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“Cities must have iconic buildings and structures; this is key to a city’s uniqueness and character,” says Mohandas Saini, Managing Director and CEO of Shapoorji Pallonji International. Akin to how Manhattan is defined by the Empire State Building, Kuala Lumpur by the Petronas Towers and Dubai by the Burj Khalifa. Saini made these remarks on one of his periodic visits to Colombo to review Altair’s progress, scheduled to complete in end-2019.
S & P CEO Mohandas Saini
Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd., regarded as one of India’s most valuable private companies with a legacy spanning over 150 years, is no stranger to such iconic construction projects. The company was the main contractor of the tallest residential development in India, the 60-story ‘Imperial Towers’ in Toledo Mumbai, completed in 2010. Other iconic projects by global construction giant include the palace of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said of Oman, Park Towers Dubai, Taj International Hotel Mumbai and the Hilton Riyadh.
Altair, adjudged the best condo in Asia for architectural design at the 2018 Asia Property Awards, was designed by Moshe Safdie, a pre-eminent architect of our time. Safdie’s works can be found across the globe and have become revered regional and national landmarks, including Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, Jerusalem; Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City; United States Institute of Peace Headquarters, Washington DC; and Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, Singapore.
The unique design of Altair incorporates a 63-story inclined tower connected to the 69-story vertical tower via a strong outrigger at the 39th level. At the height of 240m, the vertical tower is now the tallest residential building in Sri Lanka
The inclined tower utilises structural steel diagonal grids on the exterior of the building giving a permeable surface for expansive floor to ceiling windows as well as acting as a load bearing membrane, minimising the use of interior columns. According to Mohandas Saini, these unique design features led to a particularly complex project from a construction standpoint due to the high degree of precision work required to maintain uniformity that cannot be achieved through traditional fast-tracked methodologies that are commonplace now in high-rise construction in Sri Lanka. Despite the challenges, the superstructure construction work was carried out at a commendable speed with ‘one floor added almost every week’, notes the CEO.
Commenting on the outcome of the superstructure works Saini remarks, “The entire weight distribution was so well engineered, and the workmanship is of such good quality that the level of deviation from original specifications were substantially lower than allowable structural engineering tolerances.”
Structural engineers to this project have been Dubai based Predag Eror of Derby Design, and well known Sri Lankan structural engineer, Deepal Wickremesinghe. Structural elements of the building were independently verified by the University of Moratuwa.
The CEO also says that Shapoorji Pallonji has earned their global reputation not only for their expertise in construction, but for their enduring commitment for the projects they undertake. “We believe in long-term value-added relationships with all stakeholders, often investing our own money in projects we undertake, as we have done so in Altair.” The main shareholder of this $ 250 million project is Kolkata based South City Group, a consortium of firms which has collectively delivered over 150 real estate projects consisting of more than 15 million square feet.
Along with Altair, Shapoorji Pallonji is involved in four other projects in Sri Lanka, including an office building and a water supply project. The CEO remarked that his company is considering engaging in a public-private partnership with the Government with regards to another key project and are open for further investment opportunities in the country.
Speaking of his experience of working in Sri Lanka, Saini says that local engineers have excellent skills and expertise. However, the company had to resort to employing a large foreign workforce due to the shortage of skilled labourers and specialised technicians in the domestic market.
Altair, the property development that is transforming the Colombo 2 neighbourhood with its iconic twin-tower high-rise, has responded to the request of a leading Buddhist prelate to build a Hindu shrine at the intersection of Union Place and Sir James Peiris Mawatha at Kompanña Veediya as a service to the community.
The request, from the Ven. Galboda Gnanissara Thera, Chief Incumbent of Gangaramaya Temple, the monastic leader of Colombo Nawakorala, was to make the busy intersection which already has a Buddhist temple, a Catholic church and a mosque in close proximity to it, a symbol of inter-religious amity with the addition of a shrine at which Hindu devotees may venerate. The 20-foot high shrine dedicated to Lord Ganesh was consecrated recently at a ceremony attended by Ven. Galboda Gnanissara Thera, Ven. Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thera, Shivasri Baskara Kurukkal of the Sri Muthu Vinayagar Swami Kovil, Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister D. M. Swaminathan and the board of Altair led by Joint Chairman R.S. Goenka.
The shrine was constructed on the lines of typical Indian Hindu architecture on a portion of land belonging to the Gangaramaya temple.
Taken form Daily Mirror
Extracted from The Daily Mirror
Sri Lanka’s showpiece high-rise project Altair has broken new ground in the local property development market by installing a 24-hour live stream from construction site, enabling anyone to monitor progress.
A new dimension in transparency, the live feed can be accessed via the Altair website www.altair.lk from anywhere in the world. It provides a real-time view of construction work from five different angles, with the views switching every 12 seconds.
“Approximately 45 percent of our customers are overseas buyers,” Altair Director Pradeep Moraes said. “This first-of-its-kind facility enables them to watch the building rise and take shape whenever they want to. It’s a simple and convenient way to track its progress.”
