Safdie Architects was recently selected to design a new mixed-use development in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The 69-storey mixed-use project will be the first for Moshe Safdie in Sri Lanka, and is expected to be the tallest residential building in Colombo when it is completed. The design includes expansive family and community space amenities such as community gardens, shared outdoor spaces within the upper levels of the building, and individual roof gardens or terraces for every residence, a hallmark of Safdie’s design philosophy to provide access to outdoor spaces in high density urban housing. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The 69-storey mixed-use development is in the city center and will face Beira Lake, with pedestrian accessible retail outlets at the ground level. The Colombo project draws on Safdie’s groundbreaking Habitat ’67 in Montreal. Since that time, Safdie Architects has continued to explore and build projects incorporating fractal-geometry surface patterns, dramatic stepping of the structure that results in a network of gardens open to the sky, and streets that interconnect and bridge community gardens in the air.
