Props go to Euromast and Indiansunite for this!

This is a placeholder post, since I don't have the time right now to present the information. First, the posts by Euromast and IU in Ahmedabad -- Projects and Discussions (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=358967):
^Nice find Euromast! An 80 storey tower is planned!
Originally Posted by Suncity in June in the other Amd thread
A mega project for Ahmedabad

http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2007/jun/28gift.htm

Ahmedabad's Tagore Hall, popularly called Town Hall, witnessed inauguration of a plan to develop a financial services city consisting of an international financial city segment, domestic finance city sector, a technology park and an integrated township on Thursday. The project's foundation stone was laid by the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in Gandhinagar on early Thursday morning marked by a bhoomi puja.From TOI :
Rendering of the 80 storey tower:

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/8138/gift3bx0.jpg

Its the same building that pops up in their hoarding/banner :
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9789/dsc002hl7.jpg


Some info on GIFT:

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/9059/gift1ki4.jpg


Shanghai’s ECADI to design glitzy skyline
The same firm that gave modern Shanghai its most defining structure in 1988 — the `Oriental Pearl’ or the Pearl Tower as it is popularly known, which at 450 metres is the world’s third tallest and Asia’s tallest building — is designing mega-city Ahmedabad and India’s most distinctive modern structure, the `Diamond Tower’. Come 2010, the diamond faceted signature building of GIFT will not just tower over modern Ahmedabad’s skyline but also put it on the global financial map, streets ahead of Mumbai. The steel and glass structure along with the masterplan of the GIFT project is being made by the 55-year old Shanghai-based East China Architectural Design & Research Institute Co, Ltd (ECADI).
ECADI is...
An architectural services provider.
Has designed nearly 20,000 projects in over 20 countries.
Has bagged over 600 awards.
Has alliances with over 100 foreign design and engineering firms.Some more info on GIFT:
Sick and tired of escalating costs in financial hubs like Mumbai, early movers like ICICI and Kotak Mahindra are already rushing to book space with others expected to follow suit.

ICICI group has acquired a 17-acre plot of land to set up its western region back office hub employing 30,000 persons right next to GIFT at an investment of Rs 1500 crore, even as Kotak Mahindra is learned to have signed an MoU to acquire nearly 2 million sq ft of space at GIFT for its financial services hub. A host of foreign banks, brokerage firms, non-banking finance companies and KPOs too are finding out that’s it makes smart business and finance sense to come to Ahmedabad.

Enthused by the growing business opportunities in this sector, eduational institutions too are gearing up to cater to the tsunami of demand for professionals that is sure to hit Amdavad by 2010 when the first phase of GIFT is ready with nearly 25 million sq ft of space and 1.4 lakh jobs. After all, the mega project is gunning to capture a 6-8% slice of the 800 million sq ft space and 10 million jobs that’s expected to be created for this industry in India by 2020.Edited to add:
Come 2010, when both Gujarat and Maharashtra celebrate their 50th birthday, Amdavad will have its own GIFT that will boast of India’s tallest (300-400 metres) and most distinctive landmark — Diamond Tower — on the banks of Sabarmati at Shahpur village between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.
The project, slated to commence construction by March 2008, is being developed by the Gujarat Finance City Development Company Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture between the Gujarat government and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS).http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1417/gift2hg5vf5.th.jpg (http://img525.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gift2hg5vf5.jpg)

[TOI-Ahmedabad]


Additional information from Official website:
Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) (http://gujintlfintecity.co.in)

Check out their PDF (download fast!)
Presentation about GIFT (http://gujintlfintecity.co.in/GIFT_PPT_15_10_07.pdf)

Some more renderings, taken from PDF and website:
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8175/dsc0171kt2.jpg

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6274/dsc018gk7.jpg

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/1998/dsc019df6.jpg

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/284/03ov2.jpg http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/338/05ne9.jpg http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/8274/06ef6.jpg

Perspective view on the entire CBD:
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7452/10pw6.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1287/02jq2.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7632/07jp2.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4301/06ly0.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4404/05qr5.jpg
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9311/11ka9.jpg


3 Signature Towers:
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4357/03nd9.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/3316/04yw7.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9171/08al4.jpg

I tried to enlarge and clarify the overall master plan rendering:
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7798/38067741ag0.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4294/01ur4.jpg


Please compile any and all information in this thread. I'll compile it in the next couple days to create a presentable post on this project for posting in the international forums.

Cheers,
Jai

BTW, anyone see an interesting resemblance to the Hafeez Contractor's 'Obelisk' vision for Hyderabad?:
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/6384/animation369pg1.gif

WTF!!....aaahhh.....what the hell...thats really kewl....hey will all the towers in this image be built!!....
or am i missing something
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4294/01ur4.jpg

^^

Great project for Ahmedabad city and for the state of Gujarat.

Highrise building along Sabarmati river look beautiful in rendering.

Very good and ambitious.

Similar in lines to the project in South India.

Another tower claiming it will be the tallest in India.

This is an awesome project..and the BCD really looks one of a kind for India...and being officially inaugrated, we surely will be seeing some construction activity come march..

so are they gonna create that island thing on which dimond building will be built?
BTW will they build all the other buildings in the picture or it is just a borrowed skyline for the sake of the rendering?

Great enough. question is will all of them will ever be built?

Awesome.

Great enough. question is will all of them will ever be built?

well this one looks kinda serious my friend...i really hope it materialises

Absoultely amazing project for gujarat and india. I hope it gets built

wonderful.
Gujarat is growing in leaps and bounds.
I am sure Gujjus will make it a big success.
Gujjus are a well knit community and have global reach. money is no problem at all.
Props go to Euromast and Indiansunite for this! ...
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9311/11ka9.jpg
Jai
cool. they even have some time line ...

renderings are awesome as usual.

Excellent for Gujarat and India!

