The opening ceremony of the pre-school coincided with Ceylon Institute of Builders endorsing the building with their Green Label certification.
Minister of Petroleum Resource Development Mr. Chandima Weerakkody, President of Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB) Dr. Rohan Karunaratne and the Holcim Lanka management attended the opening ceremony.
“We are proud to have participated in the construction of the first ever green pre-school of Sri Lanka.
We believe this is an important step to inspire all other community buildings to embrace the sustainability principles,” Krishantha Gamage – External Affairs & CSR Manager of Holcim Lanka noted.
The first of its kind, the pre-school is built on the land provided by the Provincial Council and the building is composed of Soil Stabilized brick blocks and sourced directly from the close area of the pre-school.
The carpentry uses locally sourced wood and the roof is composed of green labelled Zinc aluminium GI sheets 100% asbestos free.
“We have strictly limited the usage of painting and putting and it is also equipped the building with solar power instead of CEB power solar panels and rainwater harvesting system to prevent any consumption from the national grid,” Krishantha further clarified.
Minister of Petroleum Resources Development Chandima Weerakkody, addressing the gathering stated, “I must extend my heartfelt gratitude to Holcim Lanka.
It is an honour for Habaraduwa to consider our children who are our future and it is also very much appreciated that Holcim Lanka provides the first Green certified kindergarten in Sri Lanka, which is a milestone for the entire country sustainability journey”.
Little Imashi from the school stated “I like this classroom.
We play in this school and it is not hot or sweaty.
I come to pre-school daily, thank you Holcim uncles for giving us a new classroom”.
Holcim Lanka was presented with several project proposals to consider and identified that the construction of the Panchaliya Pre-School was a dire need to the children of Dikkumbura.
“The Ruhunu Cement Works Community Advisory Panel (CAP) pointed out that the existing building of the Panchaliya Pre-School was not sufficient to cater the demand in the area,” Krishantha elaborated.
At the opening Ms. Jayanthi Wijesooriya from Dikkumbura stated, “Our kids were facing a lot of issues in the existing preschool due to the lack of space and other limited resources.
Holcim Lanka has given a nice Pre-School to our children.
Establishing solar power and rainwater harvesting is very good.
As a parent I must give my sincere thanks to Holcim Lanka for acting on such valuable social work.
I wish Holcim Lanka the very best”.
In keeping with their Corporate Social Responsibility towards sustainable and environmentally friendly construction, Holcim Lanka undertook the construction of a green building.
“During the construction the process was closely monitored by the Green Auditors and today we received the Green Label certification by the CIOB,” Krishantha reiterated.
Holcim Lanka
Holcim (Lanka) Ltd, a member of the LafargeHolcim Group is the local subsidiary to the global construction materials company, operating in more than 90 countries with 115,000 employees.
Aiming to be a respected corporate citizen, the company focuses on economic, social and environmental performance along the triple bottom line of sustainable development.
Holcim (Lanka) Ltd. today provides a range of cement products which fits for every type of application.
The Holcim Innovation and Application Centre, is supporting customers to develop tailor made solutions that meet customer projects.
The company currently operates island wide with an established network of distributors, united under the vision of ‘Building Foundations for the Future of Sri Lanka’.
CIOB Green Mark: Accredited by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore the green building rating system evaluates buildings for its environmental impact and performance.
This Green Label certification is endorsed by the Ministry of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
The key areas considered for the assessment criteria: Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Environmental Protection, Indoor Environment Quality, Other Green Features and Innovation.
Photo caption
1.) Receiving the Green Label certification from CIOB: Krishantha Gamage - External Affairs & CSR Manager of Holcim Lanka, Chandima Weerakkody - Min. Petroleum Resource Development, Sidath Amarasinghe - Council Member CIOB, Ruwan De Silva- Vice President CIOB, Farzana Khan - Head of Sustainable Development, Communications & External Affairs of Holcim Lanka, Venura Fernando - External Affairs Manager Holcim Lanka, Charlotte Boutboul - CSR Manager of Holcim Lanka, Sampath Wijesekera Manager Technical Support of Holcim Lanka and Udana Kusumsiri - Dep. Chairman, Immaduwa Provincial Council
2.) Chandima Weerakkody, Minister of Petroleum Resources Development addressing the gathering
3.) First green pre-school in Sri Lanka built by Holcim Lanka
4.) Farzana Khan, Head of Sustainable Development – Communications & External Affairs addressing the gathering
