PETTAH LINK : An Urban integration to revitalize the urban fabric of Pettah

City School of Architecture (CSA), Colombo

Project idea

Pettah, in the heart of Colombo, Sri Lanka, is a district rich in cultural, social, and economic diversity. Known for its bustling markets, transport hubs, proximity to Beira Lake, and over 20 coexisting communities, it represents the dynamic spirit of the city. However, rapid urbanization and infrastructure expansion, especially the railway, have physically and socially fragmented the area, disconnecting the city from Beira Lake and turning vibrant communal spaces into polluted, underutilized zones. Pettah has increasingly become a place of transit rather than interaction, lacking inclusive public spaces that reflect its diverse identity.
This project proposes a bold urban regeneration strategy to reconnect the fragmented layers of Pettah: physical, social, environmental, economic, and cultural, into a cohesive and sustainable urban fabric. The central goal is to revitalize neglected lakefront spaces and transform them into inclusive, multifunctional civic areas that serve the people of the city. It directly addresses the spatial disconnect caused by infrastructure, re-establishing links between the city and its natural and cultural assets.
The intervention places strong emphasis on social equity. As redevelopment projects threaten to displace long-standing informal communities like street vendors, this project defends their right to the city by creating spaces that accommodate both formal and informal activities. By fostering inclusivity, cultural exchange, and everyday interaction, it brings life back into the public realm, where everyone, regardless of background or status, feels represented and welcome.
Environmentally, the project introduces green infrastructure and reclaims polluted waterfront land to restore ecological balance. Economically, it supports local businesses and informal economies by creating new platforms for commerce and exchange within a cohesive urban system.
Culturally, the design respects and reinterprets Pettah’s identity. By integrating heritage into new spatial forms, the project ensures that development does not erase history but builds upon it, linking the city’s past, present, and future.
Ultimately, this is a model for holistic urban regeneration. It demonstrates how neglected city spaces can be transformed into vibrant, people-centered environments that support growth without sacrificing identity or inclusivity. The project turns disconnection into opportunity, revitalizing Pettah as a sustainable, resilient, and socially equitable urban core, setting a new benchmark for how South Asian cities can evolve with purpose and balance.

Project description

This project envisions a transformative urban intervention, one that sets a precedent for inclusive, sustainable, and resilient city-making. The vision is to establish a model for urban innovation where new developments, social equity, environmental balance, and historical context coexist harmoniously. The mission is to reimagine the urban landscape of Pettah by turning underutilized, disjointed city fragments into vibrant public spaces that reflect the city’s identity while preparing it for cohesive future growth.

The objectives are threefold: the revitalization of a dead urban space, the reinvigoration of the public realm, and the creation of an adaptable urban fabric that supports seamless, inclusive transitions into future developments. These goals are grounded in a rigorous urban study, including functional and character mapping. This research revealed stark contrasts within Pettah, from zones of intense economic activity to isolated and neglected edges, highlighting missed opportunities for public engagement and spatial continuity.
Comprehensive user behavior studies and the identification of urban hotspots were conducted to understand the movement patterns and rhythms of daily life. This informed a sequencing strategy that activates probable user progressions throughout the site, enabling design to respond directly to how people navigate, interact, and dwell in the city.
The design is anchored in the concept of “Autopoiesis” - the idea of a self-sustaining system that evolves from within its context. Rather than imposing new forms, the project draws from Pettah’s energy, patterns, and challenges, turning them into catalysts for regeneration. The architecture becomes an extension of the city and its people, intuitive, familiar, and inclusive. It speaks the language of the city, allowing people from all walks of life to feel represented, welcomed, and engaged. This approach makes clear that a spatial reconfiguration alone cannot address the socio-economic and environmental fragmentation of the city. A built solution is necessary to physically mediate between movement, pause, commerce, nature, and community.
The project is designed with inherent flexibility; its architecture allows for future expansion through modular plug-ins and programmatic adaptability. Rather than being static, the building is designed to grow with the city. It is built not just for today's needs, but also to respond to the evolving demands of a transforming urban core. This introduces a new face of architecture for Colombo, one that is open-ended, resilient, and deeply rooted in the social and spatial DNA of the place.
Ultimately, the project defines a model for public architecture that is inclusive, adaptable, and future-forward. It understands the pulse of Pettah, respects its cultural depth, and introduces a spatial system that is both grounded in the present and prepared for change. It demonstrates how thoughtful architectural interventions can unlock dormant urban potential and catalyze civic transformation.

