WTC Colombo a true green building

Monday, 12 May 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The iconic World Trade Center, Colombo (WTC) is now a ‘True high performance green’ building as it was bestowed with the Gold Certification of Green Rating System from Green Building Council of Sri Lanka (GBCSL). Another momentous achievement was WTC being the first to receive the Green Certification under ‘Existing Building’ category.

Organised by the GBCSL, the Green Building Awards 2013 was recently held at BMICH with the awards presented by Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa. The Senior Manager of the Facilities management team of Overseas Realty, Indradeva Mendis, a Green Professional, received an award for his commitment in transforming the twin towers to a green building. The immense initiatives taken by Overseas Realty (Ceylon) PLC (ORCL), the owner, developer and manager of the WTC in water and energy conservation and sustainable operational initiatives over the last few years earned the building the prestigious title. The building was assessed under seven categories reviewed by the GBCSL assessment team and then recommended by the Board of Directors of GBCSL to award appropriate level of rating. As a round the clock operation with nearly 250 tenants and 14,000 footfalls on a daily basis, the WTC strives to manage the building in the most environmentally friendly manner. The 39-level twin towers are fitted with energy efficient lighting and controls which aids in the reduction in light pollution. To optimise energy performance, the company incorporated new energy efficient chillers at an investment exceeding Rs. 100 million in 2013. A rainwater harvesting system is in place to collect rainwater of roof and facades, which in turn is used for air conditioning systems and landscaping of the building. WTC is the only high rise commercial building to implement this innovative system.

To further conserve water usage, reduced cistern tank capacities, self-closing pillar faucets are amongst the many features used. As the only intelligent building in Sri Lanka, the fully integrated state-of-the-art Building Management System (BMS) was upgraded to be fully automated for minimum energy consumption. The Elevators at the WTC are equipped with computerised Elevator Management System (EMS), which too was a first in Sri Lanka. The elevators are designed to generate power during every downward movement. “We are committed to best practices in conserving the environment and have embraced sustainability in our corporate values and energy policy,” said Overseas Realty Group Director/ CEO Pravir Samarasinghe. “I am proud of what we have achieved and applaud the efforts of our award winning Facilities Management Team for their dedication in making the WTC a Green Building,” he continued. The WTC has been recognised asthe most energy efficient commercial buildings in Sri Lanka on numerous occasions winning many coveted awards. Just last yearWTC,received the highest accolade as the Most Energy Efficient Building under Large Scale Commercial Building Sector at the Sri Lanka National Energy Efficiency Awards. In 2010 the company won the Gold Flame Award, conferred by the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority, in 1998 the Most Energy Efficient Hotel and Building Sector Installation conferred by the Ceylon Electricity Board.