Forty-storey commercial tower for Battaramulla

Construction work will commence soon on the landmark 40-storey commercial tower in Battaramulla.

The US $ 110 million tower will house the UDA offices and several Government offices.

The project will be completed in two phases. The new tower, which is part of a much larger project, will alter the skyline of the city of Colombo, a BOI media release said.

The building plan for the tower has been already submitted.

Y. Kiran, the investor of the project said that the Government will have world-class offices within six months in a single building and would be the envy of many other countries.

In the longer term the investor will build the 70-storey-high tower, which will be a mixed development building. The investment on this building will be US$ 190 million.

The total value of the landmark-building project will be US $ 300 million, the release said.

When the second tower is completed, it will be the tallest building in Sri Lanka. This mixed development project dedicated to commercial and office space, is a Private Public Partnership project that involves the participation of the Government and private interests.

In addition, the building will be a major transport hub of Greater Colombo being the starting point of the Colombo Metro. This is in line with the trend of integrating skyscrapers to other facilities.

Kiran said that he felt very comfortable working in Sri Lanka and commended the BOI and the UDA for facilitating the project.

Since many Government offices will be housed in the building, this will make it easy for the public to attend to different matters with Government bodies. It will also reduce traffic congestion into the city of Colombo, as the public will be able to attend to their matters in Battaramulla, which would be an important centre of administration.

The project reflects the growing confidence of the investor community for Sri Lanka since the end of the decades-long conflict.