Ceylinco Life opens exemplar green branch in Ja-Ela

(Above) Ceylinco Life Chairman R. Renganathan and Managing Director/CEO Thushara Ranasinghe (extreme right and extreme left) accompanied by directors and members of the company’s senior management at the opening of the new green branch at Ja-Ela (below)

Sri Lanka’s life insurance leader Ceylinco Life has opened the latest of its eco-friendly branch buildings in Ja-Ela on company-owned land, providing customers in this busy suburb a purpose-designed facility that delivers an enhanced visitor experience while advancing the sustainability goals of the company. 

An investment of Rs. 180 million, the five-storey, 9,664 square-foot building is located at 26, Highway Access Road, Ja-Ela, and significantly enhances Ceylinco Life’s presence and visibility in the area. It is the 31st such planet-friendly branch building constructed by Ceylinco Life to date, and the third largest branch building of the company.

Contributing to a further reduction of the carbon footprint of the company, the new branch is powered by a 33kW on-grid solar power system and a 5kW off-grid battery backup power system via the seventh largest solar panel installation in the Ceylinco Life network. It minimises consumption of electricity from, and supplies excess electricity to, the national grid. It also has a rainwater harvesting facility as well as a 100% wastewater recycling system that minimises consumption of pipe-borne water, and a sewerage treatment plant.  The building is also designed for optimal use of natural light and several areas are naturally ventilated. The other areas are equipped with the latest energy-efficient lighting and air conditioning systems. No timber was used in the construction of the building, no trees were felled, and additional trees were grown in the compound, the company said. Adding to the green areas, a special paving system of grass in hollow interlocking blocks was used.

For customer and employee convenience, the new building has an elevator and dedicated car parking slots, a spacious customer lounge, personal discussion rooms for customers and many other facilities for visitors and staff. The building will function as an office for the Ceylinco Life branches in Ja-Ela, Kandana and Ragama, and is fifth branch building built on company-owned land in the Gampaha district, after the branches at Divulapitiya, Kadawatha, Gampaha, and Negombo. The building has been designed for future expansion as the need for more space arises.

Ceylinco Life is in the process of constructing green buildings for its branches in Minuwangoda and Matugama. The company currently owns over 45 properties, including the buildings housing its offices in Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Kandy, Kalutara, Kurunegala, Gampaha, Galle, Matara, Tissamaharama, Negombo, Ratnapura, Kotahena, Mount Lavinia, and Wellawatte, many of which have already been converted to solar energy. Among the new branch buildings purpose-built to the company’s sustainable energy model are those at Horana, Panadura, Wennappuwa, Bandarawela, Chilaw, Kadawatha, Jaffna, Malabe, Divulapitiya, Negombo, Nelliady, Piliyandala and Ja-Ela. Ceylinco Life operates the largest network of 256 branches in Sri Lanka’s life insurance industry, giving it a physical presence in 132 cities, towns, and villages in 24 districts.