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01
Dr. A.N.S.Kulasinghe

HIGHLIGHTS

SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF HIS LIFE AND CAREER

1919

  • Born on the 26th of October 1919, at Udammita, Ja-Ela

1933

  • Entered Maris Stella College, Negombo.

1936

  • Passed Junior School Certificate examination in First Division. Joined the Ceylon Technical College, part-time evening course in Electrical Engineering. Entered St. Benedict College, Colombo, to study for the London Matriculation examination.
  • Passed the London Matriculation examination, placed in the First Division. Joined the B.Sc. Engineering (London) course at the Ceylon Technical College on an entrance Scholarship.

1939

  • Passed the Intermediate in Engineering (London) examination and awarded the Sri Chandrasekera Scholarship Followed the Final Part I course for B.Sc (Engineering), London at the Ceylon Technical College, as the Sri Chandrasekera Scholar.
  • Joined the Ceylon Hydro-electric Scheme, Norton Bridge, as Technical Assistant to the Chief Resident Engineer. Carried out hydraulic model tests for the Norton Dam spillway. (Probably the first hydraulic model tests in modern times in the country).

1942

  • Passed AMICE (London) Part I examination.

1943

  • Passed AMICE (London) Part II examination.

1944

  • Appointed as Junior Assistant Harbour Engineer, Colombo Port Commission department.

1946

  • Passed Part C of the AMICE (London) examination and was elected.
  • Corporate Member (AMICE) of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London.
  • Marriage to Dulcie de Silva.

1947

  • Promoted Assistant Harbour Engineer (Maritime).
  • Birth of elder son, Upul.

1949

  • Introduced Prestressed concrete to Ceylon. Carried out the construction of jetties, quays, and slipways in prestressed concrete. Manufactured transmission line poles and railway sleepers in prestressed concrete.

1951

  • Set up a Hydraulics research laboratory in Colombo Port Commission and started hydraulic wave model studies for CPC development works.
  • Set up a Structural engineering laboratory in Colombo Port Commission and started research studies on shell structures.
  • Construction of the third locks of the Lake to Harbour canal.
  • Construction of Marine drive at Colombo including sea walls, a new lighthouse, and concrete roadway in prestressed concrete.

1953

  • Birth of second son, Harith

1956

  • Appointed Chief Assistant Harbour Engineer.

1957

  • Appointed Deputy Chief Engineer, Colombo Port Commission.
  • Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science – Section C President.
  • Bachelor of Science (Engineering) B.Sc. (Eng) Hons. (London) Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London (F.I.C.E.)
  • Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London (F.I.Mech.E.)
  • Consultant to George, Davie, Crawford & Partners of Glasgow, Scotland.

1960

  • Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, India. (F.I.E. India). Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (F.I.E. Sri Lanka)
  • President’s Prize, the institution of Engineers India, for the best invention in prestressing.

1960 - 1970

  • Development of Galle Harbour including breakwaters, deep-water quays, transit sheds, etc. Dredging and rock removal.
  • Design and construction of shell structures, Galle Harbour.
  • Fishing ports at Galle, Mirissa, Tangalle, Jaffna, and Beruwela.
  • Coast protection works around the island.
  • Reclamation of low-lying land, making use of cutter-suction dredgers for obtaining the fill material.
  • Manufacture of Dredgers, Cranes, etc.

1961

  • The Institution of Engineers India Prize for the paper “Recent Advances in Prestressed Concrete in Sri Lanka”.

1962

  • Founder Chairman and General Manager, State Engineering Corporation of Sri Lanka.
  • Director,
    1. State Hardware Corporation
    2. Ceylon Steel Corporation
    3. Lanka Leyland Ltd.
    4. Colombo Low Lying Areas Reclamation Board
    5. Ceylon Tyre Corporation
  • Member, Board of Regents Vidyalankara University
  • Construction of Steel Rolling Mills for the Ceylon Steel Corporation.
  • Construction of Tyre factory for Ceylon Tyre Corporation. 1963 Appointed Chief Engineer, Colombo Port Commission.

