State Finance Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena launching the CIOB www.greenbuild.lk website. Looking on are Dr. Rohan Karunaratne, President of Ceylon Institute of Builders, Professor Chitra Weddikkara, Sri Lanka Chairperson of The World Construction Symposium, Mr. Arjuna Dharmadasa, Managing Director, Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services (LECS)and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Asim Mukthar.

The Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB), the premier professional body, which actively promotes green constructions in the country, launched its website www.greenbuild.lk at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo recently. 
This website is the comprehensive portal totally dedicated to the green buildings concept in Sri Lanka. Entrepreneurs and professionals in Sri Lanka’s construction industry can log on to www.greenbuild.lk to gather more information on the diverse programs launched by the CIOB to actively promote and give a big boost to Green constructions. The official ceremony to launch the www.greenbuild.lk website was held under the patronage of State Finance Minister, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena. The launch was attended by a large and representative gathering including Dr. Rohan Karunaratne, President of The Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB), Professor Chitra Weddikkara, Sri Lanka Chairperson of The World Construction Symposium, Arjuna Dharmadasa, Managing Director, Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services (LECS), Chief Executive Officer (CEO),  Asim Mukthar and entrepreneurs and professionals in the construction industry.
‘Construction Expo–2017’, the premier Construction Exhibition jointly organized by the CIOB and LECS, was also formally introduced at this ceremony. ‘Construction Expo – 2017’ will be held on June 2nd, 3rd and 4th at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo. This key event will be hosted on a grand scale for the 6th successive time this year. As Sri Lanka’s premier green constructions expo, the salient feature of ‘Construction Expo–2017’ will be the creation of a separate exhibition zone for green buildings. 
This exhibition affords a progressive opportunity and an invaluable platform to construction companies, which have secured the green mark certification from the CIOB, to further promote green buildings, green building products and green building services.
Expressing his views at the official launch, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said that the prolonged drought faced by the country at present has impacted adversely on the construction industry as well. At a time the ongoing drought reflects the vital importance and  dire necessity for more and more environment-friendly Green constructions, the initiative taken and the keen interest shown by the CIOB regarding the green concept should be deeply appreciated, the Deputy Minister stressed.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rohan Karunaratne, President of The Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB), said: “During the past few years, the construction industry in Sri Lanka witnessed a decline to some extent. But, now this vital sector has picked up significantly and is on a progressive upward trend. We took the initiate to launch this website with the core objective of giving a bigger impetus to green constructions. The modern trend in the construction industry is the concept on green buildings. In this backdrop, we decided on the apt theme ‘Towards a green Sri Lanka’ for the forthcoming Construction Expo–2017 exhibition.