Cinnamon Life: Engineering Efficiency into Sri Lanka’s Landmark Mixed-Use Project
John Keells Holdings appointed Ascentis to lead a major “Design Uplift” and value engineering programme on Cinnamon Life—a 4.5 million ft² mixed-use development in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Designed by acclaimed architect Cecil Balmond, the project includes an 800-key hotel, two residential towers, a commercial tower, shopping mall, and a conference centre.
The scope of design changes involved the adoption of a new fire strategy, a re–planning and optimization of all MEP plant rooms and primary distribution systems, and further detailing of architecture and interior designs. With construction already in progress and international consultants based in London, Porto, and Singapore, the project required disciplined coordination with all stakeholders to deliver this programme on a fast-track 15-month schedule. Over that period, Ascentis oversaw the issue of nearly 6,000 new drawings ranging from MEP schematics to joinery details, and bringing substantial savings to the project capex.
Project Objectives
- Implement a brand new fire strategy for a complex mixed-use building based on BS-9999, impacting architecture, MEP, and facilities designs
- Deliver coordinated drawings in a timely manner for on-going construction works, in a complex mixed-use environment
- Optimize cost without compromising on building performance
- Align and manage outputs from a global design team
- Ensure all construction documentation is fully coordinated and fit for construction
Ascentis‘ Contributions
MEP Value Engineering Achievements:
28% reduction in chiller capacity by optimizing cooling loads
- 23% reduction in electrical load across key towers
- 55% reduction in guestroom water storage requirements
- 67% reduction in fire pump units through performance-based FLS redesign
These changes resulted in both CAPEX and OPEX savings, without compromising functionality or brand standards.
“We appointed Ascentis to lead a major “Design Uplift” programme in 2018. Ascentis managed a team of international designers across Europe and Asia, leading the production of 6,000 new drawings in a period of 15 months and de-bottlenecked design issues at site. We subsequently appointed Ascentis to review the construction schedule and prepare a new master programme for the development along with their recommendations for the project organization and governance. We found that Ascentis team worked very professionally and brought a planning and technical expertise that strongly benefited the project.”
Suresh Rajendra
President – John Keells Holdings PLC
Cinnamon Life stands as Sri Lanka’s most ambitious urban development, transforming Colombo’s skyline and redefining regional standards for integrated living, working, and leisure.
Ascentis’ involvement brought a layer of technical discipline and global coordination expertise to the project, helping streamline delivery and reduce lifecycle costs. The lessons and systems developed here have since influenced our approach on other major mixed-use and hospitality projects across the region.
