World’s largest office building set to open in India’s Surat city
NEW DELHI, July 20, 2023
With space for 4,700 offices over 7 million sq ft of floor space, India's Surat Diamond Bourse, located in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, has become the world’s largest office building, even surpassing the Pentagon, said media reports.
A 15-storey complex built across more than 35 acres of land, it is touted as a 'one-stop destination' for over 65,000 diamond professionals, including cutters, polishers, and traders.
The $388 million facility is part of the Gujarat state government’s Diamond Research And Mercantile (DREAM) City project which has been completed within a four-year period.
The building was designed by New Delhi-based architecture firm Morphogenesis.
The state-of the-art building has features including designed to consume up to 50% less energy, qualifying it for a "platinum" rating from the Indian Green Building Council. It incorporates a "radiant cooling" system that circulates chilled water beneath its floors, which will reduce indoor temperatures, reported Hindustan Times.
Further, solar energy powers the common areas within the building and the offices are interconnected through a long central corridor, resembling the layout of an airport terminal. The building accommodates 4,700 office spaces and 131 elevators, it added.
The project took about a period of four years to complete, including two years of Covid-19 pandemic related delay. The building will be officially opened later this year by Prime Minister Modi, and host its first occupants in November, it stated.
India has surpassed the US in one significant thing - having the world's largest office building. Gujarat has a record-breaking building to house its mammoth diamond industry," stated CNN in its report.
Lauding the giant tower, Modi said that the building's architecture shows the dynamism and growth of Surat's diamond industry.
“It will serve as a hub for trade, innovation and collaboration, further boosting India’s economy and creating employment opportunities,” he stated ahead of the opening.
"It is also a testament to India’s entrepreneurial spirit. It will serve as a hub for trade, innovation, and collaboration, further boosting our economy and creating employment opportunities," he added.
The International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research is part of that project. The new bourse complex has a recreational zone and parking area spread across 2 million sq ft.
It is a not for profit organization promoted by SDB Diamond Bourse, a company registered under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 and formed for the establishment and promotion of Diamond Bourse in Gujarat. Over 90% of the world’s diamonds are cut, crafted, polished, processed and finished in this city.
Vallabhbhai Patel, Chairman of the Surat Diamond Bourse, said the new facility is projected to have an annual turnover of $27 billion.
For 80 years, Pentagon was the world's largest office building. On surpassing the Pentagon's feat, Gadhavi said it was not the original intention. “The project’s size was dictated by demand…,” he was quoted as saying by the CNN.
All of the offices were purchased by diamond companies before the construction, he added.
