| Surat Diamond Bourse | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
 Interactive map of the Surat Diamond Bourse area | |
| Alternative names | SDB |
| General information | |
| Status | Operational |
| Location | DREAM City, Khajod,Gujarat, India, 177/P, Dream City, Khajod, Surat, Surat, India |
| Coordinates | 21°6′35″N72°47′43″E / 21.10972°N 72.79528°E /21.10972; 72.79528 |
| Groundbreaking | 16 February 2015[1] |
| Construction started | 25 October 2017[2] |
| Completed | 26 July 2023[3] |
| Inaugurated | 17 December 2023[4] |
| Cost | ₹3,200 crore (US$380 million)[5] |
| Owner | SDB DIAMOND BOURSE[6] |
| Landlord | DREAM City Company Limited |
| Height | 81.9 m (269 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 15[7] |
| Floor area | 660,000 square metres (7,100,000 sq ft)[7] |
| Grounds | 14.38 hectares (35.54 acres)[7] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Manit Rastogi Sonali Rastogi[8] |
| Architecture firm | Morphogenesis |
| Website | |
| www | |
Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) is adiamond trade centre located inDREAM City inSurat, Gujarat, India, designed by the architecture firmMorphogenesis. It is the world's largest office complex with a floor space of 660,000 square metres (7,100,000 sq ft), as well as theworld's largest office building.[9][10][11] The current Chairman isGovind Dholakia and CEO of Surat Diamond Bourse is Mahesh Gadhavi.
The SDB project was launched by the formerChief Minister of Gujarat,Anandiben Patel, after the laying thefoundation stone for the construction of the complex, as well as of theDiamond Research and Mercantile City, on 15 February 2015.[12][1] Though theCOVID-19 pandemic slowed the construction progress, the pace was increased after restrictions were lifted. The overall structure of the complex was completed in May 2022,[13] and the overall construction was finished on 26 July 2023.[3] It was officially declared asthe world's largest office building, surpassingThe Pentagon, by theGuinness World Records on 22 August 2023.[10] It was supposed to be inaugurated byPrime MinisterNarendra Modi in November 2023, but due to some internal works pending, it was delayed, and was inaugurated and opened on 17 December 2023.[14]
The building is located in the core of theDiamond Research and Mercantile City, an upcoming business district. It is spread across 14.38 hectares (35.54 acres) with availability of 61,000 square metres (660,000 square feet) built-up area. Thebourse comprises nine interconnected towers, each with 15 floors, accommodating 4,200 offices ranging from 28 square metres (300 square feet) to 700 square metres (7,500 square feet), out of which 2,700 offices are with 28 square metres (300 sq ft) area each in five towers, 900 offices with 46 square metres (500 sq ft) area in one tower, 400 offices with 93 square metres (1,000 sq ft) area in another tower, and two towers offering 350 larger offices exceeding 93 square metres (1,000 sq ft) area. The nine towers are connected with each other by a central corridor, with access to services and facilities similar to anairport terminal. There are ninePanchtattva courts in between the nine buildings, created as recreational and green spaces. There are 131 elevators, with a speed of three meters per second. It has a two-level underground parking space, capable of accommodating 4,500 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers. All of the offices are centrally air-conditioned through a chilled water-cooling system. The building provides amenities such as conference halls, multi-purpose halls, restaurants, banks, and retail shops along with security plans. In addition, there is a dedicated custom clearance house for import and export of diamonds, a National Diamond Research Institute (NDRI), an international convention centre, international education facilities, and five-star hotels.[15][14] The complex is a pre-certifiedgreen building by theIndian Green Building Council (IGBC) because of its eco-friendly and sustainabity measures adopted to function itself,[16] and is dubbed as the world's largest corporate building.[9][17]
The bourse has received a lukewarm reception from diamond traders, as it is located on the outskirts of the city of Surat and has poor connectivity, when compared with the existingBharat Diamond Bourse, located in the better-connected city ofMumbai.[18] The SDB announced incentives for shifting diamond business to Surat.[19][20] In order to boost connectivity, there needs to be worldwide connectivity with Surat, like the global diamond centres ofAntwerp,Chicago andLondon, in order to establish its dominance out of Mumbai, and let firms enter without hesitation. TheSurat Airport has been expanded to an international status, which was also inaugurated on the same day of the SDB's inauguration, and will help to fulfill this target.[21] As of July 2024, out of 4,200 offices, over 200 offices have been opened, out of which over 30 offices are operated by Mumbai-based diamond firms.[22]
