For over a century, Galle Face has been Colombo’s prestigious ocean front green and the city’s ceremonial centre. Sitting majestically between the ocean, bustling metropolis and lake, this narrow, picturesque stretch of prime land is being transformed into a vibrant new cosmopolitan area.
Today, with luxury property after luxury property appearing in this central zone (epitomized by the gargantuan feat of engineering at Colombo Port City), Galle Face is set to become the beating heart of one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. Indeed, an ambitious city such as Colombo demands equally ambitious investment and development to truly set it apart on a global scale.
This ambition is about to be manifested by the installation of the remarkable AHASA ONE Sky Bridge. It is certainly the most distinctive and striking feature of the iconic Sapphire Residences and ITC One hotel complex, which dominates the centre of the Galle Face oceanfront and is destined to become a major landmark for the city.
Scheduled for completion in 2021, this iconic development comprises the impressive c.224-metre residential tower, which sits alongside the c.140-metre high hotel. These two vertical structures will be connected c.100 metres in the air at the 19th to 21st levels by the AHASA ONE Sky Bridge.
The first of its kind in South Asia, AHASA ONE will have not one but two infinity pools and a sun deck on top; inside the structure will be a luxurious jazz lounge and bar, which will surely become one of Colombo’s social ‘hotspots’. The dual-panoramic views from this awe-inspiring structure will be some of the most breathtaking in the city, revealing the Indian Ocean, Beira Lake and the city lights below in all their glory.
Inevitably such a unique design has presented some interesting and unique challenges. Suspended c.100 meters in the air and weighing a staggering c.3,000 tonnes when completed, this c.55-meter-long elevated pathway is unquestionably an engineering marvel, which demanded the world’s best minds to turn it into reality. As such, developers WelcomHotels Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd. sought the expertise and experience of world-leading construction company L&T.
“The Skybridge is one of the most unique structures that we have ever built, not least as it requires extensive full-scale load testing before final assembly on site,” explains L&T Sri Lanka Head Mr. Natarajan Namachivayam. “This is a unique challenge that, to our knowledge, has no precedent of this nature and complexity anywhere in the world. The balanced double infinity Skypools and the suspended Sky Lounge below the pool are features which are unique to this project,” he observes. “The AHASA ONE structure is the result of a 2-year long collaborative effort between the design, procurement, fabrication and erection teams. As far as construction is concerned, highly specialized synchronized lifting systems and fabrication methods, together with a unique ‘top down’ assembly process in the suspended condition, have been employed.”
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