Morphogenesis Finishes World's Largest Office Building In India
Architecture studio Morphogenesis finishes world's largest office building in India. The Surat Diamond Bourse in India, which was just unveiled by Morphogenesis, has taken the title of the world's biggest office building, surpassing the Pentagon in the process.
George EvansJul 27, 202366 Shares66142 Views
Architecture studio Morphogenesis finishes world's largest office buildingin India. The Surat Diamond Bourse in India, which was just unveiled by Morphogenesis, has taken the title of the world's biggest office building, surpassing the Pentagon in the process.
The office complex, which spans a total area of 660,000 square meters and is located on the outskirts of the city of Surat, was conceived of as a "city within a city" in order to accommodate the greatest community of diamond merchants in the world.
It is larger than the 620,000 square meter Pentagon office in Washington DC, which has held the title of the world's largest office building for the past 80 years since it was built in 1943. This new skyscraper is larger than both of those buildings together.
“„The core concept for the Surat Diamond Bourse was to create an architecture that equips the world's largest community of diamond traders to empower themselves.- Sonali Rastogi, Morphogenesis founding partner
“„It was vital for us to create a building responsive to their lifestyle and how they conduct business.- Sonali Rastogi
“„We tried to do this by carrying out detailed case studies on how the community worked, be it in the informal way that transactions were made, in the importance placed on social interaction and much more.- Sonali Rastogi
The structure was designed to be "iconic without being overwhelming" and contains nine wings, each of which is 15 stories tall and is grouped around a central hallway. There are 4,717 offices for a total of 67,000 diamond professionals located within the wings of the building. These professionals include cutters, polishers, and traders. The sizes of the offices varies from less than 28 square meters to more than 10,500 square meters.
“„Although the Surat Diamond Bourse is the world's largest single-office building, it houses predominantly small offices, keeping the scale humane and intimate.- Sonali Rastogi
“„Moreover, these offices are arranged within narrow floor plates, allowing them to be completely day-lit.- Sonali Rastogi
The layout of the structure ensures that all of the site's offices can be reached in under seven minutes from any of the building's entrances. A central spine that is composed of a succession of full-height atriums serves to connect all of the office wings.
These atriums are viewed from balconies located on each floor. This middle block is designed to admit air into the structure by opening up into fan-like shades as it nears its finish.
“„The central circulation spine was treated as a resource distribution channel and a social atrium as opposed to what could have just been a nondescript corridor.- Sonali Rastogi
“„All spaces open onto this central spine, allowing for chance interactions. We also coupled partly formal indoor offices with informal outdoor workspaces responding to the traditional way the traders worked.- Sonali Rastogi
The north-south orientation of the building's 15-story wings helps to shield occupants from the intense sunlight that the west faces. Every one of the building's blocks features a completely glass exterior, which lets natural light inside the enormous structure. Courtyards, which are mainly shaded by the structure and are meant to be utilized as informal trading and gathering places, are situated in between these wings of the building.
“„The courtyards allow all the office spaces to be completely day-lit, they also support the way of life of the traders, including recreational activities and open trading like in a traditional Indian bazaar. The courtyards are also self-shaded and can thus be used throughout the year.- Sonali Rastogi
The wings of the structure are mostly encased with glazing and native Gwalior white sandstone, while the spine is completed in local Lakha red granite.
“„The choice of the vibrant red colour was a result of a desire to source our materials from within a limited radius. The Lakha red granite used was procured locally from within a 300-kilometre radius, meeting our sustainability criteria. The sun picks up the colour beautifully, giving it a strong visual identity that is iconic yet not overpowering.- Sonali Rastogi
Final Words
In addition to the several offices, the building has a dining zone, retail plaza, fitness club, and conference and banquet facilities. Morphogenesis was formed in 1996 by Sonali and Manit Rastogi and has offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and New Delhi. Other projects by the studio include a perforated-wall school in New Delhi and a stone-clad cosmetics plant in the Himalayan foothills.
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