The complex also has the "diamond jewellery mall", which is a first in the world. It covers an area of 4,600 square metres (50,000 sq ft) within the SDB, and will host top international brands specialised in diamond jewellery retailing. As part of the mall, the SDB will have 27 diamond jewellery showrooms to provide spaces for the brands. The showrooms will be auctioned by the SDB Administrative Committee.[23]
The complex houses India's largest customs clearance center, covering an area of 5,600 square metres (60,000 sq ft) The customs office, strategically located in the basement of the SDB, will oversee the export of valuable diamonds to various countries. It will be staffed by 11 officers, including a customs superintendent and inspectors, all sponsored by the SDB diamond bourse committee for the first three years. The customs office hosts many facilities, including a waiting area, two safe deposit vaults, a customs house-clearing (CHA) room, a postal department room, custom officers' cabins, officer cabins, a valuer room, and a conference room. The customs house will inspect and clear diamond parcels for export, which will then be dispatched to the secure vault atSurat Airport for direct export to international destinations. However, due to the lack of direct international air connectivity to key destinations likeNew York andAntwerp from Surat Airport, the diamond parcels will still be sent toMumbai for export, once cleared by the SDB customs office. As of December 2023, according to the SDB officials, the final approval from theDelhi customs headquarters is pending. Once granted, the SDB's customs house will be equipped with an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system for efficient tracking of diamond imports and exports, thus further streamlining the process for the rising diamond industry of Surat.[24]
The potential of Surat's diamond industry has inspired the conceptualisation of theDiamond Research and Mercantile City (DREAM City). With a core objective of improving the trading facilities of the diamond industry (forward and backward integration), thissmart city project, as part of theSmart Cities Mission, covers an area of 683 hectares (1,690 acres), onNH-53, close to the Surat international exhibition and convention centre, and at a distance of 3 km (1.9 mi) from theairport. The SDB is located at the centre of the upcoming city, thus making its location advantageous by staying close to the coast and to global markets, like theMiddle Eastern countries of theUnited Arab Emirates,Iran,Qatar,Oman, etc.[25][15]
With a focus on sustainability, the SDB minimizes its environmental impact by adhering to the principles ofPanchtattva, aligning with thefive elements of nature. The building consumes 50% less energy by using natural lighting systems, achieving a remarkable 45 kWh/sq.m./yr compared to the industry green benchmarks of 110 kWh/sq.m./yr. as perEnergy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), thus earning it the prestigiousIndian Green Building Council (IGBC) Platinum rating. It features one of the world’s largest radiant cooling systems. A combination of thermal mass and porosity in relevant areas results in low external heat gains and lower cooling loads. Hybrid climate systems integrate passive strategies for natural ventilation with energy-efficient mechanical cooling. The central spine flares into vertical fins to funnel low-intensity winds using theVenturi effect, while staggered atria allow for the escape of hot air through thestack effect, thereby maintaining a pleasantmicroclimate, or interior temperature. The radiant cooling systems cool the interiors by an energy-efficient system, that uses chilled water on the floors and ceilings. The rooftop solar project executed for SDB by theAhmedabad-based startup, URON Energy, is one of the most unique and is one of the highest solar energy-generating rooftop solar projects in the world, with some very rare and ground-breaking features, such as:
Other features such as sustainable waste disposal systems have been set up, and there is adequate green area in the SDB's premises in order to make the premises eco-friendly and to promote afforestation.[26][16]
The SDB is connected to DREAM City by a number of transportation options, as the core of the city, including:
In addition to these transportation options, there are also plans to build a skywalk that will connect the SDB to the Dream City Convention Centre. The skywalk will provide a pedestrian-friendly connection between the two facilities.[27]
Connectivity between the SDB and DREAM City:
