Financial Times

Colombo - a concrete jungle by 2010?
By Iromi Perera
The concept of high-rise buildings is becoming a fast growing phenomenon in Colombo with hundreds of condominiums rapidly changing Colombo's skyline. There is a great need to economise on space and therefore, high-rises have become the convenient solution. Luxury apartments have become a booming business in Sri Lanka with condominiums coming up rapidly and making great changes in the Colombo skyline.

Most luxury apartments are rented for a sum of Rs 150,000 and above per month and most of the high-rises that are being built or have got approval for building have already sold out the majority of the apartments.

"There are currently around 200 condominiums in Colombo now and I feel the city will be a complete jungle by 2010," declared Abdul Kalam, Chairman of the Condominium Management Authority (CMA). Kalam believes that the infrastructure of the city will be affected on the long run if authorities and developers are not cautious when approving and building high-rises. He added that issues like privacy and structural stability would arise if the high-rises weren't properly executed.

Parking is another major issue that affects residents and motorists alike. Many apartments have come up rapidly in the past few years causing heavy traffic congestion and parking problems. Kalam says that this is an area that developers must look into carefully and provide parking along with the amenities.

Nirmala Herath, Director, City Planning of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) said that there is a great demand for condominiums, especially in the Colombo South area. The trend of high-rise buildings began somewhere in the 1970s and it has been a rapidly growing trend, especially in the Colombo South region.

The scarcity of land and the great demand for space has prompted this rapid growth. The CMC had approved 32 apartment buildings in 2002, three of which being ten floors and above, 97 in 2003 with eight being ten floors and above, 95 in 2004 - 15 being ten floors and above.

The tallest building in Sri Lanka, Celestial Residencies, is to be constructed on Galle Road, Colombo 3, by Ceylinco Homes International (CLI). These new luxury apartments will be 43 floors, with three basements.

Another new project is the Empire Luxury Housing Project, which is being built on the site of the old Empire Theatre, and is to be 37 stories with a mini theatre included. Structural stability is a question that arises regarding high-rise buildings. According to Herath, this is a sector that needs to be properly looked into and developed.

Plans are being made in order to strengthen the regulations that already exist regarding structural stability. Currently, authorization is not given for a high-rise unless a structural engineer issues a certificate. Certificates from the Water Board, Electricity Board and other relevant authorities are also needed for the CMC to grant approval for high-rises.

Herath said that despite clearance, residents living in the vicinity of these buildings do experience problems with the water flow and electricity at times. She added that with the Board Of Investment (BOI) and the government encouraging investors to come and invest in luxury apartments it was difficult to put a stop to a construction that has already got authorization even if the CMC wanted.

This was an issue that needed to be addressed as soon as possible as many complaints are being made by residents living in the vicinity of high rises. The CMA was set up entirely for this purpose and it has been educating prospective buyers on condominium laws.

According to Surath Wickramesinghe, President of the Sri Lanka Chamber of Construction Industry, there is no proper consideration given when approving sites for high-rise buildings. Most of the high rises that exist are by the main roads. This causes a great deal of traffic congestion. Therefore, authorities should not approve construction sites without taking all these facts into consideration. He added that the Colombo city infrastructure needed to be strengthened in order for the buildings to function properly and also to cope with usage.

The Urban Development Authority (UDA) and the CMC have set out rules and regulations that companies and individuals need to comply with when building high-rises. The UDA and CMC determine how high a building can go up to by taking into account the frontage and scarcity of the land, the width of the access road, site extent and the zoning. According to the UDA, a building with 13 floors and above is classified as high-rise.

The need to form a cluster with officials from the UDA, CMC, CMA, traffic police, and Central Environmental Authority is voiced by many officials as they can work together when authorizing high-rises. The advantages of high-rises are that many things can be provided with a certain amount of space.

A classic present day example is luxury apartment buildings, where car parks, super markets, gym and sports facilities and many other amenities are provided along with the apartments.

Colombo's tallest building
Celestial Residencies, which will be built by Ceylinco Homes International, will consist of 176 apartments, a 248-room hotel and the largest ballroom in Sri Lanka. The investment on this project is more than Rs 9 billion and the company hopes to start building in April 2005.

The cost per square foot is Rs 18,000 - 20,000 and the apartments come in different sizes of 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 and 4,000 square feet. The apartments will be managed by Ceylinco and the hotel by an international hotel chain. According to Padmini Karunanayake, Chief Executive Director of Ceylinco Homes International, all the apartments except for 30, which are being retained by the company, have already been reserved and sold even though construction will start only in April 2005.

Trillium Residencies, to be built and managed by Ceylinco Condominiums Limited, will be built before Celestial Residencies and consist of 300 apartments. The majority of apartments has already been reserved.

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