Surat Diamond Bourse, the world’s largest office surpassing US’s Pentagon

In order to lower indoor temperatures, "radiant cooling" is also used to pump cold water beneath the building's floors...

Digital desk: Surat, where almost 90% of the world's diamonds are cut has gained another accolade with the opening of the Surat Diamond Bourse, the world's largest office structure, surpassing the Pentagon.

The enormous industry will now reside in the Surat Diamond Bourse which has room for over 65,000 diamond specialists including cutters, polishers and traders.

The structure is made up of nine rectangular structures that branch out from and are connected by a central spine. It is a 15-story building complex on more than 35 acres of land.

The architects of Surat Diamond Bourse told news outlet CNN that the building comprises over 7.1 million square feet of floor space. The Pentagon comprises over 6.5 million square feet of floor space.

According to the architects of Surat Diamond Bourse, the structure has a floor area of more than 7.1 million square feet. Over 6.5 million square feet of floor space make up the Pentagon.

The renovations started in 2019 and will be completed in November. The Surat Diamond Bourse's development was significantly delayed due to Covid-19. Later this year, the structure will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to a CNN story, there are 4,700 office spaces that are all connected to one another and can house small workshops for cutting and polishing diamonds.

The building is made at a cost of ₹3,200 crores ($388 million).

According to reports, it includes 131 elevators and also has meeting, cafeteria and retail spaces for its staff.

Morphogenesis, an Indian architectural firm was in charge of the project. Mahesh Gadhavi, its CEO, told CNN that the company's goal was not to outgrow the Pentagon in size but rather to make sure that those who travel more than three and a half to four hours per day to get from their homes to their offices and back was able to find some relief and consider relocating to Surat.

According to the CEO, the project's vast size was caused by demand and diamond businesses had already bought all of the office space before it was built. He claimed to CNN that the Surat Diamond Bourse will level the playing field for both small and large firms.

Sonali Rastogi, the co-founder of the architecture company was quoted in the CNN story as saying that no office will be more than seven minutes' walk from any of the building's access gates and that the design is "democratic" in character.

She stated that the central hallway connecting the office spaces is comparable to an airline terminal. According to Rastogi, who spoke to CNN, the Surat Diamond Bourse also sought to resemble a "traditional bazaar" and put special emphasis on the fact that casual talks take place outside of offices. There are courtyards where traders and polishers can gather informally to discuss business, work and have casual discussions. The courtyards will be equipped with chairs and water elements.

According to Gadhavi, the diamond centre will serve as an "anchor tenant" if plans to construct the "Dream City," a "smart" city spread across nearly 700 hectares, come to fruition.

Additionally, the structure received a "platinum" grade from the Indian Green Building Council since, according to its designers, it uses up to 50% less energy than the maximum permissible.

According to the designers, the flare-shaped central spine directs wind through the building. In order to lower indoor temperatures, "radiant cooling" is also used to pump cold water beneath the building's floors.