Can you upload screencaps and/or transcript of the whole TOI article (with date/issue number) as well?

Here's a screencap of the full text of the article. There's some rambling about Ahmedabad in the beginning of the article that I didn't post earlier.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/6968/ar0020001io3.png

^and its from the Nov29th TOI-Ahmedabad edition


Gujjus are a well knit community and have global reach. money is no problem at all.

Indeed.:yes: Money is no problem for good jews.

so are they gonna create that island thing on which dimond building will be built?

No idea. But I am guessing yes.

BTW will they build all the other buildings in the picture or it is just a borrowed skyline for the sake of the rendering?

In the pics of the banner, the skyline is borrowed. In the renderings, the buildings are there to depict a typical CBD. The surrounding building designs aren't final though.

WTF!!....aaahhh.....what the hell...thats really kewl....hey will all the towers in this image be built!!....
or am i missing something
The towers that have light reaching upwards will get built. The rest is from a background image, perhaps indicating future clustering of highrises.


By the way, the same designers of this GIFT project -- ECADI -- were the consultants behind that other proposal, the Golden Triangle City Centre (GTCC) (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=15054344&postcount=185) in Gurgaon, NCR, to be topped with four 140-storey towers.

Now that the Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar CBD has finally been realized after months of rumors and talk of 'plans', perhaps the GTCC, reported this August to still be in the works, will soon surface! :cheers:


Anyway, judging from this perspective:
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5682/12mi5.jpg

The 80-storey Diamond Tower will have a pinnacle at 400m, and the twin towers will have a height of 310m:
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4357/03nd9.jpg

To put that in perspective, DT will be roughly the equivalent height of Lanco Hills Signature Tower (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=479954) (and thus be in the running for India's tallest) and the twins the height of Mumbai's tallest u/c India Tower (Park Hyatt) (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=471040)

That's incredible news indeed! I only hope it will spur Hyderabad's APIIC Tower (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=471574) and Anantapur's Odyssey Science City (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=435097) -- both who are aiming for the 'India's tallest' record -- to grow even taller!


It's official gentlemen... ITS A SKYSCRAPER RACE!

Jai, there's another article on Page 1 of the paper which I forgot to post...my bad. The article that I posted above was on pg2

Pg1 article :

A GIFT-wrapped missile at Mumbai!


Ahmedabad: Mumbai, pull up your socks. For coming to give you a run for your money is India’s new financial hub of Ahmedabad with its proposed Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT).

A global hub that will rival the best of global financial centres like Manhattan, Dubai, Shanghai, London or Singapore with a glitzy skyline and the best of infrastructure to boot.

Come 2010, when both Gujarat and Maharashtra celebrate their 50th birthday, Amdavad will have its own GIFT that will boast of India’s tallest (300-400 metres) and most distinctive landmark — Diamond Tower — on the banks of Sabarmati at Shahpur village between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

The project, slated to commence construction by March 2008, is being developed by the Gujarat Finance City Development Company Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture between the Gujarat government and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS).

The 500-acre mega project, that will house a 250-acre SEZ as well, is targeting creation of a total 75 million sq ft built space, nearly 1 million jobs, including indirect employment for six lakh persons and generating a whopping $3 billion exports by 2020.

While nearly 15 million sq ft of the 25 million sq ft space, being unlocked for the first phase, has already been lapped up by international and national biggies, MoUs for another 10 million sq ft are in the pipeline, GIFTCL CEO Sunil Behl told The Times of India.

Chescor Capital of Britain, ORIX of Japan in partnership with IL&FS, Fairwood Associates and Punj Lloyd’s Singaporean subsidiary Sembawang Engineers and Constructors Pvt Ltd have signed up space even as Kotak Mahindra group has signed up 2 million sq ft to bring its financial services and back office operations here. The countdown has begun...


^I've noticed TOI-AMD always rambling in its articles about Mumbai being run by Gujaratis and that Ahmedabad is now going to beat Mumbai at this and that. The article title bears testimony to it :lol:

ECADI to plan and design Gujarat's International Finance City (http://www.chineseinindia.com/companies/ecadi.html)
A correspondent

East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (Ecadi) has been roped in to plan and design Gujarat's under-construction project called GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tech-city), to be built along the banks of the Sabarmati river.

The Rs3,000-crore project being built in partnership with IL&FS, and has principle investors like Kotak Mahindra, Chest Core, Punj Lyod, and Fairwood Associates. IL&FS had earlier signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at Dalian, China, attracting investment to the tune of Rs5,000 crore in Gujarat.

In its first phase to be complete by 2010, GIFT will be developed on a land area of 500 acres, with a built-up area potential of up to 75 million sq. ft. The next phase will see the development of townships around the city. IL&FS has secured an advance booking for six million square feet in GIFT, near Gandhinagar.

Mr Yao Wen Lin, board chairman of ECADI, committed "to design GIFT to a standard, that would be superior to one in Shanghai, China". ECADI has planned and designed nearly three-quarters of modern Shanghai.

Looks like Gujarat beat Mumbai to the Shanghai punch! ;)

ECADI to plan and design Gujarat's International Finance City (http://www.chineseinindia.com/companies/ecadi.html)


Looks like Gujarat beat Mumbai to the Shanghai punch! ;)

It's already beaten Mumbai lol as you can make out from the render. Anyway I somewhere read before that Narendra Modi had specially visited China in Shangai and Beijing to see how china's developed, infras and etc. And I also remember that Narendra Modi was keen of having city like Shangai in Gujurat.

Guys, I created a thread in the international forum here:

GANDHINAGAR | Gujarat International Finance Tec-City | 400m | 80 fl | 310m X 2 | 200+m x 10 | App (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=552863)

Exciting, but at the same time I find it weird that Gandhinagar will have a 400 m tower (assuming it's built) before other cities.

