The world's largest office building, 660,000 m2 of floor space

The Surat Diamond Bourse building in Surat in the state of Gujarat, India, with 660,000 square meters of floor space has surpassed the Pentagon in the US to become the largest office building in the world.

Located in Surat, where 90% of the world's diamonds are processed, the Surat Diamond Bourse building is built with 9 successive rectangular structures radiating out and linked together through a central "spine". This complex was built on an area of ​​more than 14 hectares and 15 floors high at a cost of 388 million USD.

The building will officially open later this year and welcome its first residents in November. The building caters to the needs of more than 65,000 diamond professionals, including cutters, polishers and traders.

Surat Diamond Bourse features marble floors and a light-filled atrium. The project includes more than 4,700 offices, which can function as small workshops for diamond cutting and polishing. In addition, the building is equipped with a dining room, a gym, a retail store and a conference room for employees. Surat Diamond Bourse has 131 elevators.

The new building is a design by Indian architecture firm Morphogenesis, with a scale determined by need.

According to Mahesh Gadhavi, the project's executive director, all of the building's offices were purchased by diamond companies prior to construction.

Morphogenesis researched and designed the building so that no office is more than a 7-minute walk from any door of the building. In addition, the building design is also studied to meet the most convenient and safe diamond transaction.

The building is designed to use 50% less energy than allowed. The central spine of the building is designed with a flared shape to help guide the wind through the building. Under the floor is a cooling system that circulates cool water to help reduce the temperature in the house. It is estimated that about half of the building is cooled by natural ventilation, of course each office is still equipped with air conditioning. The common areas in the building use solar energy.

Marvin Fry

Update 24 July 2023