Client The British Council
Location Colombo, Sri Lanka
Status Built
Completion 2016
Awards
2018 British Expertise International Awards - Finalist
Having worked with the British Council on numerous projects over 20 years and with direct experience of working in Sri Lanka, we were uniquely placed to deliver their vision for the project.
The works consisted of both extending the headquarters and refurbishing and modernising a historic colonial villa. The extension houses a library, multipurpose hall and customer services facility. In collaboration with local architects Design Forum, the design provides a well-structured cohesive facility for staff and the 1,000 visitors who use the headquarters in Colombo each day.
The strong climatic character in Colombo was a major design driver. We reinterpreted indigenous architectural responses to climate and developed a design that responded to sunlight, ventilation and the control of rainwater. The approach generated an imaginative piece of architecture, both functional and sensitive to its location, using building forms and construction techniques appropriate to the region.