^^ - Then one might also be even more amazed that the world's tallest building is in Dubai and not in New York, London, Chicago, Shanghai or Mumbai.:lol:

Projects like the GIFT may be one-offs which are developed in previously non-highrise cities as prestige projects or as signature centre-pieces of large projects. Even so, the average building height in these emerging cities will remain well below those of established high-rise centres. :)

Interesting project.

Hopefully it materializes.

Anyone seen any groundwork going on? If the first phase is to be completed by 2010, some work must have started by now.

Any Ahmedabad forumers here??

great project.Didnt get how far it is from ahmedabad it is? & whether local forumers think its likely to go ahead.
also, in typical indian style it states thet the tower itself will towering over the skyline by...
2010.
Why do i think that is somehow unlikely?

Interesting project.

Hopefully it materializes.

Anyone seen any groundwork going on? If the first phase is to be completed by 2010, some work must have started by now.

Any Ahmedabad forumers here??

Well I have my relatives living there and the contruction is slated to start on March 2008.

this whole project wont look impressive until the second phase is completed which is like 2013...
imagine in the phase 1 just the diamond tower standing lonely on that island with nothing around it.. that is not pretty..
6 years is a long time for India... i hope they stick with the plan until then...
btw i kinda dont like the idea of having just one tower on the island... there should be at least two smaller towers on either side or something else...
also in my opinion they should build docks for the boats and couple of piers and stuff....

Very proud as a Gujarati to see such a project coming up in Amdavad :cheers:

We are all aware of the reasons for which the Indian media will rarely ever report positively on the state (apart from when they have to report on cold hard stats that they can't really run away from!) Add to that, the fact it is completely ignored in the foreign media (probably as it doesn't fall into the now cliched "English Speaking + I.T" view of modern India)

I can really envisage Gujarat being a massive surprise for a lot of people even if they were to visit today... so God only knows what the situation will be like in a few years time! :nuts:

Good Times Ahead :)

WOW! What an amazing project. Looks like Gujurat is finally catching up. Good for you.

Here's an image of the Museum and Convention center on Fortune Island, with one of the twin towers on the right side of the image, taken from a PDF of a scan of a pamphlet advertising job openings in GIFT:
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/5547/14el0.jpg

Ya know... I found a much better rendering of this same view like 2 months ago, but I dismissed it as not in India and didn't save it. Damn.


Anyway, an interesting article giving some background:

MUMBAI's Crown will be Ahmedabad's (http://www.ahmedabadnext.com/ns-story-04.asp)
Soaring Amdavadi Ambition Knows No Bounds And Mumbai’s Supremacy In The Western Region Is Under Serious Threat

Team TOI

There has always been an undercurrent of rivalry between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Much before Ahmedabad was in stiff competition with Mumbai in the area of textiles and came to be known as the ‘Manchester of the East’. The sobriquet has long lost its relevance because Ahmedabad, after the collapse of the textile mills, came to be perched at the head of what is know Gujarat’s ‘Golden Corridor’, a hub for chemical and petro-chemical industry.

It also gave Mumbai a run for its money as far as the pharma industry was concerned, with the Torrents and Cadilas headquartered here.

Nevertheless, Mumbai was Mumbai, even if the Sensex was largely in control of the Gujaratis. And so was the case with the port city’s diamond trade, a business thriving largely on gems polished in Ahmedabad and Surat. But today, Ahmedabad need not look up to Mumbai. With a ring of ports coming in and around Ahmedabad, backed up with massive SEZs for engineering goods, gems and jewellery, textile and apparel parks, the city is poised for a giant leap forward.

Branded well as the main hinterland city around a necklace of ports, it is also a crucial location on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) for goods manufactured in the north not needing to go all the way to Mumbai for shipment. If Ahmedabad was to get a world-class international airport today, all the advantages that Mumbai has over its smaller cousin would be lost. Unlike land-locked Mumbai, which inhibits horizontal growth, there is ample availability of still-cheap land around Ahmedabad where large projects are coming up.

It is not surprising that Mumbai-based realty giants like Rahejas and Hiranandanis are today rushing to Ahmedabad to corner as much land as possible.

“For the last 15-20 years, a fair proportion of business generated in Mumbai originates from Ahmedabad, like subscribing to public issues. With lower manpower and infrastructure costs and a better law and order situation Ahmdabad can make a better financial centre than Mumbai,” feels former IIM-A director Bakul Dholakia.

And the chips have started falling in Ahmedabad’s favour with leading financial services player ICICI chosing Ahmedabad over Mumbai for its Rs 1500 crore western region financial services hub that will create a whopping 30,000 jobs by 2012. Kotak Mahindra group too is set to follow suit.

Now with the Rs 30,000 crore, 500-acre Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) all set to benchmark Ahmedabad, not against Mumbai but global financial centres, Ahmedabad’s battle to emerge as a global financial hub has just got more ammo Mumbai beware we have arrived!

Amazing project. Would love to see it built soon.

Someone has added GIFT onto Wikimapia (http://wikimapia.org/#lat=23.15644&lon=72.685611&z=16&l=0&m=a&v=2).

This is the site of GIFT. Its also supposed to include the land around the river bed..
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/6792/giftlocation2dp8.jpg

just to keep you guys in the loop, I had a brief e-mail convo with Sunil Bahl of ILFS. He said the project is making 'good progress' and that if all goes well construction should start by April 2008 (so in Indian terms we have to wait till summer 2008 at least). My inquiry about the cost of a flat was fobbed off saying it would be the least concern on the minds of GENUINE investors i.e. the big boys....lol

Awesome news :)

DAMN

Good news! Ahmedabad needs a showcase project like this!

