel decision focused on architecture, this offers a specific perspective: on the one hand, the arrangement of the building; on the other, the design of individual structural elements. These two scales make it easier to consider the overall plan and the features of the veranda separately.

Floor Plan and Renovation

A floor plan describes how the areas of a building are arranged in relation to one another. At Walle Walawwa, the originally Dutch floor plan has been largely preserved despite a renovation that involved minor changes. Continuity and change go hand in hand here: the plan has largely been retained, while the renovation brought about smaller changes. For an architectural assessment, therefore, it is not only the original form that matters, but also the fact that the house has been renovated. The term “Dutch” refers to the floor plan and makes the spatial arrangement the central feature of this description.

The Open Front Veranda

The open front veranda offers a different perspective. It has round columns and has been repaired. “Front veranda” places these features at the front of the house, while “open” further defines the design of this area. This directs attention to a specific part of the house, its form, and the repair carried out there. The round columns are a distinctive feature of this veranda and add a detail of the building’s design to the consideration of the floor plan.

Wooden Pillars Behind the Columns

Behind the columns of the front veranda stands a row of ornately crafted wooden pillars. They are made from large individual tree trunks. The pillars’ position is just as important as their material: the round columns are at the front, with the row of wooden pillars behind them. This describes a spatial sequence within the veranda and distinguishes the two structural elements. For those interested in architecture, the particular emphasis is on the craftsmanship: the pillars are ornately crafted, and their construction from large individual trunks offers a specific insight into how they were made.

Architecture as a Travel Theme

Renovation and repair offer different perspectives. The renovation is mentioned in connection with the house and its largely preserved floor plan; the repair concerns the open front veranda. This allows the information to be considered on two levels: the layout of the house and a specific veranda area. If you are weighing Gandara as a travel destination based on architectural themes, Walle Walawwa offers a specific point of reference. Those interested in spatial arrangement can focus on the floor plan; those more attentive to craftsmanship will find a distinct point of interest in the wooden pillars.

Discover more destinations: Talpe, Weligatta, Wirawila, Ihala Keembiya, Telikada, Kudawella, Mattala, Hungama

For the overview of the wider region: Southern Province.