Richard Murphy, the British architect responsible for the designing of the new British High Commission building in Colombo, Sunday said: "It is Sri Lankan architecture inspiring a British architect and it is a reversal of the colonial system, where the Sri Lankans followed British architectural patterns. But it’s a nice and happy reversal", he said.

Taking a group of media personnel on a tour of the new structure, Richard Murphy said: "I was greatly impressed by the work of renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa and his influence is very much there in the building I designed for the British High Commission in Sri Lanka.

"One day I was sitting with some friends at the "Gallery" in Colombo, another of Bawa’s unique creations and it came to my mind that I should have some of his influences in this building," Murphy said.

Describing the new structure he said it is an environmentally friendly building designed in such a way to save energy, reducing the use of air-conditioning and lighting. "Sunlight has been used to the maximum for lighting and it’s planned in such a way that air-conditioning is least used," he said.

The new building has seven Meda Midulas (court yards) with offices looking into water features and lush plants.

At one point, Murphy pointed at one of the ponds and said "In the night when the lights are aglow, it has been designed in such a way to resemble water lilies in a pond."

The building is a magnificent monument to British design, with a distinctive Sri Lankan influence, he noted. It has been built by British Company Gibs Construction assisted by a number of Sri Lankan companies at a total cost of Sterling Pounds 10 million (Rs. 2,140 million).

Another unique feat is that it is the only single storeyed British High Commission building in the world, he pointed out.