Some houses sit on the land. This one listens to it. From the air the Round House reads as a single, calm gesture — a timber ring drawn around a courtyard, opening on every side to paddy, jungle and the distant sea.
Conceived by the renowned Sri Lankan architect Dr. Narein Perera, the Round House is an exercise in sustainable architecture and local craft. In 2023 it was awarded First Prize at the Association of Indian Architects Monsoon Awards — recognition of a design that respects its environment as much as it elevates it.
Built from the island
The house is constructed almost entirely from locally sourced timber, with custom-made fixtures, fittings and furniture throughout. Traditional Sri Lankan metal and stonework thread through the building, blending modern sustainability with the island’s architectural vernacular.
A circle completed by trees
The site’s circular formation is finished not with walls but with mature trees, many cultivated in central Sri Lanka specifically for this project. Around them, indigenous fruit trees line a kilometre-long garden path — the architecture and the landscape growing into one another.
Not just a hotel, but one of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful and distinctive retreats.
At the centre of it all lies the 18-metre curved pool, mirroring the sky, and all four bedrooms open to sweeping views over the rice paddies. Ask Kasun for a tour — the stories behind the timber and the art are half the pleasure of staying here.