Gujarat’s GIFT zips into SEZ street (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Gujarats_GIFT_zips_into_SEZ_street/articleshow/2694106.cms)
GIFT given SEZ status
Up Next: International Finance Service Centre Status


Gandhinagar: Ahmedabad’s aggressive claim as a global financial hub, streets ahead of Mumbai and rivalled only by the best in the world like Manhattan, Shanghai, London and Singapore,got a sizzling punch with the Centre finally clearing a special economic zone (SEZ) status for the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT).

The clearance paves the way for developing 250 acres out of the total 500-acre GIFT project as an SEZ with a possible International Finance Service Centre status that would make it one of its kind project in the country.

The project will of course add a sizzling global touch to Ahmedabad’s skyline with its glitzy skyscrapers, including a 400-metre tall diamond faceted steel and glass Diamond Tower. After all, it is being designed by the Shanghaibased East China Architectural Design & Research Institute Co Ltd that has designed Shanghai’s
Pearl Tower.

More importantly, GIFT will alter the contours of India’s financial skyline as well by setting towering global benchmarks in investments, exports and job creation. The multi-services SEZ, which is slated to bring in investments of over Rs 15,000 crore, is targeting exports worth $1 billion in the first three years beginning 2010, when the first phase of the project will become operational.
Exports are slated to zoom to $2 billion per annum by the fifth year and to $3 billion by 2020. These figures could shoot through the roof if the project bags an IFSC status. On the job front, GIFT is targeting nearly 1 million jobs by 2020, including a direct employment of 4 lakh.

And apart from the IFSC, the SEZ portion of GIFT will house an international techno park, STPI technology units, international market zone, stock exchanges and services units, international education zone, integrated townships, entertainment zone, hotels and convention centre and shopping malls. And so excited has the project got global and domestic finance biggies as well as realtors that even before it has got off the ground, 13 memoranda of understanding have already been inked with nearly 40 million sq ft space being booked.


SEZzling GIFT: India’s next global fin hub


Gandhinagar: In the new year its finally time for Gujarat to uncork the bubbly. For come 2010, it won’t be Mumbai, but finance savvy Gujarat that will house India’s most world class International Finance Services Centre.

All thanks to the upcoming Gujarat International Finance Tec-City project that has now bagged an SEZ status. The project, designed to compete with Mumbai and woo global and domestic financial services players along with the IT/ITES sector to Gujarat’s shores, is slated to see the first phase being completed in Gujarat’s golden jubilee year 2010.

To be located at Shahpur village between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, abutting National Highway No 8A on the banks of the river Sabarmati, GIFT is proposed to be spread over 500 acres, offering a total built space of 75 million sq feet.

While the crown jewel will be the 400 metre tall diamond tower, GIFT will have a total of 11 buildings of over 150 metres tall and a total of 319 high-rise buildings.

Sniffing a global opportunity coming their way at nearly throwaway realty prices as compared to next door neighbour Mumbai, Indian finance giants like Kotak Mahindra have already signed up space for its financial services hub at GIFT.

Speaking to TOI after a high level presentation made to chief minister Narendra Modi on Friday, GIFTCL chairman Sudhir Mankad, said of the 75 million square feet of built-up area that GIFT proposes to set up, investment for nearly 40 million sq ft has already been lined up.

“Of the Rs 30,000 crore worth of investment expected in GIFT, more than half is in the bag,” an elated Mankad said. As the SEZ approval letter, not made public due to the recent polls, has just come in, he was unsure about which investors, who have signed up, would like to switch over to SEZ area.

“We expect external road connectivity leading up to GIFT to be provided within the next two months with work already in progress. Work on internal infrastructure like roads, drainage, drinking water, horticulture, parking facilities will begin in June. We expect private developers to start construction soon after monsoon after they get the requisite,” said Mankad.

While 60 per cent of GIFT will have office space for financial services, rest of it might go for knowledge-based industry, cultural and educational activities. The residential complex will cover around 12 per cent of the built-up space, where housing blocks, including independent bungalows and flats, will be built for about 50,000 people.


Companies that have bought space at GIFT
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4485/companiesatgift2qc2.jpg

[TOI-Jan12]

Great find! I've updated the international forum thread accordingly

i think this is going to become the best skyline in india, and i think the 1st one ever for india.

Come 2009, all roads will lead to GIFT (The title is a bit misleading. Work will actually start in 2009)

State govt has decided to invest Rs 400 cr in building three dedicated approaches across the Sabarmati river — an underground tunnel flanked by two four lane bridges — connecting GIFT to Ahmedabad

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/3981/pc0031600de2.jpg


Come 2009, all roads will lead to the glitzy, ambitious Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) being set up by the Gujarat government jointly with IL&FS at Shahpur village.

In a bid to provide a fast track access to the proposed international financial hub coming up on 500-acres near Gandhinagar, the Gujarat government has decided to invest Rs 400 crore in building three dedicated approaches across the Sabarmati river — an underground tunnel flanked by two four-lane bridges — connecting GIFT to Ahmedabad.

While the underground tunnel will lead directly to the towering 400-metre tall Diamond Tower, GIFT’s diamond faceted steel and glass signature building will tower over 17 other skyscrapers in the project, the two bridges will directly lead to the right and left-hand side main entrances of the GIFT campus.

International consultants have already been appointed for preparing a feasibility study of the project. “The work has been undertaken by Shanghai based Consortium of East China Architectural Design Institute (ECADI) and Fairwood India at the cost of Rs 25 lakh. Work on the dedicated approaches is expected to start in 2009,” a senior urban development department official said.

While the exact location of the underground tunnel and the two bridges will be made known after a complete hydrological study of the river, officials said, all the three dedicated approaches will be situated in the vicinity of Raysan and Koba off Gandhinagar and will be connecting the just broadened six-lane highway leading to the Ahmedabad airport.

GIFT chairman and former Gujarat chief secretary Sudhir Mankad told TOI that the three dedicated approaches will be needed to solve the huge traffic from two sides of Ahmedabad — Sabarmati and Sarkhej — and from Gandhinagar that will move towards the modern finance city.

