On 16 June 2008 the British High Commission moved its offices to a new building at No 389 Baudhaloka Mawatha, Colombo.7. The new building is a unique blend of modern British architecture and Sri Lankan design influences. The British High Commissioner, Dr Peter Hayes said: "The building provides a landmark contemporary space which will be a superb new home for the High Commission. The building – which fuses British and Sri Lanka architectural features – is a clear demonstration of the strong links between Sri Lanka and the UK".

The new High Commission was designed by Richard Murphy Architects and inspired by the work of the late Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. His influence can be seen in the building’s roofscape, its patterns of sun and shade and the integration of internal spaces with the external landscape. The building is a single storey structure designed around a series of courtyards with offices looking onto water features and plants. The building has a number of features designed to make the new High Commission more energy efficient in line with the UK’s broader objective on climate change. A dramatic glass rooflight running along the ridge allows light to be reflected from the concrete vaulted ceilings, reducing the need for electric lighting during the day. When opened, it creates a thermal chimney inducing cooling airflow and so reducing the need for air conditioning. The new building has a wheelchair-access ramp which ensures our services are easily accessible to all. The British High Commission's new building in Colombo in its design has ensured that the building and services are fully accessible to disabled members of the public. Wherever possible, we have made our buildings and services accessible. Sometimes however, this is not possible due to security or other restrictions. In these situations we will endeavour to provide a service or access to a building in an alternative way to ensure equality of access for disabled people.

To assist disabled visitors, we have set out below details of disabled access at this High Commission. We hope this information is helpful.

General physical access: 

• entrances - all entrances have ramps and are accessible to wheelchairs
• toilets - separate toilets that can accommodate wheelchairs are available
• doors – corridor doors are on hold opens, rest of doors not set up for disabled users but assistance will be provided
• lighting – lighting is good in all offices
• Phones – desk phones can be accessed by wheelchair users
• emergency/evacuation - evacuation is on foot leading to most of the exit points. In case of an emergency, the high commission staff will be able to assist 

If you need to visit us or use our services and feel that they may be inaccessible to you, please contact the management section on (+94) (11) 5390639 who will try to find an alternative way of providing access for you.