Surat Diamond Bourse: World's largest office complex

Tags: National News

The Surat Diamond Bourse has also surpassed the Pentagon office complex of the US Department of Defense as the world's largest office complex.

An Overview of the news:

• The full functioning of the Surat Diamond Bourse will give a boost to the dynamism and growth of the diamond industry.
• The exchange will serve as a hub of trade, innovation and collaboration, boosting the country's economy and creating over 1.5 lakh jobs.

Inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 21 November:

• Surat Diamond Bourse will start functioning from November 21, 2023. The official inauguration will be done in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

90% of the world's diamonds get their final form in Surat:

• Surat is famous for producing 90 percent of the world's diamonds. According to the Union Ministry of Finance, 14 out of 15 diamonds in the world are finally cut in Surat.

Borse Cost:

• This office complex has been built at a cost of more than Rs 3,000 crore. This Diamond Bourse has been constructed in 6.7 million square feet.

Chief Architect:

• The office complex was designed by Manit Rastogi, founding partner of architecture firm Morphogenesis, who was commissioned following an international design competition.

Complex Structure:

• The Surat Diamond Bourse consists of nine interconnected buildings connected by 24 feet wide spine corridors. Each of these buildings is 15 floors high including the ground floor.
• Each office ranges from 300 to 75,000 square feet in size.
• There is also a 2 million square feet parking area in the basement of the exchange.

Largest group of professionals in the world:

• The complex of 4,500 diamond trading offices is spread over 35.54 acres and can house 67,000 diamond professionals including cutters, polishers and traders.

Security Arrangements of the Bourse:

• The facility has provision for highly secure campus security checkpoints, CCTV surveillance, control room, public announcement system and under car scanners at the entry gates at all entry and exit gates.

IGBC Accredited:

• The Diamond Bourse has been designed to be eco-friendly and has also been given a platinum ranking from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).

Design in harmony with nature:

• The shape of the central spine circulates air through the funnel structure to the entire structure, as well as lowering the indoor temperature by circulating chilled water beneath the radiant cooling floor.
• All the offices overlook the landscaped court, designed on the concept of "panchtatva" – the five elements, air, water, fire, earth and sky – which is approximately 200 feet wide and 300 feet long.

Facilities available in the office premises:

• The bourse has many facilities like safe deposit vaults, conference hall, multi-purpose hall, restaurant, bank, customs clearance house, convention centre, exhibition centre, training centre, entertainment zone, restaurant and a club with security plans.