Work, relax and create at Dutch-designed The Veranda Offices urban space

MVRDV, an architectural firm based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, has partnered with local architects ACS Integrated and PWA Architect for client Moot Manor Ltd. (M2M), to design The Veranda Offices, a contemporary mixed use office space in Colombo 2. This is the design leader’s first project in Sri Lanka, and it promises to be a true architectural treat, in an unmatched location.  

An award winning firm with global scope and voted Architectural Firm of 2018 by Architizer magazine, MVRDV is known for providing innovative solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues across all regions of the world. Recent projects include a public art depot in Rotterdam, the transformation of a mixed-use building in central Paris, mixed-use high-rises in New York and Shenzhen, and a variety of housing projects in France, China, India and a number of other countries.  

M2M’s The Veranda Offices in Colombo 2 will stand out for its stunning stepped terraces that sport a façade mimicking the weave pattern used in traditional fabric design in the island. Its 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. This design aims to provide a model working environment that could propel an examination of creative productivity in Sri Lanka. 

Due to be completed in November 2019, this unique, 12,000 square metre, eight story building is already evaluating potential tenants. Interested parties are invited to contact [email protected] to learn more and even set up a site visit. Essential amenities like three passenger lifts and one service lift, inclusive wheelchair-friendly ramps, parking and toilet facilities and 125 total parking bays in the basement and two open parking floors make this building a ‘checklist’ favourite, when it comes to rentable office spaces in the city.

MVRDV’s design approach is ecological, culturally sensitive to the location and its future users, offering attractive, light filled offices with a lively commercial base. By providing outstanding commercial office space on the intersection of W.A.D.Ramanayake Mawatha and Lake Crescent Road (behind Park Street Mews), it is hoped that this underutilised area will be repositioned and lead to the development of the whole surrounding area as well.

The designers MVRDV – which ranked at number nine on the inaugural Dezeen Hot List – are proud of the fact that The Veranda Offices will be the first centrally cooled building in Sri Lanka with naturally ventilated outdoor spaces. In addition, minimum 10-foot high floor to ceiling separations will help make the building more sustainable. 

With the aim of promoting creativity, creative problem solving and pioneering ideas, each floor of M2M’s The Veranda Offices has been assigned a unique identity, inspired by the muses of Greek Mythology. Lobby spaces will be dedicated to creative representations of each muse, encompassing song and dance, poetry, comedy and astronomy. The open verandas also promote much needed spaces for stress relief and mindfulness.

The lush open planter façade in the two parking levels above ground adds to the open terraces of the building while the window openings have a large setback to minimalize the radiation caused by direct sunlight. The verandas are shaded and protected using folding shutters to prevent from harsh sunlight and heavy rains. 

 In particular, the sixth floor rooftop is exceptional in that it features a sculpture garden and shaded pavilions to be used by the arts and theatre communities for creative events and gatherings, with a calendar of events centred around creativity and artistic expression also planned.