“We estimate that GIFT will initially employ two lakh people,” he said, adding, “We are looking into the possibility of enhancing the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) to GIFT in future.” Other forms of transport, too, are being contemplated, as the total employment in GIFT is estimated to hit 4 lakh in a decade’s time.

A public-private partnership project between the Gujarat Urban Development Company (GUDC) and the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS), the $16.33 billion project comprises two parts – a 250 acre special economic zone (SEZ) and a 250-acre domestic tariff area.

According to sources, other roads, particularly the one coming from Himmatnagar in the north and connecting the Ahmedabad airport in the south, will also be broadened from a two-lane to a four-lane road.

Plans are also afoot to reconstruct the Shahpur bridge, which gave way during floods, to provide immediate connectivity from Gandhinagar to GIFT.

[TOI-Feb6]

_______

GIFT effect sends realty soaring

If there is one project that single-handedly promises to transform Ahmedabad’s skyline with its 100-plus-storeyed skyscrapers and Gujarat’s economy, then it has to be the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT).

Now Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s glitzy pet project, which proposes India’s tallest buildings at 350-400 metres, has sent prices of land in and around the sleepy hamlet of Shahpur soaring to unprecedented highs of over 100%. That too in just a month after Modi’s return to power, making it perhaps the steepest rise in land prices in such a short span.

According to realty sources, the GIFT effect has also sent prices of land in villages around Shahpur like Palaj, Pirojpur, Lavarpur and Rakanpur zooming by over 100% from Rs 9-12 lakh per vigha range prior to elections to Rs 40-45 lakh per vigha at a time when prices in other hot locations in West Ahmedabad have gone up by an average of only 20-25%.

As Deepak Vaswani of Venus group realised much to his chagrin after he decided to hold a decision to buy land there: “GIFT being the most happening location in Gujarat, we had identified a nine vigha plot for around Rs 27 lakh per vigha but decided to wait for the election. The plot was recently lapped up for Rs 60 lakh per vigha.”

“This was just barren land where no one even wanted to venture close to. But with GIFT promising to put Shahpur on the global financial map, this is obviously hottest bit of realty that everyone wants,” says realtor Vijay Shah, who feels the entire GIFT hinged on Modi’s return to power.

“As CM’s pet project there is obviously a lot of buzz around it and people feel this is going to be the biggest development that Ahmedabad will see over the next 10 years,” adds realtor Jaxay Shah.

To be spread over 500 acres on the banks of the Sabarmati, GIFT will offer a total built space of 75 million sq ft with the first phase of 25 million sq ft slated for completion by 2010. The project is expected to bring in investments worth over Rs 30,000 crore and is targeting 1 million jobs by 2020 and exports worth $1 billion in the first three years beginning 2010.

GIFT is hoping to rival the best of global financial centres like Manhattan, Dubai, Shanghai, London or Singapore with a glitzy skyline that includes India’s tallest (400 metres) and most distinctive landmark — the diamond tower, a diamond faceted glass and steel structure.

[TOI-Feb5]

This project is getting better by the day.

we should update the topic in the supertall section because supertall enthusiast dont really check this section, it will also create a good image for india:)

we should update the topic in the supertall section because supertall enthusiast dont really check this section, it will also create a good image for india:)

First let the project start.

This project is getting better by the day.

^^It sure is. The connectivity especially the tunnel speaks of innovation.

On a different note, I am sure the planners have considered this, the fact that Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar lies in a earthquake prone zone and the skyscrapers are in a position be able to withstand tremors of high magnitude.

There was a feel good video about GIFT on GIFT's website. It basically shows the skyline, describes what the infrastructure, city will be like -

x_UeoTpygR4

way way too long of a video that desered 3 mins. I got bored.

There was a feel good video about GIFT on GIFT's website. It basically shows the skyline, describes what the infrastructure, city will be like -

x_UeoTpygR4

great find IU!

I'll post better screencaptures later, but here's an interesting one.

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/1428/image1kr1.jpg

Looks like the GIFT in the renders we have, as we suspected, is only the first phase of a much larger CBD with equally sized towers. :cheers1:

http://news.in.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1245423

Gujarat launching Tec-City in June

Ahmedabad: Work on building the first phase of the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), a global financial hub, is expected to start in June, official sources said.

Officials here believe that the conferment of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status is the first key step taken to build a central business district that could eventually rival globally recognised financial centres like Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris and London.

The project, with which Chief Minister Narendra Modi hopes to excel the much talked about international financial hub at Mumbai, is to be built on a sprawling 500-acre campus, about 40 km from Ahmedabad.

The SEZ will house an international education zone, integrated townships, an entertainment zone, hotels and a convention centre besides an international techno park, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) units, shopping malls, stock exchanges and services units.

With the union government's clearance, the SEZ would now be developed over 250 acres and a Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) would be constructed on the rest of the land.

The DTA would function as a domestic financial district with a separate technology park, finance and tech services, an export-oriented undertakings park, a domestic market zone and domestic utilities.

The project would have more than 80 million square feet of built-up area in a highly concentrated and vertical form.

The city would function as an integrated city-centre with extensive residential, commercial and public spaces. To be developed along the Sabarmati River, GIFT would have advanced facilities like inner-city light rail transit systems (LRTS), dedicated and guaranteed power and water facilities and central cooling services.

The first phase of the project, covering 25 million square feet, is scheduled to be operational by mid-2010.

In all, GIFT is expected to have a cluster of 17 high-rise commercial buildings, with the tallest being the signature 80-storey, 400-metre Diamond Tower.

The concept of GIFT was born during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit of 2007 and is being planned by East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI), which is responsible for planning much of Shanghai, and Fairwood Consultants India, one of the country's largest consulting firms.
Yao Wen Lin, ECADI board chairman, has been quoted as saying that GIFT's design would excel Shanghai.

