The Norwegian Embassy recently signed up with Moot Manor (Pvt.) Ltd., becoming the first occupants of the soon-to-be-completed M2M Veranda Offices in Colombo 2. The Ambassador and the First Secretary of the Norwegian Embassy visited the site of M2M Veranda Offices, located at the intersection of W.A.D. Ramanayake Mawatha and Hunupitiya Road, connected by a walkway to the vibrant Park Street Mews in Colombo 2. The Embassy plans to start the process of fitting out the premises from 1 August. The process of finding project managers, building contractors, and material suppliers is set to begin soon. The Senior Advisor at the Section for Property Management at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke about the reasons for the move. “It was the desire of Norway to seek intimacy rather than anonymity. M2M Veranda Offices has just four office floors, albeit rather large ones. This appealed to us rather than any tall multi-storied building.” He said they were also attracted by the reputation of the design consultant MVRDV of the Netherlands. MVRDV was responsible for designing the now-famous and iconic Barcode District and an international bank headquarters in Oslo among other remarkable projects worldwide. In addition, they were attracted by the qualities endowed on M2M by the MVRDV design of having plentiful natural light, high ceilings, a surfeit of parking, and an extraordinary break-out space of a sculpture garden rooftop. Being just a walk away from Park Street Mews or Colombo City Centre for meals was an added plus. Finally, the official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed wonderment that the terms of the lease, and called on the tenants to “celebrate united humanity and disregard divided humanity as well smile and be happy every day”. He said that he had never in his working life encountered similar terms in a commercial lease but that he, both individually and on behalf of the Ministry, endorsed every word of it. The M2M Veranda Offices are set to open this November, and inquiries about tenancy can be directed to sabrina@m2m.lk or online at www.m2m.lk.