Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa

Situated along the North-Eastern boundary of the University of Moratuwa bordering the Bolgoda lake, the Faculty of Civil Engineering stands as a three storeyed cluster of buildings spread across the gently undulating landscape. Aimed to provide enhanced infrastructure to facilitate a seamless learning experience for civil engineering undergraduates in the leading technological university in Sri Lanka, the complex is a reinforced concrete structure, accommodating lecture halls, drawing rooms, seminar rooms, student study rooms, common rooms, several purpose built laboratories, a drawing office, workshop, computer center, below ground car park, and an auditorium that can accommodate 300 people. The faculty also provides office space for over forty academic staff.

One of the distinctive architectural features of the complex is its unique inverted conical tree roof structure supported by reinforced concrete members. The novel design, ahead of its time in the 1980s, not only functions as a rainwater harvesting system but also serves as a tangible representation of civil engineering innovation and excellence. The buildings maintain a strong horizontal emphasis and utilise a restrained materials palette consisting of grey painted external faces, exposed brick and terra cotta tiles to blend into its natural surroundings. Designed in split-levels, the sustainable and energy efficient scheme takes advantage of the site’s natural ground formation to avoid excessive excavations or fillings to create a more economically feasible, aesthetic design.