Technical information

Functional configuration: The building is thoughtfully zoned into four distinct sections—Transit, People Space, Green Tower, and Market Place, each designed to embody a unique theme that captures the vibrant "theatre of the city," where everyday urban life unfolds in dynamic and engaging ways.
 Transit Zone: A dynamic circulation space that mirrors the energy of the city, efficiently guiding people through the building while connecting to the broader transport network.
 People Space: A communal hub designed for interaction, rest, and engagement, fostering a sense of belonging and community within an open, flexible environment.
 Green Tower: A vibrant, multi-dimensional entertainment hub that attracts people from all walks of life. These functions will create a dynamic environment that fosters social harmony, encourages interaction, and celebrates the city's rich cultural tapestry. The Green Tower can stand as a testament to the city’s innovative spirit, offering a place where people come together to learn, explore, and enjoy a wide array of experiences, all within a sustainable and forward-looking urban space
 Market Place: A vibrant commercial zone inspired by Pettah’s street markets, supporting local vendors and celebrating the city’s entrepreneurial and cultural spirit.

The vertical layering of the building: The spatial progression of the building is meticulously designed based on the gradients of user movement, resulting in a vertical layering system that transitions through Moderate, Fast, and Slow motion gradients. This approach reflects the varying speeds and activities of users, creating a dynamic and responsive architectural experience. The vertical layering of the building, informed by these gradients, allows activities to spill vertically between different zones, creating a fluid and interconnected spatial experience. This design approach ensures that each level responds to the natural movement patterns of users, seamlessly integrating the building’s functions and enhancing the overall flow of the urban environment.

Design Strategies :
 Spillover Spaces: These areas extend activities and experiences between different zones of the building, creating fluid transitions that encourage interaction and adaptability. Spillover spaces promote a continuous flow of uses, making the environment dynamic and engaging.
 Threshold Spaces: Acting as gateways, threshold spaces ease the transition between internal zones and the external urban environment. They improve the user experience by providing welcoming entrances, flexible public areas, and clear visual cues that guide movement smoothly through the building.
 Connecting Neighborhoods: This strategy focuses on linking the building to surrounding neighborhoods through pathways and interfaces. It strengthens accessibility and community interaction by integrating the project into the existing urban fabric, supporting a seamless connection between the building and its context.
 Transitional Spaces: Serving as buffers between areas with contrasting urban characters, transitional spaces blend differences in density, scale, and function. They mediate shifts in urban activity and architectural style, ensuring a harmonious and gradual connection within the city’s fabric.
 Treatment of Rear Facades: The project eliminates traditional back-facing walls by designing buildings that engage with the urban context on all sides. This creates pockets of open space that connect with current and future developments, ensuring active and responsive façades all around.
 Adaptability of Space (Multifunctional): Spaces are designed to be flexible and multifunctional, allowing quick reconfiguration to support diverse activities and changing seasonal or daily demands. It also allows each main space to be adaptable to seasonal festivities and daily transformations, which will allow different users to utilize the space. Furthermore, visitors will have a different experience each time they arrive. This ensures the building remains vibrant and useful throughout different times and events.
 Adaptable Market Modules: Market stalls are modular and customizable, with interchangeable panels tailored to various product types. These stalls can be easily arranged and adjusted, creating a functional, visually appealing market that supports vendor needs and enhances the customer experience.

Sustainability: The Green Tower employs an innovative algae bio-façade system that utilizes the polluting algae from Beira Lake, an environmental challenge that has long given the city a negative image. This algae is harnessed to generate electricity through the tower’s main exoskeleton, producing 1.3 times the building’s energy needs. Beyond powering the building, this technology has the potential to purify the lake if adopted by other structures nearby, transforming a harmful element into a city-wide asset. Additionally, the system is designed as a modular solution capable of sustainably electrifying existing railway networks. This approach exemplifies how architecture can repurpose environmental challenges into sustainable, multifunctional solutions that benefit both the building and the broader urban ecosystem.
Furthermore, the project incorporates recycled materials such as timber salvaged from broken-down market stalls, discarded gunny bags, and train scraps. This not only enhances material sustainability but also embeds a tangible memory of the community within the space, for celebration.