ITC Hotels, Gensler Team Up To Build $400M Twin Luxe Residential Skyscrapers In Colombo, Sri Lanka
Five-star accommodation operator ITC Hotels is working in collaboration with world-renowned Gensler to build two skyscrapers in Colombo, Sri Lanka that will serve as a high-end hotel and a building to house luxury home units with built-in modern features. When completed, the twin towers will again highlight both of the island nation’s booming property market and its expanding economy.
The India-based ITC Hotels said construction activities are already underway and that project completion has been set in 2021. The entire development, which is estimated to cost $400 million, is ITC’s initial property venture in Sri Lanka.
Gunning for prestige on its first project in the Sri Lankan market, the Indian property developer picked the ocean front Galle Face as project site, which is located at the centre of Colombo. The chosen location will also afford a commanding view of the bay, and in some cases, select homeowners will enjoy a nearly uninterrupted view of the majestic Indian Ocean.
For this, much of the credit goes to U.S. architecture firm Gensler, which gained fame for breathing life to China’s highest structure to date – the Shanghai Tower.
According to The Urban Developer, ITC has also tapped the services of French designer Philippe Starck and London-based Yoo to work on the interiors of the premium residential units.
Starck is said to be putting together several design options for future homeowners, in which the chief goal is “to create a place that draws people together, that makes them laugh, make them more in love, more sparkling, more intelligent.”
Sapphire Residences & ITC One
The blueprint for the skyscrapers will see the construction of the ITC One Hotel that will stand at 140 metres and will count as among the company’s over a hundred hotels that mostly are found in India. The basic design for the 5-star ITC One is to complement the next-door residential building, developers said.
That particular structure will be called the Sapphire Residences that ITC Hotels is packaging as “the ideal location for a family to transition from villa living to vertical living.”
It is envisioned that both the ITC One and Sapphire Residences will become the “new icon for the country on this ultra-prime Colombo coastline that would be recognisable across the globe.”
Indeed, the Sapphire Residences is anticipated to turn out as an imposing landmark in Colombo. The building will tower to a high of 224 metres and will comprise of 132 apartments and penthouses – all boasting of luxurious features and amenities plus modern home functionalities.
Per the media release furnished by ITC Hotels: “Each apartment will be pre-wired to a state of the art Home Automation System via voice recognition.”
There will be a sky bridge that will connect the twin towers, stretching at 54 metres and to be found between the 19th and 21st floors, which will also double as the amusement centre for guests and residents. A bar and lounge will be built on the lower level of the bridge and on top will be swimming pools and sun decks.
And for optimal convenience, the Sapphire Residence will be ready to accommodate a chopper anytime on top of the residential building.
ITC Hotels said the ongoing development will “set new standards in Sri Lanka, in both the residential and hospitality markets… (and) represents a very significant long-term commitment by ITC in the future of Sri Lanka.”