1964

  • Construction of Colombo Planetarium

1965

  • Construction of Cement factory at Puttalam, Stages I and 2 capacity 400,000 tons/annum.
  • Construct ion of the 50,000-ton capacity flourmill for the Flour Milling Corporation of Ceylon.
  • Construction of New Board Mill for Eastern Paper Mills Corporation. Construction of Hardware factory for the State Hardware Corporation.
  • Construction of Narahenpita flats using factory produced components in concrete.

1967

  • Construction of the State Engineering Corporation Headquarters building.

1968

  • Appointed Port Commissioner Colombo Port Commission.
  • Design and execution of the drainage, sewerage, and water supply at Mahiyangana Hospital.
  • Chairman, National Science Council, Sri Lanka.

1969

  • President of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka.
  • Chairman of the General Research Committee of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science.
  • Construction of the Integrated Textile Factory at Thullhiriya (the largest in South East Asia) for the National Textiles Corporation.
  • Construction of the Woodworking complex (chipboard, plywood, and furniture factories and sawmills) for Ceylon Plywood Corporation.
  • Construction of the Labour Secretariat office building.
  • Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (FRINA).

1970

  • General President of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science.
    Dredging and Reclamation Projects, (Crow Island).
  • Construction of the Polgolla Dam on the Mahaweli River, Stage I of the Mahaweli Ganga Multi-Purpose Scheme.
  • Released full-time on no-pay leave from the post of Port Commissioner 1970 Design and construction of the enlarged taxiway parking area, maintenance building, water tower, and other ancillary buildings of the Bandaranaike International Airport at Colombo.

1971

  • Construction of Kalutara Bodhiya Chaitiya.
  • Resigned from State Engineering Corporation on October 26, 1971. Premature retirement from Colombo Port Commission with effect from 1972.
  • 21 December 1971 left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.

1972

  • Engineering Manager and Consultant of Chendering Port Project, Malaysian International Consultants.
  • Consultant, United Nations, Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East.
  • Consultant on Modular Co-ordination and Standardization in the Building Industry, United Nations, Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East.

1973

  • Consultant on the Civil Engineering Works on Paddy Drying and Milling Complexes Lembaga padi dan beras Negatra East Asiatic Company Ltd. Malaysia.

1975

  • Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences Sri Lanka (F.N.A.Sc. SL)

1978

  • Chairman, National Engineering Research and Development Centre.
  • Chairman, Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau:
    Supervised the construction of Victoria, Kotmale, Maduru oya, Randenigala, and Rantembe dams, including associated tunnels, and powerhouses, under the Accelerated Mahaweli Development Project.
  • Chairman, Bureau of Ceylon Standards.

1979

  • Conferred the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by the University of Moratuwa.

1981

  • Commissioner of the Inventors Commission of Sri Lanka.
  • Elected Vice President of the International Federation on Pre stressing (FIP).

1982

  • Founder President of the Association of Consulting Engineers, Sri Lanka.

1983

  • Construction of Kotmale Maha Seya, involving the design and construction of a 200 ft. diameter hemispherical concrete shell.

1986

  • National Honour “Vidya Jyothi Class I” conferred by His Excellency the President on the Independence Commemoration Day, February 4,1986.

1987

  • President, National Academy of Sciences.

1994

  • Resigned from the position of Chairman, of the National Engineering Research and Development Centre.

1995

  • Awarded the title of “Visva Prasadhini” form Scientific Research.

1996

  • Resigned from the position of Chairman, of the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau.
  • Appointed Additional Director General, of the National Building Research Organisation.

2000

  • Conferred the degree of Doctor of Engineering (1-Ionoris Causa) by the Open University of Sri Lanka.

2003

  • Awarded the “Sri Lankabhimani” from Swarnawahini.

2004

  • Honorary Fellowship by the Society of Structural Engineering.

2005

  • Awarded the title “Deshabandu” by her Excellency, the President.