Colombo is a city that is continually evolving and in the next five years her skyline will be radically changed. In the current global context, the ranking of a metropolis is often decided by the extent to which it has succeeded in developing its infrastructure, and this includes factors such as world-class office space and housing. In a modern urban environment much of this need is addressed by the construction of high-rise buildings to meet the growing demand for space by corporate and private customers.
At a recent event publicizing the future construction of the Diamond tower Project, Dr Sarath Amunugama, Minister of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion stated “ I congratulate you for building something really beautiful. Metropolises all around the world have taken the lead in building beautiful structures such as the Beijing Olympics stadium or the modernized Reichstag in Berlin. This trend has been followed in asia where innovative designs have flourished. Colombo will be a beautiful necklace”.
Colombo will be transformed from the current low-rise city it is today to a sprawling metropolis of multistoried buildings. Some of the buildings that fit the description of “skyscrapers” have already been constructed. They have already had a major impact on the Sri Lankan economy and contributed towards a societal and cultural change for those residing in the city.
Currently much of the development has taken place in the commercial part of the City, know as the Fort, and its neighbourhoods, but it is by no means restricted to that area.
The pioneer high-rise building is the World Trade Center (WTC), a BOI project of the Shin Kwang Group of Singapore, which is currently the tallest building in Colombo and whose 155 metre tall twin towers dominate the City’s skyline.
Lifestyle Changes
Skyscrapers such as the World Trade Center have changed the lifestyles of many of the residents of the City of Colombo.
The World Trade Center already houses many of the leading State and Private sector organizations in Sri Lanka. Within its twin towers are the offices of many of the leading banks, airline offices, shops, restaurants and very significantly, the Colombo stock exchange. Hence in addition to radically changing Colombo’s skyline back in the 1990s when it was completed, this high-rise complex introduced the concept of bringing major institutions within one building, a great benefit to the public.
The WTC is therefore a very attractive location to the leading state and private institutions that opted to locate their offices within the towers. The selling points were the convenient location, smart infrastructure and impressive setting with a panoramic view on the City of Colombo and the Indian Ocean.
Spurred by this success, the Shin Kwang Group has embarked on another ambitious project, the Havelock City. This major BOI project is an investment of US$ 250 million. Unlike the WTC, the Havelock City is a massive mixed development project, where space is allocated to housing, offices and commercial activities. Among the impressive features of the Havelock City will be 1,080 luxury apartments, a 300 room hotel, 200 serviced apartments, a shopping complex, and a number of major stores, swimming pools and international food courts.
In June 2008, the first two towers of the Havelock City project will be completed and will include stores, supermarkets and a hotel. Overseas Realty Ceylon PLC will manage the towers for 10 years after completion.
The investor, Mr. S.P Tao, who has always been upbeat about Sri Lanka as a destination for investment, stated on a recent visit to Colombo “ the Havelock City Project will spearhead Sri Lanka’s future role as the commercial crossroads of China, the Middle East and South Asia”.
A City Within a City
While in the past property developers saw skyscrapers as essentially commercial property and symbols of corporate power, the trend nowadays is towards mixed development. The chief architect for the Diamond Tower, a major BOI high-rise project, Mr. Carlos Ott said recently, “You must appreciate that it is a challenge to include so many amenities in a space of 59 stories. This building will be a city within a city”.
The Diamond Tower described as” Colombo’s tallest building”, represents an investment of US$ 150 million. Like other prestige projects promoted by the BOI, leading names in the industry are involved in this venture. Larsen & Touro Limited, India’s largest engineering conglomerate, promoted the project. In addition Accor, an international leader in serviced apartments will be managing the tower.
The keyword to sum up the project will be “luxury”. Within the 246 -metre tall tower consisting of 59 floors and 1.5 million square feet, will be many features that will be at the cutting edge of technology, setting a new standard in Colombo. These will include 177 luxury residential apartments on 19 floors, 6 penthouses and 128 serviced apartments on 8 floors, while 9 floors will be used for vehicle parking. Another feature will be an excellent restaurant offering a wide range of international cuisine and a world-class spa.
The project is also located in a very scenic setting, at Darley Road and with a full view of the Beira Lake.
Using Sri Lankan Skills
The construction of high-rise buildings has imparted a large quantum of know-how on the local construction industry. While in many instances the architects are foreign and the skills imported, there has been an increase in local inputs into the construction process.
This illustrated by the example of the 130 metre tall, 43 floor, Rs 10 billion Ceylinco Celestial Residencies and Hyatt Regency Hotel where a major project is handled entirely by Sri Lankan architects. When signing the agreement with the BOI in 2006, the Chairman of Ceylinco Consolidated Ltd, which is building this impressive tower, Deshamanya Dr Lalith Kotalawala, proudly said “Our intention is to encourage and develop local talent and thereby give an opportunity to many Sri Lankans to be associated with this project, as they have the knowledge, expertise and all it takes to match world class construction. This will also stimulate the economy as well as generate direct and indirect employment opportunities”.
The Hyatt Regency Colombo will be a 250-roomed extremely luxurious hotel and will benefit from the extensive expertise of the Hyatt chain. The facilities at the hotel will be meeting and fitness facilities, and a host of entertainments options for a discerning clientele. In addition the tower will have an infinity pool that blends with the sea, the largest ballroom in Sri Lanka, 9 cuisines on one floor and 198 concierge-serviced apartments.
Skyscrapers and Integrated Development
While most of the high-rise buildings will be built within the city limits of Colombo, in the future some skyscrapers may be built outside the Metropolis.
The first such example which is to be built in Battaramulla, will be the 245 metre tall NEB Tower which is scheduled to be completed in 2011. This is a BOI project that was signed in June 2007 of a total investment value of US$ 120 million. The investor, Mr Nagararaj S.Adiga, from India, has described the project as “a mixed development building that will include office space, commercial and residential sections and said that the 60-story building will have the most modern infrastructure facilities”.
More significantly, the tower is an integrated project that will have within its premises a station of the proposed Colombo Metro, another important BOI project undertaken by the same company. The light rail system will ease considerably congestion within the city of Colombo and its link to the NEB will greatly enhance the importance of Battaramulla, a fast developing suburb of Colombo.
Skyscrapers- The International Dimension
The developments in Colombo are in line with a global pattern, which has its origins at the end the 19th century, when the first buildings described as skyscrapers were completed. These developments were spurred by technological breakthr
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