Can an entire city be built with the sole purpose of catalyzing the region with new jobs, educational programs and opportunities for startups? DesignOne Studio, the winner of the prestigious Luxury Lifestyle Awards for Best Luxury Architecture Studio, says yes through its vision for the proposed Tech City in Matara, Sri Lanka, located in close vicinity to the Elikanda National Park, the southern beach and campuses.

DesignOne Studio hopes to achieve three goals with the completion of this project- Innovation, Economy and Innovative employment models. With platforms for exhibition and engagement, some of the much needed factors for encouraging and supporting  local talent, this project is set to be the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. Its proposed strategic location, linked to all the major transport nodes such as the Southern expressway, rail and Matara main road makes it an easy access point from all over the country.

Tech City which will be developed around lifestyle models will include zones with a matrix, with the center zone for personal residential sanctuaries. Linked to this are The Hive consisting of offices, innovation centers and startups, a Public Forum for exhibitions, discussion, university programs and hackathons (events for programming, debugging etc.), an Outdoor Sanctuary for rest, relaxation and space for reflection and escape, Sports and recreation centers, The Launch Pad- a semi-public space where companies and people working in Tech City could promote their innovations and have tedx style talks, a Downtown area for retail outlets and public amenities where those living in the city could serve their needs internally- It could also benefit the greater region as these shops could even be made a part of local franchises with national and international retailers and services, a Context Engagement Plaza which links Tech City with Matara and the surrounding context.

This project has the potential to transform the way innovators in the tech field are able to work, create opportunities for entrepreneurs and create industry links with educational centers/ universities and engage the local population in advancing technologies. It would offer a platform for investors, revitalizing the local economy which, at the moment, is one of the country’s main concerns. DesignOne Studio projects to the future and sees Tech City as a catalyst to promote local talent and boost the national economy of Sri Lanka.