“Because of the iconic stature of the project and its unique architecture, there is also a great deal of public interest in the building, which is why we have made the live feed accessible to anyone who visits our website,” Moraes added.
By end-May, the twin towers of Altair had risen to the 16th level. On completion in 2017, the building will comprise of a 63-storey ‘leaning’ tower and a taller 68-storey vertical tower, with 400 luxury apartments that offer spectacular views of the Beira Lake, the Indian Ocean and the city of Colombo. The building is designed by the legendary global architect Moshe Safdie.
Visitors to the Altair website can go also follow the rise of the building over the past one year through a series of still images that depict monthly progress by clicking on the ‘News’ tab and selecting ‘Development Progress.’
Designed to be a game changer in contemporary living in Sri Lanka, Altair will bring a new dimension in aesthetics to Colombo’s skyline. It is intended to be a one-of-its-kind development in South Asia in terms of architectural design, structural engineering and living experience. The development’s 1.5 million square feet of high-end eco-friendly living space will be supported by 40,000 square feet of supportive up-market retail space.
The next iconic luxury apartment, rising from grounds on schedule. To be the next landmark which will be offering unique residential apartments in Colombo.
See the development progress images.
Experience views from the upcoming iconic landmark of Colombo, Altair.
Comprising of two tower blocks, one of which leans on to the other, Altair will rise to 68 stories, offering its 410 apartments spectacular views of the Beira Lake and the Indian Ocean. The building has been designed by the globally recognized celebrity architect Moshe Safdie. Besides its 1.5 million square feet of high-end eco-friendly living space, the development will also offer 40,000 square feet of up-market retail space
Altair, Colombo’s distinctive t win-tower residential high-rise development was among t he most attention-grabbing exhibits at the 2015 International Property Show i n Dubai, at which 94 of the world’s leading property developers from 30 countries showcased their projects. Carrying out promotions to Invest in Properties in Sri Lanka.
Visitors to the stall of Downtown International Real Estate, the agent for Altair in Dubai, were fascinated by the architecturally unique vertical and leaning towers of the development, designed by the globally renowned architect Moshe Safdie, Altair promoter Indocean Developers said.
The scale model of Altair so stood out among the many eye-catching high-rises on display t hat t he Gulf News used a photograph of it in the newspaper’s coverage of the property show, providing readers in the UAE a visual of the iconic development scheduled for completion in 2017.
“The response to Altair in Dubai was most encouraging,” said Pradeep Moraes, Director of Indocean Developers. “This is particularly noteworthy because Dubai is considered the high rise capital of the world, as the emirate is home to 24 of the 100 tallest buildings on the planet.”
Held annually in Dubai for international and local companies involved in the sale and promotion of real estate to individual and institutional investors, the International Property Show is accredited by the Dubai Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA). It is the leading property sales event in Dubai accessible to both consumers and business professionals and offers a perfect platform for international and local real estate markets t o showcase their residential, commercial and mixed-use projects and to conduct serious transactional business.
Projected to be a game changer in contemporary living in Sri Lanka, Altair will bring a new dimension in aesthetics to Colombo’s skyline. It is intended to be a one-of-its-kind development in South Asia in terms of architectural design, structural engineering, and living experience. Comprising of two tower blocks, one of 63 storeys which leans in to a taller, 68-storey tower, Altair will offer its 400 apartments spectacular views of the Beira Lake, the Indian Ocean and the city of Colombo. The development’s 1.5 million square feet of high-end ecofriendly living space will be supported by 40,000 square feet of supportive up-market retail space.
Altair, the architecturally-unique, 400-apartment twin-tower high-rise condominium at Sir James Peiris Mawatha, Colombo 2, opened its ‘Show Apartments’ at the site recently, with a simple religious ceremony attended by the Directors of the promoting company Indocean Developers and representatives of contracted companies and business partners.
Designed by the globally-recognised celebrity architect Moshe Safdie, Altair comprises of two tower blocks, one of which leans in to the other.
The taller of the two towers will rise to 68 stories and both towers will offer residents spectacular views of the Beira Lake, the Indian Ocean, the city of Colombo or a silhouette of the central hills.
This luxury residential project is scheduled for completion in 2017.
Altair, the architecturally-unique, 400-apartment twin-tower high-rise condominium at Sir James Peiris Mawatha, Colombo 2, opened its ‘Show Apartments’ at the site at the beginning of August.
To celebrate this iconic event Altair hosted a cocktail party inviting Colombo’s elite over the course of 4-days to display the Show apartments in all its glory.
Designed by the globally-recognised celebrity architect Moshe Safdie, Altair comprises of two tower blocks, one of which leans in to the other.The taller of the two towers will rise to 68 stories and both towers will offer residents spectacular views of the Beira Lake, the Indian Ocean, the city of Colombo or a silhouette of the central hills.This luxury residential project is scheduled for completion in 2017, one if its kind luxury condominiums in Colombo.