At the Beira Lake Shore
Boston-based practice Safdie Architects has been selected to design a luxury residential tower in Sri Lanka. To be developed by Indocean Developers Private Ltd. on a two-acre parcel of land opposite Beira Lake in Colombo, the 88-storey residential building will be the tallest structure in Colombo and Safdie’s first project in Sri Lanka. Retail and entertainment uses are planned for the ground level. Speaking to the media at an event marking the announcement of the architect’s selection, Moshe Safdie described the project as “a landmark high density urban housing. It’s in a beautiful location and there is a lot of outdoor life at the ground level that the building will lend itself to. What we wanted to do was first of all take advantage of the orientation and the views and have apartments with roof terraces open to the sky”. The building consists of one leaning tower that is supported by and connected to a vertical tower. Being by the sea and in a tropical country, Safdie said the building would provide a lot of cross ventilation. Construction is expected to begin in 2012 with completion slated for 2017.
Safdie Architects