Holcim Lanka-Maga to work towards sustainability of construction industry

Holcim (Lanka) Ltd, a member of the LafargeHolcim group and a leading company in building materials, together with Maga Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd, Sri Lanka’s leading construction and engineering company, officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on March 1, 2016, on working towards a path of sustainability for the Sri Lankan construction industry.

The MoU focuses on the two industry titans pledging to continue supporting the construction industry in its engagement in sustainable construction practices and to provide a platform of exchange for construction industry stakeholders to develop and share their particular knowledge, experience and professional skills within the industry.

Research shows that the Sri Lankan construction industry has continued to grow by approximately 20 percent since 2014. With the rapid urbanization in Asia, it is important that green building practices with the use of fewer and more energy-efficient raw materials and resources are adopted in the construction industry.

The partnership focuses on educating and changing the attitudes of the construction industry to become more sustainable and build green, led collaboratively by Holcim Lanka and Maga. Commenting on the project, Holcim Lanka CEO Philippe Richart stated, “LafargeHolcim aims to drive the sustainable construction agenda and is committed to leading the initiative in every country we operate in.

Through invaluable partnerships with corporate entities such as Maga, who share the same ambition, we are creating a platform to enhance awareness on the need to move forward towards sustainable construction within the industry. It is initiatives such as this that will positively contribute to Sri Lanka, as a nation looking to a greener future.” Maga Engineering (Pvt) Ltd Chairman and Managing Director M.G. Kularatne commented,

“This great opportunity has enabled us to collaborate with Holcim towards creating a more sustainable and successful construction sector in Sri Lanka. With our experience in successfully delivering large-scale projects as well as sustainable buildings, we look forward to the positive impact of this collaboration which ultimately will benefit all industry stakeholders.”

The MoU’s objectives will be accomplished through the development and execution of four seminars to be held within the year, comprising top-level decision-makers and stakeholders from both private and public sectors, followed by the sharing of knowledge and expertise of best practices via Green building sitevisits.

The first of the four breakfast sessions will be held on March 9, 2016, centred on the timely topic ‘Sustainable Cities – Vision for the Sri Lankan Urban Transformation’. This will be followed by three programmes later in the year on various aspects of sustainability in the construction industry as including present and future challenges, social responsibility, finance and regulations and architecture and techniques.

Guest speakers for the first session will include sough-after industry experts such as Surbana Jurong International Consultants Singapore Managing Director Dr. Uma Maheswaran, Urban Development Authority Director General Nayana Mawilmada, Western Megapolis Planning Project Project Director Lakshman Jayasekara and World Bank Senior Urban Economist Jerry Chen.