In 1962, when Ena de Silva and her husband Osmund commissioned Geoffrey Bawa to design ‘No.5’, their home in the heart of Colombo, they unknowingly set the stage for a lifelong friendship and creative collaboration between Sri Lanka’s most celebrated batik artist and architect. Radically modern for its time, yet deeply rooted in traditional architectural styles, No. 5 became a pivotal project in Bawa’s career, blending innovation with heritage.

Fast-forward to 2009: Facing financial constraints, Ena de Silva sought to sell the land on which the house stood. Fearing its demolition, the Lunuganga Trust intervened with a bold and unprecedented plan to relocate the house to a plot of land bordering Bawa’s Lunuganga estate. Over a period of six months, a team of architects, archaeologists, and engineers meticulously dismantled No. 5, preserving each element with care. It took another six years to reconstruct the house—stone by stone—just 400 meters from Lunuganga. Everything from the frangipani tree in the courtyard to the slabs of river stone remain just as it was in the original house, ensuring its architectural legacy would continue for generations to come.