‘Village lifestyle to an urban environment’, John Keells Properties’ new project
While communities today are kept apart from nature and social interactions in a modernised world, people are struggling to let go of those habits that makes them feel who they used to be back in the old days and their cultures, traditions and the love for nature.
Bringing out that thought to reality, John Keells Properties (JKP) has invested in a new property on a six acre land in Ja-Ela called ‘Viman’. With a total investment of around Rs. 9 billion the property will hold 418 double and triple bed room apartments. An apartment price starts from Rs. 26 million where the construction will begin in early next year and completed by mid-2027.
The launch of the property was held last Tuesday at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo. JKP President, Nayana Mawilmada on the sidelines of the launch event told the Business Times, “We want to bring the free village lifestyle to an urban environment by bridging the gap between people and nature. While we Sri Lankans have become modernised, we are struggling with letting go of what makes us ‘us’. At JKP our challenge is how do we bring those elements to the Sri Lankan community and present them in a way that suits a modern urban environment.” ‘Viman’ is all about that challenge and that is why there is a swing on the logo. It’s all about how to create a happy place for people to live in, he added.
Mr. Mawilmada also mentioned, “We put a lot of effort to bring the idea of creating an apartment in a big community space. We don’t want to restrict kids to play only around a specified play area, but to do adventures within the apartment complex. There will be multiple places where kids can play and enjoy, it’s much more of a free form and less curated.”
“From the outcome of the project we are expecting that while when you take a walk down the apartment complex you pluck a guava or a jumbu fruit from a tree and eat it, climb a tree, ride a swing and do various fun activities where kids can get into the mud and play. Those are activities kids back in those days did which is very rare we see nowadays,” Mr. Mawilmada noted.
According to the JKP media release, ‘Viman’ will feature energyefficient solar powered homes, abundant green spaces and foster a strong sense of community. With a diverse portfolio of groundbreaking developments including The Emperor, The Monarch, 7th Sense, OnThree20, TRIZEN and the Cinnamon Life Integrated Resort, JKP has consistently been at the forefront of the development of residential condominiums and has played an important role in shaping Sri Lanka’s urban residential landscape.