The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation assigned the work on BMICH to the Beijing Industrial Building Design Institute of the Ministry of Works. The design’s principles were enunciated by Premier Zhou Enlai himself.

His principles were: The building scale shall be appropriate for Sri Lanka’s conditions and requirements. It shall adapt to the tropical climate and reflect the local style. The internal facilities and equipment shall adopt modern technology.

The Building Design Institute sent a delegation to Lanka headed by its Vice President Yuan Jingshe and included Chief Architect Dai Nianci. The delegation was in Sri Lanka for four months, touring the entire country to see for itself local building styles, culture, customs and beliefs so that the BMICH accords with the culture, beliefs and styles of Lankans.

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