The Norwegian Embassy in Colombo has officially moved into our new premises from 5th July 2021.

The day started with a traditional oil lamp ceremony, where some Embassy staff and representatives of the building owners and management participated.

You can now find us at the 5th floor of the M2M building, located at No. 34, W A D Ramanayake Mawatha, Colombo 2. Please note that we still require a prior appointment for any consular matter.

You can still reach us at our regular phone and fax numbers, but please be mindful that we are in a transition period. You can always e-mail us at emb.colombo@mfa.no or consular.colombo@mfa.no

M2M Management and staff warmly welcome HE Akira Sugiyama, the Diplomatic staff and local staff of Embassy of Japan to M2M Veranda Offices. We wish them all the very best.

The Norwegian Embassy recently signed up with Moot Manor (Pvt.) Ltd., becoming the first occupants of the soon to be completed M2M Veranda Offices in Colombo 02.

The ambassador and the first secretary of the Norwegian Embassy visited the site of M2M Veranda Offices, located at the intersection of W.A.D. Ramanayake Mawatha and Hunupitiya Road, connected by a walk-way to the vibrant Park Street Mews in Colombo 02.

The embassy plans to start the process of fitting out the premises from August 1, 2019. The process of finding project managers, building contractors and material suppliers is set to begin soon.

When interviewed, as to why they located the Embassy in M2M and in this part of Colombo, the senior advisor at the Section for Property Management at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “It was the desire of Norway to seek intimacy rather than anonymity. M2M Veranda Offices has just four office floors albeit rather large ones. This appealed to us rather than any tall multistoreyed building.”

They were also attracted by the reputation of the design consultant MVRDV of Netherlands. MVRDV was responsible for designing the now famous and iconic Bar Code district and an international bank headquarters in Oslo among other remarkable projects worldwide.

In addition they were attracted by the qualities endowed on M2M by the MVRDV design of having plentiful natural light, high ceilings, a surfeit of parking and an extraordinary break out space of a sculpture garden rooftop.

Being just a walk away from Park Street Mews or the Colombo City Centre for meals was an added plus.

Finally, the official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed wonderment that the terms of the lease, called on the tenants to “celebrate what united humanity and disregard what divided humanity as well to smile and be happy every day.”

He said that he had never in his working life encountered similar terms in a commercial lease but that he, both individually and on behalf of the Ministry endorsed every word of those two injunctions.

Sri Lanka’s stunning The Veranda Offices, an innovative Colombo 2 mixed use office space that stands out with its eye-catching gridded façade based on local weaving patterns, is currently nearing completion. This one-of-a-kind project is spearheaded by Moot Manor Ltd (M2M), with office space currently on display to prospective tenants, the company said in a media release.

Rising up eight floors, this 12,000-square-metre building, which was conceived by globally lauded design studio MVRDV, offers an eclectic mix of office spaces combined with a cafe and an events pavilion, all of which is just a stone’s throw away from entertainment and cultural hub Park Street Mews – Colombo’s fabled “street of vogue.”

Stepped terraces interlocked with glazing create a woven pattern on the exterior that MVRDV intends to mimic the patterns of fabric produced by weavers in Sri Lanka. These together with open verandas and large glass panoramic windows, wrap around the building allowing for office divisions where inner separated walls do not disrupt the overall façade identity. An uniquely, immaculately landscaped ground level also features another innovation; a public plaza with an iconic piece “Murmuration” by Jeremy Guy.

“Designed to be as flexible as possible, the office floors can be rented as small units or entire floors with each floor having its own panoramic veranda. The Ground level accommodates a cafeteria or small restaurant while the seventh floor Rooftop is a social connector space for events and gatherings as well as home to a sculpture garden featuring artists such as Ron Baird, past exhibitor at the Venice Biennale and Jeremy Guy, Derya Ozparlak, Viktor Matic and Phillipe Pallafray,” the release said.

“The M2M Veranda Offices is designed by Rotterdam-based MVRDV with local support from ACS Integrated and PWA Architects with Uditha Makevita acting as architectural consultant for the owners. NCD provided the structural engineering, with Ramboll/Grune on SMEP. Project management is by Ascentis Lanka. Also contributing is Access Projects, for the core and shell, and San Piling. The project is scheduled to be open for occupation in November 2019,” it said.

