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Architectural Alchemy
The magic and the method of designing Cinnamon Life
Cinnamon Life site sits at a meeting of city and water. It is a point of attraction for the
ever-growing urban footprint and a point of expansion out to sea. Consequently, the form had to be synergetic, reconciling both these elements to create something greater.
This year The Sri Lanka Design Festival takes place at the newly built Cinnamon Life complex which has changed the Colombo architectural landscape with its sprawling structure. Conceptualised by Cecil Balmond his vision was executed by Balmond Studios which set up an office in Colombo.
In this interview his son, James Balmond speaks about how the Cinnamon Life took shape and the science and hardworking that went into creating this magical masterpiece.
Q: Conceptual Beginnings: Where do you usually start when conceptualizing a project? Could you share how the initial idea for Cinnamon Life came to life, considering its unique form?
I wish I could give you a simple answer here. But the truth is that there’s no definitive singularity - a consistent point of departure. Conceptual beginnings change with each project. We have a purpose; make a building. Yet the solution is unknown. But we need to start somewhere.
At the very beginning, conceptual thinking isn’t chronological - A leads to B leads to C. A neat chain of causality. Rather it is non-linear. An amalgamation of instinct and intent, context and experience, knowledge and abstract thought, the conscious and the subconscious.
All these factors engage with one another in the brain. It’s a mysterious process beyond our understanding, leading us to creative action. When the time is right, spontaneous instruction flows from the mind to the hand as we put pen to paper. In this first sketch, there’s no brief. No sense of legacy. No predeterminism. Only interpretation in one specific instant. The moment is like a Big Bang - creating something from nothing. We have the seed of an idea.
The initial concept for Cinnamon Life emerged from this same mysterious alchemy. There were many tangible and intangible influences driving Cecil Balmond’s thinking. I can’t unpack them all here; so let’s focus on context and place. The site sits at a meeting of the city to the east and sea to the west. The ascension of the urban sprawl. The expansion of the horizon. Colombo’s diversity and dynamism. The ambition of the John Keells Group. The building had to encompass all these dynamic elements. Evolution, change and the kinetic were paramount. So inert form was redundant. We had to think in terms of a moving geometry. Architecture had to be animate.
The first sketch for Cinnamon Life was conceived as a symphony of energy. A single line travelling in a series of vertical and horizontal extensions. A building of holistic motion.
Q: Architecture Meets Urban Life: Cinnamon Life seems to integrate deeply with the urban environment. How does its architecture reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Colombo?
As I previously mentioned, we distilled the idea of vibrancy and diversity into one idea - movement. So how does motion manifest in the architecture?
To capture the energy of Colombo, we required a new conceptualisation of form. We needed animation and movement, autonomy and interdependence, as well as singularity and multiplicity.
Serialisation of form was the solution. This involves the integration of multiple synergetic forms within one development. Think individual moments within a holistic scene. The strategy is kinetic by default. But it isn’t random. Every form moves as part of a sequence - engaging with, and feeding back into, another form. Static frames replaced by geometric flow. Much like a symphony, we have individual movements transitioning into each other to create an overall musical composition.
The form of Cinnamon Life takes inspiration from a meeting of city and water. From a structural perspective, we engaged with verticality to reflect the built environment and horizontality to echo the sea. The building’s power lies in the interaction and exchange between these two types of spatial movements - a cycle of continuous feedback. Architecture as infinite motion.
The facades provide a secondary pulse to compliment the animate architecture. We wanted to create unique façades with distinct personalities. However they also had to have unity. This methodology is another interpretation of the serialisation of form. We have individual, and yet interdependent façades, interacting with one another to create one picture.
To achieve our objective, we created a fixed material palette, with an evolving application of these materials through the different façade configurations. The strategy produced unique complexity with overall cohesion.
We distilled façade into three base elements, comprising pattern, glass and solid material (either aluminium, stone or mesh). For each façade, we kept two of the elements and altered the third. By doing this, we see an evolving façade language, developed from a common source. The patterns are algorithmic in nature, growing, iterating and evolving. Dynamic city. Dynamic form. Dynamic facades.
Q: How did the collaboration with AOD come about?
Balmond Studio and Clan B have been involved with Aod for many years. Our relationship is based on a shared vision; to cultivate and elevate design here in Sri Lanka, whilst simultaneously raising awareness of the Sri Lankan design capacity internationally. The connection between our two organisations is based on knowledge exchange and strategic alignment - a potent mix for sure. Internships, crit sessions, lectures, design projects - we’ve achieved a lot together. So we’re thrilled to be involved in the 15 year anniversary of the SLDF too! Linda and the entire Aod team have created something extraordinary, and we’re delighted to have made a small contribution to that success.
Q: What do you want the attendees to take away from the various sessions the Balmond Studio will be conducting as part of the Public Programme?To be honest; all I want is for everyone to obtain a clearer understanding of Cinnamon Life - from its nature and narrative, to the aesthetics and composition. Balmond Studio is there to illuminate the intention behind every detail and decision. Whether you like it or not is totally up to you. Everyone has their own opinion and we don’t have the right to dictate that. But I hope, with a little knowledge, people will obtain a greater comprehension and potential respect for this incredible project.
Q: How much of your father's vision has influenced this project?
Cinnamon Life is the manifestation of many minds. An amalgamation of ideas. John Keells Group had their overall vision for the project. Cecil’s conceptual interpretation of the brief was synergetic. So the vision becomes shared to a degree. And of course, everyone from senior architects to structural engineers believes in the vision too. This is the only way to pull off a job of this size.
We often see a disparity between initial renders and the built reality. But in the case of Cinnamon Life, they are uncannily similar. This is a testament to Cecil’s vision being realised. I have had many discussions with him regarding the project and what I can say is that his intention and conceptual purposes are all there. The serialisation of form, animate architecture to capture the dynamism of place and a building with no conventional front and back – all these elements are inherent within the building’s very nature.
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