Sri Lankan Property Developers to meet global standards

By Hiruni Dabarera

PropertyGuru Asia Awards announced a domestic edition – a first of its kind, to be held in Sri Lanka in a bid to encourage local property dealers to reach global standards. 

Within the recent years (the post war era) Sri Lanka has experienced an increase in interest from foreign investors owing to the Government’s efforts of developing land in key locations. 

Moreover, Paramount Realty CEO and Judging Panel Chairman Nirmal De Silva expressed, “I am impressed with the designs put in by local developers and we are reaching world class standards in real-estate.” He elaborated how there had been immense development in terms of creativity and competency. Sri Lanka is quite known for its unique design identity and the recent projects aptly demonstrate this in their development.

Thus, the organisers believe that by holding a local awards edition the developers will be able to exemplify their creativity and world-class standards. It will also give them the opportunity to benchmark themselves with the best in Asia. It will benefit the entire industry by encouraging them to pursue for global excellence from an overall perspective.  PropertyGuru is Asia’s foremost online property company which was voted ‘Asia’s Most influential Brand for Online Property Search’ in 2016. Their Awards is the most recognised property event within the region. Since its establishment in 2005 in Thailand, the Awards acknowledge and reward extraordinary achievements of developers by an independent panel of industry experts and trusted supervisors. The Awards boast of a credible, fair and transparent history.  These efforts mark the second time that Sri Lankan property developers are participating for the PropertyGuru Asia Awards. However, this year they are hoping to hold a Sri Lankan edition on 12 July at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. Finalists chosen from this will be sent in representation of Sri Lanka to the Grand Finals held in Singapore on 8 November 2018. Sri Lankan developers will be competing against competitors from over 17 markets within the Asian region. Over the last nine years the Awards have hosted nine domestic gala ceremonies in eight countries. This year the Awards have expanded to included competitors from new markets like Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, Laos, India, Maldives and South Korea. Nominations are now open until 11 May for all eligible entries. Categories of entry are Developer, Development and Design. The shortlisted developers will be revealed in the first week of June. 

The Sri Lankan Gala Dinner will also present special awards in corporate social responsibility and sustainable development to deserving companies.