For 80 years, Pentagon was the world’s largest office building. But that title has now been taken by a building in Gujarat’s Surat that will house a diamond trading centre, according to a CNN report. Surat is known as the gem capital of the world where 90 per cent of the world’s diamonds are cut. The newly-constructed Surat Diamond Bourse will be a “one-stop destination” for over 65,000 diamond professionals, including cutters, polishers and traders, the outlet further said.
The 15-storey building is spread across 35 acres of land and has nine rectangular structures, as per the CNN report. They are all interconnected via a central spine.
According to the company that built the sprawling complex, it comprises over 7.1 million square feet of floor space.
The building will be officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November this year. It took four years to complete the construction of the building.
According to SDB website, the complex has a recreational zone and parking area spread across 20 lakh square foot.
It is a not for profit organization promoted by SDB Diamond Bourse, a company registered under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 and formed for the establishment and promotion of Diamond Bourse in Surat, Gujarat.
Speaking to CNN, project’s CEO Mahesh Gadhavi said the new building complex will save thousands of people from travelling – sometimes daily – to Mumbai by train to do business.
The building has been designed by Indian architecture firm Morphogenesis following an international design competition.
“Surpassing the Pentagon was not part of the competition brief. Rather, the project’s size was dictated by demand,” Mr Gadhavi told CNN.
He added that all the offices were purchased by diamond companies before the construction.