Pre-construction activities like road building in the neighbourhood of the project site have started. Already, 15 million square feet of the floor space of the first phase has been secured by a host of national and international companies.

The project is being implemented by the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Co Ltd, a joint venture between the state-run Gujarat Urban Development Co (GUDC) and Infrastructure Lease and Financial Services (IL&FS).

GIFT is expected to change India's financial skyline creating new benchmarks in investments, exports and job creation. The multi-service SEZ, which is expected to attract Rs.150 billion ($3.8 billion) in investments, is targeting exports worth $1 billion in the first three years beginning 2010, when the first phase of the project will become operational.

Current projections estimate that exports will double to $2 billion by 2015 and to $3 billion by 2020. A total job creation of one million is estimated by 2020.

As of now, five types of businesses have been contemplated - a global BPO centre, operations hub for domestic financial services providing mid-office and back-office related activities, a global IT hub for financial services, a global research and development centre for emerging sectors like pharmaceuticals and a financial centre for selected product markets.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Does anyone know what the city will be called? I would think it would be called Shahpur, since that's the village it's being built in... but I think it would be more appropriate and kinda cool if it was called Gujarat City...that way it would put entire Gujarat on the world Map...

Does anyone know what the city will be called?

As the project name suggests, it's going to be called GIFT city.


The 80-storey Diamond Tower will have a pinnacle at 400m, and the twin towers will have a height of 310m

according to this article, the two other towers will be around 350 m tall -

GIFT will have a total 34 million sq ft of built-up area in high rise buildings with 25 out of the total 319 buildings that will come up there to be over 150 metres in height and 52 highrise buildings above 100 metres, Srinivas said. This includes the signature steel and glass Diamond Tower that will tower at 400 metres and the two flanking gateway towers of around 350 metres.


http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/8172/giftarticlefeb16lc8.th.jpg (http://img249.imageshack.us/my.php?image=giftarticlefeb16lc8.jpg)

[TOI-Amd-Feb16]

^^ Awesome man............grt news!

Ditto

Hopefully this project will light a fire under the asses of all the other metros whose cbd megaprojects still are more talk than substance (Hyd, Mumb, Blore, NCR)

What a rude shock people in India will have when this starts coming up. Diamond tower in the 1st phase! It'll make all those other molasses-slow supertall proposals look like castles in the friggin sky

great updates IU. I'll update the intl thread later today

Here's the article IU posted in text
GIFT to see Rs 63K cr investment
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad: It’s official now. The Gujarat government’s glitzy reply to Mumbai — the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) —will see a massive infusion of Rs 63,700 crore worth of investments.

What’s more, not only will GIFT gift Ahmedabad a glitzy Manhattan, Dubai, Shanghai, London or Singapore-like skyline with India’s tallest buildings at around 400 metres, it is also set to unlock a whopping Rs 24,500 crore realty opportunity.

Revealing this at the GIHED property show, GUDC managing director K Srinivas said GIFT’s realty component would involve development of commercial, residential and office property as well as hotel projects by developers,

GIFT will have a total 34 million sq ft of built-up area in high rise buildings with 25 out of the total 319 buildings that will come up there to be over 150 metres in height and 52 highrise buildings above 100 metres, Srinivas said. This includes the signature steel and glass Diamond Tower that will tower at 400 metres and the two flanking gateway towers of around 350 metres. The project will also see investments worth Rs 29,900 crore being pumped into utilities like power, waste management system, district cooling system.

The project, being developed by the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company Ltd, a joint venture between the state run Gujarat Urban Development Company (GUDC) and Infrastructure Lease and Financial Services (IL&FS), will involve investments worth Rs 4,600 crore in core infrastructure like roads, drainage, land and around Rs 4,700 crore investment in other infrastructure like internal transport and water supply and distribution.


One thing I found interesting in the article is that the managing director said that "GIFT's realty component would involve the developmet of commerical, residential and office property as well as hotel projects by developers"

Does that imply that hotel (and possibly the others as well? - its hard to tell by the wording) developments would be separate from the master plan? I.e. individual developers would have a free hand in interdependently designing their own particular building projects within the GIFT city?

IF so, this is awesome news. Contrasting architecture is actually complementary. A variety of styles and buildings will break the "sim city" look that planned megaprojects have the world over. The randomness of 'organic' skyscraper development, imho, seperates a true CBD from just a large massively designed single project.

Great stuff, Jai. I am happy for Gujarat and Ahmedabad that they have such a visionary government. Have never been to Gujarat but should plan something after 2010.

First let the project start.

no no
they should have a section up there in supertalls called 'dream castles'.
it will be the place where we can all gather and display "renders" and "you tubes" of all the up and coming CBD's manhatten's etc even though they are in the conceptual phase. And we can place bets in there too. i mean if we are building dream castles we might as well make it interesting. right.

^^ Only if we have a section called 'black holes' where posters are encouraged to rant and rave and generally gleefully indulge in sarcasm and the vitriol of unrelenting, irrational negitivsm. Hell, I even got a shortlist of some SSC India members who'd make find, upstanding moderators there that I can happily forward to Jan


Anyway, here are the screencaptures I promised earlier. They all seem to be of the first phase of the project, which will see the building of a highrise waterfront, waterfront gate, canal, convention and rec center, IT offices, residential and mass infrastructure. What they don't show is the Diamond Tower, which will also be constructed in the first phase.

