Interior Design Portfolio // Suvini Gunaratna

I am a recent graduate of Pratt Institute’s Masters of Architecture program, and also have a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Interior Design. I strive to create experiential spaces that inspire creativity in others while maintaining a focus on sustainable materiality and building methods. I find inspiration in the all aspects of life and work to adapt those inspirations into conceptual thought that then becomes part of my design process. I believe that the simplest of things can spark one’s creativity and push one to pursue the most adventurous designs that they are capable of making.

TAB le o F C o NT e NTS

Inna Nature Reserve Volunteer Training Center

TeráS BouTique hoTel

Pamukkale, Turkey is a small rural town that is surrounded by great feats of man and nature-made design. The town’s age is shown in its current state of disrepair. Despite one of its main exports being tourism, the hotels that currently exist in the town are relatively run down and in need of improvement.

The famous Travertine Terraces are the closest landmark to the town. This attraction is nature-made, with natural layering from thousands of years of minerals dripping from surface to surface. Its bright color gives it an ethereal effect that goes with the idea of it having healing abilities.

“A NATurAl progreSSioN TowArdS CompleTe rejuviNATioN”

The path of the terraces creates one continuous, winding journey. This journey takes the guest through the stresses of their daily life, up to a place where their mental wellness coincides with physical wellness.The transition from daily life to the picturesque terraces will be demonstrated through the guest’s experience through the 4 floors of Teras.

The form of the terraces converged with one another to create one continuous pattern, or path. Each person’s pattern / path is different, spreading out in different directions, interacting with other patterns.

Lobby Reflected Ceiling Plan

Imagery of the travertine terraces is carried throughout the main public floor plans, where guests can the hotel to the terraces outside, which encourages guests to explore the terrain in Pamukkale and

Lobby Floor Plan

meet and interact with each other. The continuous curvature of the interior architecture flows out from utilize the travertine pools in their relaxation/healing processes.

Rooftop Bar Floor Plan

Rooftop Bar Reflected Ceiling Plan

Ground Floor Lounge Area

The materiality of the space as well as the vertical layering around lounge areas acts to further mimic the neighboring natural monument. The interior facade of travertine travels up all four floors of the building, creating a physical link from the ground to the roof (or more metaphorically, from the town to the terraces).

Lobby Elevation

ArC’Teryx heAdquArT

The Arc’teryx brand focuses on the most durable and reliable all-weather clothing technology that helps the world’s explorers withstand the most extreme feats of nature. They are well-known for experimenting with their fabric technologies in real life weather conditions, which were accessible in their testing labs in Canada.

The proposed Arc’teryx headquarters in San Francisco is designed to accomodate for the company’s need of extreme terrain and temperatures in an urban setting. Unique strategies and technologies were used in the testing of the brand’s clothing to ensure its durability in any climate condition.

TeChNology To FurTher humAN NATure”

“Arc’teryx’s name represents the idea of accelerating evolution, helping to drive human progression in the outdoors. We believe there is always a better way.”

The use of new technology in clothing fabrics is helping Arc’teryx connect human beings to nature. The influence of technology that radiates outward into nature is a key concept in the design of this space. This outward radiation is also utilized in the organization of the headquarter’s program. The interlocked lines in the concept diagram represent the advancement of technology over time; these lines act as support for the curves, which represent humans’ connection to nature. This diagram will form the interior landscape of the headquarters.

The function of different spaces are ordered from casual to formal, communal to private, with transition areas in angular walls associated with group work spaces, while the more linear walls are deisgnated to private work. topography slats decrease the farther it gets from group work spaces, becoming sparse in private spaces.

Floor Plan

between to buffer the working environment. The conceptual diagrams previously shown helped create the Conversely, the ceiling plan shows a reversed topography of a mountain landscape. The intensity of the wooden

Reflected Ceiling Plan

“Our philosophy is guided in the belief that durability is the strongest path to sustainability, Ultimately, we want to move from a linear production model to a circular economy. All materials and products are resources to be used

Eastern Elevation

Some of Sri Lanka’s main tourism attractions are its expansive wildlife reserves that span thousands of acres along the country’s coast and northern region. The island has gained popularity in recent decades as a unique vacation destination, so the number of visitors these reserves see on a daily basis is consistently increasing. The reserves’ growing popularity has resulted in them being overrun and exploited due to the large tourism demands. Government bodies do not place the proper regulations to protect these sites because of the immense amount of money that tourists pay to see them. As a result, the reserves have become congested and contaminated with overzealous human activity. Tourists will demand to get closer to the animals in these sites, contaminating the grounds and injuring animals in the process.

The proposed space will address tourism issues presented by both native and foreign visitors. It will encourage urban populations to learn more about the wildlife reserves that are so close to them and how to properly approach them. The space will be build in Colombo, Sri Lanka and will provide a connecting point between the city and the nature reserves on all other sides of the island. The main component of the space will be a volunteering program that will partner with the conservation sector of the Sri Lankan government. This program will be considered mandatory for anyone who wants to visit the reserves, including reserve drivers - who will be required to partner with the reserves themselves and take training as well. The program will send participants out to various wildlife reserves around the island to volunteer their time while expanding their knowledge about said wildlife.

“humANS re-leArNiNg how To iNTerACT wiTh NATure”

Sri Lanka was ruled by multiple different countries at different points in time. Explorers from Britain and Portugal used the island as an in-between location for their trading routes. They traversed the island using its intricate system of rivers and canals. In a way, these foreigners used nature to increase their understanding of the island.

The pattern that the rivers made on the surface of the island was abstracted in stages and that pattern was applied directly onto the floor plan of the proposed training facility. Valva Inna strives to endorse a renewed interaction with nature. The idea of “re-learning” relates to repetition and filling gaps in knowledge (ie. negative space).

The intersecting lines also represent the two timelines of human and nature - their connectioni started out strong, plan design that will metaphorically bridge humans and nature back together. Multiple forms of education will be the proper procedures when traveling through the reserves.

Floor 01 (Volunteer Training Program)

Floor 01 Reflected Ceiling Plan

but began to drift apart over time... However, the proposed volunteer program represents the curve in the floor utilized in the space, from science labs that help study the ecosystem to VR jeep training that will teach drivers

Floor 02 (Garden Cafe)

Floor 02 Reflected Ceiling Plan

The purpose of this space is to help preserve Sri Lanka’s natural ecosystem, and for people to learn to appreciate and respect the country’s environment through physical experience and hands-on education. The space’s architecture will represent the idea of connection and conservation. The center will allow foreign visitors and local tourists to interact in a mutual way that will provide them both with a greater understanding of nature. The architecture will demonstrate connection points throughout that create new environments for guests to experience and learn from.

As the designer of this space, my goal is provide an intuitive and multi-beneficial alternative to regular tourism. The system of wildlife reserve tourism as it exists right now is broken, which is resulting in the steady decline of the the country’s natural ecosystem. This space will teach others that respecting the wildlife and supporting conservation will beneift both the country and themselves.

Floor 02: Ceiling / Roof

Floor 02: Cafe

Floor 01: Volunteer Training Program

VR Jeep Training

Main Interior Hallway (Leads to outdoor hiking path)