‘Responsible Luxury’ at the heart of ITC One Colombo development

As the world marks World Environment Day 2022 on 5 June, the $ 400 million worth ITC One Colombo development will stand tall in Sri Lanka as a groundbreaking project for adoption of sustainable practices. 

Indian conglomerate ITC Ltd. applies a sustainability-centric approach in all its business operations, with particular emphasis on carbon reduction. As a global leader in sustainability, ITC is the only enterprise in the world of comparable dimensions to be carbon-positive, water-positive and solid-waste-recycling-positive for over a decade.

The hospitality business of ITC Ltd., ITC Hotels with more than 100 properties across 70 destinations is not just one of India’s leading luxury hotel chains but also India’s largest hotel chain that is committed to sustainability, safety and hygiene in ways that have laid benchmarks for the industry. Today, ITC Hotels is the largest hotel chain in the world with the maximum number of LEED Platinum Certified Properties and a global exemplar in sustainability with its guiding premise – ‘Responsible Luxury’, already a Harvard case study. 

Starting at the design stage, every ITC hotel adheres to the highest global and national green building standards to ensure that energy, water, and solid waste efficiencies are maximised. All ITC Hotels super-premium luxury properties in India are LEED Platinum rated, thereby making it the greenest luxury hotel chain in the world. Over 50% of its total electrical energy demand is met through renewable energy sources, while 100% of waste water is either treated or re-cycled, thereby achieving over 50% reduction in water consumption over the past few years. Other significant achievements for ITC Hotels include few of its luxury properties achieving LEED Zero Carbon Certification by USGBC and DNV Platinum certification (under its My Care Infection risk management program) for WeAssure – its health, safety and infection control program. 

It is unsurprising therefore that Responsible Luxury is the core DNA of the landmark ITC One Colombo development located at Colombo’s prime Galle Face oceanfront. This project is the first development in Sri Lanka by WelcomHotels Lanka Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd. and comprises of the majestic 50-storey Sapphire Residences tower and the adjacent 30-storey-high ITC hotel connected by the spectacular Ahasa One Sky Bridge at the 19th to 21st level. The quest for adopting sustainable practices started with adoption of the first of its kind in Sri Lanka diaphragm wall construction which ensures minimum disturbance to the existing ground water, while also providing a higher level of water tightness for its four basements which can house approximately 1,000 cars. Other energy efficient and superior design features in the state-of-the-art development include dedicated sewage treatment and water treatment plants, 100% recycling of water, energy efficient chiller system, state of the art energy efficient hydro-pneumatic pumping system, energy efficient independent Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV) system, energy recovery ventilation system, etc.

The Sapphire Residences has already achieved the prestigious LEED BD+C pre-certification (Core & Shell Development) at the highest platinum level, ensuring the lowest environmental impact of any building of this scale. Like the residences, the adjacent ITC hotel is also designed to maximise energy, water and waste treatment efficiencies. 

WelcomHotels Lanka Ltd. Managing Director Subi George said: “The ITC One Colombo project represents a pioneering environmentally efficient development that is committed to delivering the best of luxury in a responsible manner.”