In fact, the renderings in the video look rather less developed than the renderings on the website and in adversisements. That and the lack of the Diamond Tower suggests that the video was created before the entire project design was completed.
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/4652/01up8.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7056/02aa9.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3706/03bu9.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3569/04xn0.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8707/05lu5.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/1893/06bq8.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/9576/07ug3.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3117/08ef0.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8205/09vc2.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8765/10zy4.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/6058/11fx0.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/4700/12va7.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8673/13rz7.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/909/15em9.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/4176/16wy5.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8694/17se8.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/1638/18le8.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/2605/19nl6.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/6221/19abj0.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8885/20cq2.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/1936/21sc7.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8387/22op0.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/2664/23ye0.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/5671/24pg6.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7803/25py3.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8822/26qn0.jpg

Cheers,
Jai

we should update the topic in the supertall section because supertall enthusiast dont really check this section, it will also create a good image for india:)
Hi

I updated the thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=552863&page=2) with the latest news

good ..but as many ppl have already asked .will this dream materialize?? yes NM is a highly efficient person , but still such a megaproject in india has never been easy to acheive

Check this out! Due to the success of GIFT, planning for a 'GIFT II', a 500 acre CBD as big as the first, is underway!

Also, for all those detractors out there, seems that the entire friggin project -- all phases -- will be sold out even before the first phase is completed! Talk about pent up demand....

Positive response to GIFT city sows seeds for GIFT II (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/positive-response-to-gift-city-sows-seeds-for-gift-ii_10027559.html)
March 15th, 2008 - 12:59 am ICT by admin - Email This Post Email This Post

By P.S. Anantharaman

Ahmedabad, March 14 (IANS) Encouraged by the positive response its $6 billion (Rs.240 billion) high-tech city project received from various quarters, Gujarat International Finance Tech-city (GIFT) company is now planning to construct another global city in the state. “It seems the entire 25 million sq feet of the built-up area of the GIFT city will be signed up before the completion of the first phase in 2010. The total built-up area of the project is pegged at 75 million sq feet,” company chairman Sudhir Mankad told IANS.

According to Mankad, GIFT II, which would come up on 500 acres of land, would be as big as the first one.

The GIFT city, which is being built according to global standards, is coming up between Naroda in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, 12 km from the Ahmedabad international airport.

Companies like State Bank of India (SBI), Kotak Mahindra Ltd, Punj Lloyd Ltd and also a number of overseas firms have booked space in the upcoming city. The total space booked exceeds 40 million sq feet, he said.

Mankad said many global mutual and pension fund companies have shown interest in setting up their shops in GIFT city. A bourse in Chicago in the US could be another participant.

According to Mankad, the marketing strategy of GIFT has three key elements. First, it will provide a base in the state for investors. Second, it seeks to make Gujarat a destination for financial tourism and a base to export financial services to non-resident Indias (NRI) and overseas clients/institutions. Finally, it will focus on technology infrastructure for financial markets and technology services providers.

GIFT would be equipped with an efficient transportation system besides possessing a fully integrated technology centre. As a financial hub, the city will target international financial services, which include offshore banking units, international financial services firms and back office processing centres.

A 12 km dedicated expressway to the international airport is being built as part of the project.

In the domestic segment, the city plans to work in tandem with financial institutions, capital and commodity market players, investor organisations and associates and regulatory bodies.

D.S. Anjaria, one of the directors of the GIFT, said out of the total 500 acres of land, 250 acres will be allotted to a multi-services special economic zones (SEZs) for which the centre has accorded approval.

Multi-services SEZs would comprise processing and non-processing areas.

GIFT could become a centralised hub for mid and back office related activities for domestic financial services company, said Anjaria.

Gujarat’s Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala, presenting the state budget, said when GIFT city becomes operational, it would provide direct employment to half a million professionals and indirect employment to an equal number in allied support services.

By the way, here are some more renderings from their website I overlooked before:

Here is a perspective of the skyline, with the twin Gateway Towers and part of the Diamond Tower visible:
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/9983/01cq2.jpg

I did my best to clear it up. You can tell the facades of the other buildings will definitely be interesting:
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/1332/02lx5.jpg


A poster showcasing the Diamond Tower:
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/7426/03vu2.jpg

Again, I tried to clear it up. Gives a better view on the unique cut-out design:
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/28/04rw5.jpg


Also by the way, they also uploaded a new presentation (http://gujintlfintecity.co.in/gift_ppt_07_01_08.pdf) on their website, replacing the old one. I recommend checking it out. Not a whole lot of new information, but presented much better.

It also has a couple new and better renderings of some of the landmark buildings of the project:
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/9884/01ce0.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3913/04ki4.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/1954/05nc7.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/76/02ki2.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8466/03sh9.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3491/06pe1.jpg


And some handy-dandy project timetables:
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3649/07ws8.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/5500/08nq5.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8678/09vi1.jpg


Cheers,
Jai

Jai

Great find. however. The only 2 impressive towers are the DIAMOND TOWER & round cylindrical supertall titled with "transportation hub". Other are too ordinary & blockish. I hope this is a working design like Lanco hills initials. They were too blockish & dull including the signature tower but 1 yr later, things totally changed drastically. I hope this goes the same way.

Jai

Great find. however. The only 2 impressive towers are the DIAMOND TOWER & round cylindrical supertall titled with "transportation hub". Other are too ordinary & blockish. I hope this is a working design like Lanco hills initials. They were too blockish & dull including the signature tower but 1 yr later, things totally changed drastically. I hope this goes the same way.

it's all impressive because turning gandhinagar into a future mumbai. even those blockish dull towers are groundbreaking because they're tall, they're densely packed, and they're PLANNED (meaning wide roads, sidewalks, urban transport, etc)

GIFT-II sounds great.

I'd like to see it come up somewhere around Surat, right on the DMIC just like GIFT. This time, instead of having finance as the main driving force of development, they should ponder upon having IT/ITES as the driving force.

