Lays foundation stone for first low-cost precast concrete structure to become 47th company-owned property
Steadfast in its commitment to a greener environment, Ceylinco Life recently laid the foundation for its newest eco-friendly branch building in Minuwangoda, which will be the first of the Company’s branches to adopt a new low-cost precast concrete technology.
The new building will be built to the environment-friendly specifications adopted for all new branches on Company-owned land, and upon completion will be the 47th property to be owned by Ceylinco Life and the 32nd branch to operate in a Company-owned building.
The two-storey building at No 101, Veyangoda Road, Minuwangoda, will have 3,270 square feet of office space and seven dedicated parking slots.
As per the green mandate of Ceylinco Life, this branch will be powered entirely by a 20kW solar power system that results in zero consumption of electricity from the national grid, will have its own rainwater harvesting facility and a waste-water recycling system, minimising the use of pipe-borne water.
It will also be purpose-designed to make optimal use of natural light and will be fitted with energy-efficient artificial lighting and air conditioning systems. The precast construction method will also ensure minimal timber is used in the construction, the Company said.
Commenting on this latest construction project, Ceylinco Life Executive Director/CFO Mr Palitha Jayawardena said: “Our commitment to the environment and our continuing effort to expand operations via Company-owned properties even in the backdrop of the current economic crisis, are testaments to our positive outlook towards the future and the imperatives of sustainability.”
Members of Ceylinco Life’s Board of Directors and teams from the branch were present at the foundation stone laying ceremony.
Ceylinco Life is in the process of constructing two other Green buildings for its branches in Ja-Ela and Matale. The Company currently owns 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, and Piliyandala.
Ceylinco Life operates the largest network of 275 branches in Sri Lanka’s life insurance industry, giving it a physical presence in 142 cities, towns, and villages in every one of the island’s 25 districts.
Adjudged the ‘Most Valuable Life Insurance Brand in Sri Lanka’ by Brand Finance and certified a ‘Great Workplace’ in Sri Lanka for the third consecutive year in 2022, Ceylinco Life was declared Sri Lanka’s Service Brand of the Year by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) in 2021 and won the SLIM Kantar Peoples Award as the Most Popular Life Insurance Company in Sri Lanka for the 16th consecutive year, also in 2021. Ceylinco Life has been the country’s leading life insurer for more than half of the 34 years it has been in existence.
Other accolades won in respect of 2021 include the ‘Most Popular Service Provider’ in Sri Lanka’s Life Insurance industry from LMD, the ‘Most Valuable Life Insurance Brand’ in Sri Lanka from Brand Finance, one of the 10 Most Admired Companies in Sri Lanka from the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and one of the 10 Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka’s Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector from Great Place to Work.
Ceylinco Life has close to a million lives covered by active policies and provides innovative life insurance solutions which offer protection while de-risking the goals and ambitions of the Company’s policyholders.