[3][4] The building was constructed using pre-fabricated pre-cast concrete panels for the outer walls, columns and beam structures.

Loads were also designed to be carried by a column-beam structure and the core walls were the lifts, toilets and fire staircase located in the centre of the building.

The building which was under construction, was damaged in January 1996 as a result of LTTE suicide attack on the Central Bank, which killed 91 people and injured over 1,400.

On Wednesday, 15 October (three days after the opening), the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) detonated a truck laden with explosives in the adjoining hotel car park, causing significant damage to the side of the western tower.

[7] The WTCC was specifically targeted by the LTTE as it was the country's tallest building and the symbolic centre of its economy.