It is indeed a matter of great pride that the largest office building in the world is now located in Surat, Gujarat, having surpassed even the Pentagon in the United States. The Surat Diamond Bourse, which 65,000 professionals from the diamond industry will now call their office, is spread over 35 acres of land and 15-stories featuring a series of nine interconnected rectangular structures emanating from a central structure called the “Spine”. This unique building which will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister soon, was designed by Sonali and Manit Rastogi, founding partners of Morphogenesis. The team joins Sunday Guardian for an exclusive chat.
Q. When and why did you decide to pursue architecture?
Sonali: I was introduced to architecture even before I knew how to walk—I come from a family of architects, having spent a significant part of my childhood in a house where the living room was a studio. This immersive experience helped me realise where I belong and what my aspirations for the future were.
Manit: I’ve had a very mixed upbringing, from spending my childhood in various regions across the western coast of Africa to the boarding school in England where I completed my schooling. I came to India during a break and took up architecture as it was the only course that still had an open registration for the entrance exam. I intended to stay for just a year at SPA Delhi, but once I was actively involved in the stream, there was no looking back.
Q. Please share the history of your firm – when did it start and what was your vision?
Manit: Sonali and I pursued our masters at the Architectural Association, London which was an interactive environment that frequently hosted lectures and insightful discourse. It was during this period that we noticed the lack of thoughtful architecture from the Indian subcontinent. Apart from the works of the great regionalist Charles Correa, there weren’t many benchmarks for a country with a rich architectural legacy of almost 5000 years. We wanted to bridge this gap and reinterpret our global learnings for the Indian context. We came back to India and set up our practice in 1996—a then two-person studio that consisted of just us two.
Q. Please tell us about your most noteworthy projects over the years.
Sonali: The Pearl Academy in Jaipur was a turning point in our professional journey. Other projects that come to mind are the Lalit Suri Hospitality Institute in Faridabad, the recently completed Zydus Corporate Park in Ahmedabad, and a mixed-use campus for ITC in Kolkata.
Q. How did the Surat Diamond Bourse come about?
Manit: The Surat Diamond Bourse is a result of the collective dream of the diamond merchants of Surat. The community organised a competition for its construction, and as their vision for the building aligned with that of Morphogenesis, we were brought on board. The core idea for the Surat Diamond Bourse was to create architecture that equips the world’s largest community of diamond traders to empower themselves. It was vital for us to create a building responsive to their lifestyle and how they conduct business.
Q. What was the brief given to you initially? Did it change?
Sonali: The brief was to design a centre for diamond trade in Surat that would ensure the seamless collaboration of over 65,000 traders. It was also envisioned as an icon, a seed building for the Diamond Research and Mercantile (DREAM) city, a new business district on the fringes of Surat—and the entire city is supposed to spawn off it.
So even as parameters such as security, finance and various modes of trading were factored in, we also addressed the design of democratic spaces that were equally accessible to all, regardless of whether they were large-scale or small-scale traders.
Manit: It was important to understand how the traders carried out their business to create a building that would cater to their needs. We tried to do this by carrying out detailed case studies on how the community worked, be it in the informal way that transactions were made, in the importance placed on social interaction and much more.
These nuances were then translated into design responses. For instance, we prioritised circulation as one of the defining parameters for the design and wanted to pose a solution for the primary concern. How could we ensure that 65,000 traders who enter the building within the 15-minute trading time reach their respective offices in the span of a few minutes? Through strategically placed vertical circulation nodes, we ensured that the travel time for each user was less than four minutes upon entry to the site.
The building’s central circulation spine was treated as a resource distribution channel and a social atrium as opposed to what could have just been a nondescript corridor. All spaces open onto this central spine, allowing for chance interactions. We also coupled partly formal indoor offices with informal outdoor workspaces responding to the traditional way the traders worked.
Q. How does the building marry different influences to be Indian at heart but globally significant?
Sonali: The diversity in terms of built heritage in India varies from region to region. However, there is one thing in common—all structures employ passive design strategies to craft a comfortable microclimate, be it the jaalis that filter out harsh sunlight, the courtyards that enable cross-ventilation, or the multi-storeyed baolis (step wells) that foster cool temperatures.
The nine courtyards at Surat Diamond Bourse facilitate open-air trading like that of a traditional bazaar and serve as spaces that promote recreation, fostering a strong sense of community. The central axis of the building consists of staggered atria that facilitate cooling through ‘stack’ effect. The fins at each end of the spine were developed to funnel in prevailing winds through the ‘Venturi effect’ (rapid flow of air through a confined area). Even the perforations along the east-west side of the building are inspired by traditional jaalis and enable natural ventilation throughout the building.
Manit: Surat Diamond Bourse is contextually inspired in terms of its spirit and planning principles but sets a global benchmark for high-density office buildings. 100 percent of the building’s community and circulation spaces, equivalent to 30 percent of the built-up area, are naturally ventilated with passive cooling. The building also features one of the largest installations of radiant cooling systems, where 40 percent of the built-up volume is cooled by a system that uses chilled circulated water on the floors and ceilings.
The north-south orientation of the office blocks, coupled with the narrow depth of the floor plates, ensures that more than 75 percent of internal spaces are daylit, reducing the dependence on artificial lighting. The common areas run on solar power throughout the year. With a performance of around 45 kWh/sq.m./yr, the building consumes 50 percent less energy than a regular green building.
Q. What are you working on next?
Some of our upcoming projects include Mahindra Luminare, a series of luxury apartments in Gurugram; Intellion Park, Gurugram, an upcoming office campus for Tata Realty and Infrastructure; a new office campus for Infosys in Nagpur; and Trump Towers, one of North India’s tallest residential buildings which aims to redefine luxury living.
It seems there is a lot to look forward to from the team at Morphogenesis.
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.