This Indian city could soon house the world's largest office building

Billed as a destination for over 65,000 diamond professionals, the Surat Diamond Bourse is a sprawling 15-storey complex spread across 35 acres of land

Trends Desk

Published: Tue 18 Jul 2023, 7:53 PM

Last updated: Tue 18 Jul 2023, 7:58 PM

Surat, a city in India's western state of Gujarat, is famous for its diamond industry. It has now added another feather in its cap — the Surat Diamond Bourse, which is being seen as a record-breaking building.

Billed as a comprehensive destination for over 65,000 diamond professionals — including traders, cutters and polishers — the Surat Diamond Bourse is a sprawling 15-storey complex spread across 35 acres of land.

The trading centre’s architects say it comprises over 7.1 million square feet of floor space, which would mean it has surpassed the Pentagon as the world’s largest office building, according to a CNN report.

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The building's innovative design features a central "spine" interconnected with nine rectangular structures; it is meant to ensure a seamless and efficient working environment.

The building boasts expansive marble floors, well-lit atriums and 4,700 office spaces, dining areas, wellness centres and conference facilities, according to the official website. The building has been designed by Indian architecture firm Morphogenesis.

According to the CNN report cited above, Surat Diamond Bourse was built at a cost of around 32 billion Indian rupees (around Dh1,432,165,497).

The primary objective of the Surat Diamond Bourse is to eliminate the need for thousands of people to commute to the financial hub of Mumbai — some 300 kilometres away — on a daily basis, Mahesh Gadhavi, the CEO of the Surat Diamond Bourse project, told CNN.

The project was hampered by delays caused due to the Covid-19 pandemic but it is ready now. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is from Gujarat, is expected to inaugurate the Surat Diamond Bourse in November this year.

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