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February2014Colombo, 11th February 2014: Construction giant Shapoorji Pallonji, the US$3 billion construction company whose contributions to the skylines of planet earth include India’s tallest residential towers
— the Imperial of Mumbai –and several skyscrapers of Dubai, has been appointed the main
contractor for Sri Lanka’s Altair residential twin tower in Colombo.
The contract awarded to Shapoorji Pallonji International operating out of Dubai, covers construction of the foundations, superstructure and civil works and overseeing finishes for the unique diagrid- supported towers of Altair;a 63-storied tower leaning into a 240 metre, 68-storied vertical tower that will be the centrepiece of South Asia’s first promenade development, on the lake front of the Beira.
Construction of the 400 luxury apartment development designed by the international celebrity architect Moshe Safdie is to be completed in 2017.
Announcing the award of the construction contract to Shapoorji Pallonji, Altair President Sales & Marketing Pradeep Moraes said the choice of a company with a 149-year lineage in construction is in keeping with its promoter’s philosophy of bringing together industry leaders in every sphere required for the challenging build of a breath-taking development whose unique design and distinctive structure will firmly place Sri Lanka on the architectural map of the world.
“In terms of building truly iconic high rise structures that redefine concepts of architectural design and push the boundaries of shape, there is probably no match for Shapoorji Pallonji,” Altair Director Jugal Khetawat concurred. “In the Middle East and India in particular, numerous buildings that endure in memory for their aesthetic brilliance have been built by Shapoorji Pallonji.”
Among the many architectural landmarks built by the company are the Park Towers Dubai, the Palace of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said of Oman, The Taj Intercontinental Hotel Mumbai and the Hilton Riyadh. At 68 stories, Altair will be one of the tallest residential towers in South Asia, equalling the Imperial Towers of Mumbai, which were also built by Shapoorji Pallonji, Mr Khetawat said.
The appointment of Shapoorji Pallonji as main contractor also brings significant synergistic benefits, he disclosed. The owners of Shapoorji Pallonji are the single biggest stakeholders in the Tata Group.
Altair Director Pradeep Sureka added: “In structural terms and in design, Altair will be unique. In Shapoorji Pallonji we have a construction giant with time-tested credentials and creative construction in its DNA.”
In the choice of main contractor, one of the principal considerations was the builder’s ability not only to execute the architect’s design, but to meet the extremely high expectations of the owner and promoter of the development in all aspects, and to deliver all stages contracted to schedule, Mr Sureka said.
Speaking on behalf of Shapoorji Pallonji International, M.D.Saini, the company’s Managing Director
& CEO said: “We are delighted to be awarded the construction of what promises to be another architectural icon, and look forward to partnering a reputed Group such as South City, the promoter of Altair. Building a design of Moshe Safdie, the architect responsible for Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, is an exciting challenge and one that our team is eager to grapple with.”
A Mumbai based business conglomerate with interests in construction, real estate, textiles, engineering goods, home appliances, shipping, publications, power and biotechnology, the Shapoorji Pallonji Group is regarded one of India’s most valuable private enterprises. The Group has an engineering and construction pedigree spanning 149years and a project portfolio covering multi- asset class developments in India, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait Libya, Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, and Sri Lanka. Shapoorji Pallonji Engineering & Construction has 12 global offices, 16,000 staff, 2,500 engineers and more than 200,000 technicians and labourers.
All Piling work for the Altair development at Sir James Peiris Mawatha, Colombo 2 has been completed and Shoring, entrusted to Sincon International of Singapore, is nearing completion. Among the other leading contractors involved in the project are Derby Design, the Structural Design
Consultants for the famed Dubai Mall – the largest shopping Mall in the World, the 83-storey Ocean Heights Dubai, the National Library and Drama Centre Singapore and the Manila Airport among others; Barker Mohandas – USA, the Vertical Transport specialists whose projects include Visionnaire New York, AlRiyadh Tower Saudi Arabia and Shenyang IFC China; andRWDI Wind Analysis Consultants whose work includesBurj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building, Petronas Towers, Freedom Tower New York at the WTC location and the London Millennium Bridge.