For information, please email us at sabrina@m2m.lk

Source:
The Veranda Offices starts weaving creative magic in Colombo 2 (2019, June 16), The Sunday Times.
Retrieved from http://www.sundaytimes.lk

Nathalie de Vries, Co-founder of the leading architecture practice MVRDV was in Colombo and graciously delivered a lecture to the students of architecture of the City School of Architecture, the University of Moratuwa as well the alumni of both schools and other professionals. The lecture was well attended by distinguished guests, the ambassador of the Kingdom to Netherlands, President SLIA DH Wijewardene. Nathalie spoke of the award winning work of MVRDV, it's impact on the City and their progressive ideas of working with facades that respond to the climate. She gave a detailed description of her design approach to MVRDV's first project in Colombo. A forward thinking office building commissioned by Rashid Moosajee. The office building is projected to be completed by 2019. The event was organized by ForumCSA the alumni association of the City School of Architecture and was sponsored by Photonics, lighting specialists and Darum, elevators & car lift systems.

Nathalie De Vries, one of the founding partners of the global architectural and urban planning practice MVRDV of The Netherlands, arrived in Colombo to view the progress of the firm’s first project in Sri Lanka, M2M. Veranda Offices was developed in collaboration with local co-architects, ACS Integrated and PWA Architects for client Moot Manor Ltd. with a completion date set for June 2019.

Colombo, like many other South-Asian cities, is moving towards developing into a future as a high dense Metropole, with multiple large-scale offices and residential towers. Veranda Offices continues this current trend but it is also forward-looking, conscious of its architectural context, and will be a model for future development in the city. “Veranda Offices reflects Colombo’s contrasting nature as a city of old and new that is also both busy and vibrant,” says MVRDV Co-founder Nathalie de Vries. “Our design approach is ecological, cultural sensitive to the location and its future users by offering them attractive, light filled offices with a lively commercial plinth.”

The building is a 12,000m2, eight storeys high, mixed-use office block offering some commercial activities in an activated plinth. Its ground level is landscaped and embedded to create a pedestrian link leading to lively neighbouring Park Street Mews which offers business, event and entertainment spaces. The façade design is inspired by local Sri Lankan weaving patterns. These together with open verandas and large glass panoramic windows, wrap around the building mimicking weaving techniques, but also allows for office divisions where inner separated walls do not disrupt the overall façade identity.

The office floors are designed to be as flexible as possible with options to rent small units or an entire floor, with each floor having its own panoramic veranda. Located on the ground level, along with the main junction, there is space to accommodate a cafeteria or small restaurant. In contrast, on the seventh floor, there is a rooftop with a sculpture garden and shaded pavilions for events, gatherings or more flexible uses. The drop-off and lift lobby are integrated within the building envelope and two parking levels above ground have a lush open planter façade. This allocation of uses allows the public realm to be uninterrupted for pedestrians. The fenestration has a large setback to minimalise the radiation caused by direct sunlight, whilst verandas are shaded and protected using folding shutters to prevent from harsh sunlight and heavy rains. According to MVRDV – which ranked at number nine on the inaugural Dezeen Hot List – it will also be the first centrally cooled building in Sri Lanka with naturally ventilated outdoor spaces. These low-tech solutions in addition to minimum 10-foot high floor to ceiling separations all contribute to making the building more sustainable. Mrs De Vries will also deliver an address to the City School of Architecture on her visit to Colombo.

Moot Manor Ltd. Director in Charge Sabrina Jayah said that this building, “M2M – was intended to start a conversation on the nature of work in present and future Sri Lanka and the nature of relationships of workplaces to their locations.” She continues: “It is marvellous for Colombo that, M2M, standing as it does; a five-minute stroll from the Moshe Safdie designed Altair, allows two great architectural practises of the 21st century to articulate their differing visions in concrete, steel and glass on the nature of leisure and the nature of work in a rapidly urbanising tropical city.” 

She further remarked that she had worked for Asker Moosajee and that this building was a tribute to him by his wife H. Moosajee and children and given his close association with Geoffrey Bawa and his love of architecture, she could not think of anything that would have delighted him more. She thanked the UDA, the CMC and the BOI for their assistance. 

MVRDV worked together with co-architects ACS Integrated, PWA Architects. NCD on structural engineering and Ramboll/Grune on SMEP. Project management is by Ascentis Lanka. Piling has been accomplished by San Piling and core and shell is underway by Access Projects. The project is set for completion in June 2019.