GIIT anyone? http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/9830/winkrx5.gif

yeah, they really need to build it at a port city like surat or pordbandar or something so in 100 years gujarat and maha can jointly prove their supremacy over UAE

man if gift 2 is in surat i will be so happy, a supertall in my city would be incredible

man if gift 2 is in surat i will be so happy, a supertall in my city would be incredible

wow gujarat is doing amazingly well. but i think to start talking about GIFT II already is a bit soon. it wud be nice if the next IFC in the country came up in another state, u gujaratis r making the rest of us look bad. :lol:

Gujrat should build GIFT II in rajasthan, after all a gift is to be given not kept for yourself;)

Gujrat should build GIFT II in rajasthan, after all a gift is to be given not kept for yourself;)

hahahahaha.

actually rajasthan is not a bad idea considering that it is along the DMIC. But will the supporting infra be sufficient? i am not sure.

here is proof that this project is just a gimmick and PR propaganda

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/28/04rw5.jpg

the "diamond" tower.
dont you guys see whats wrong here?
i will let you guys guess.

Floors are not parallel to the ground?

yep
the only thing that tops the over the top ugliness of the tower is its astonishing impracticality.
you cannot have glass panels leaning outwards in such a tall building. its never been attempted before. heck the sleek glass hancock tower in boston had 200 kilo glass panels falling on to the streets a month after they were installed and they were not even leaning outwards. doesnt matter though because it wont be built.

http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~yuanyuan/pics/Travel/medium/Boston-John-Hancock-Tower.jpg

I see my previous comment was deleted. :|

It's amazing the nutty ways people try to tear down this project. Rather than see 999 ways this project is underway, they choose 1 unilaterally perceived and completely argumentative point, harp on that, and claim it is "proof"

Mindsets like that, which have to resort to red herrings and ill-logic are not going to be convinced until this tower will physically lift itself off the ground and kick them in the ass.


devil, rather than extrapolate the engineering metrics off a much enlarged, grainy photograph taken of a plastic poster on which a poor quality artists rendition of the then-proposed design of the tower, why not instead look at a much clearer rendering of the actual design of the tower that I posted one page ago.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3913/04ki4.jpg

I mean, jeez, you have to either be blind to have missed it or intentionally did omit any reference to it as it flies in the face of your crackpot theories.

The rendering clearly shows the tower having parallel floors, where the topmost sections of the building are clearly not overhanging, and where the jutting facets on the secondary structure below the spire actually structurally rest upon the spired section.

you cannot have glass panels leaning outwards in such a tall building. its never been attempted beforeWow, you're right. And you're totally qualified to comment on the engineering of this tower because you're actually reading off the the blueprints of the project resting on your keyboard.

And what a stinging condemnation of glass you've brought to us. There are a hundred of projects out there that use sloping and slanted overhanging glass facades. This Diamond Tower is certainly the most dramatic and exciting of these designs precisely because it will be an engineering masterpiece as well as an architectural one.


Speaking of, you are the only person I've ever heard calling this tower ugly :lol: But I really shouldn't be surprised. Devil, your entire participation in these boards re: skyscrapers has entirely consisted of you bitching and whining about how projects are never going to happen, how they shouldn't happen, and gloating that they haven't happened in 2 months, usually using highly opinionated and scarcely logical claims to back up your rants.

This either means you have vested financial or other interests, or you're suffering from some fascinating psychological complex that drives you to throw common sense out the window go out of your way to search for negative things to drivel on about. Either way, it doesn't speak to you very highly as a *trumpets blare majestically* INTERNET INVESTIGATOR AND RENOWNED DEBUNKER OF MIGHTLY SKYSCRAPERIAL CLAIMS

:|
-Jai

are you crazy or do you still not see anything wrong with that render?
the base of the tower is narrower than its mid-section. am i dreaming or are you still trying to defend your position.
yes i would rather wait till the tower lifts off the ground and "kicks me in the ass".

actually it is not impractical... i have seen designs of building crazier than this and they are under construction.
the case you are talking about was on tv. they had faulty window frames or something...
the basic structure is not narrow in the mid... its almost straight... its only the glass facade which gives that bulding such shape...
i thought you had some strong point but my friend the argument you gave wont stick..

what do you think about these, practical enough for you ??

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/1308/jkbkjq4.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/69/Theabsolute.jpg

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/8915/tretorrifw2.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd282/logorithm/architecture/Cobra01.jpg

http://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/1818309060_private_art_museum_plataforma.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/1594_1_1000%20Callebaut%20Jungle%201.jpg

the base of the tower is narrower than its mid-section.Even if it is -- which it doesn't appear to be -- it hardly makes this building "impractical" or architecturally implausible :| Your entire "argument" is an illogical extrapolation of an implausible assumption. You don't make sense.


Indrajal.com,
Keep dreaming. All those buildings are lies and propaganda. It is physically impossible to build anything like that. If you do, the glass will probably explode. All buildings should be vertical blocks and made only of wood. Shame on you for buying into these untruths.

Devil's right you guys...the project is obviously a giant sham for the sake of PR. All the planning and proof around Gandhinagar - part of the hoax. It's obvious that this high quality, very detailed render has proved that the Gandhinagar project is indeed fake. Not only would the glass burst into flame once it is placed in such a manner, the rest of the construction would follow suit and the tower would collapse, causing an earthquake.

@ Indrajal - Come on! It's obvious that these projects are a PR hoax! If built, they would collapse the minute the last pane of glass was put on!

and thats why i said lets place bets
how about this, if the "diamond tower" gets built as is by 2010 and by "as is" i mean something similar to shown in the render and the height i will paypal the three of you 50$. if for any reason it doesnt go to that height or differs in shape significantly for "safety" reasons you guys paypal me 50$. deal?

Nope. It will probably not be done by 2010. How about you paypal us when it's done?

better yet, whoever has to pay will donate their 50 bucks to a charity we all agree on, and we got a deal.

ok remind me to bump this thread on 2010 lest it goes into archives because of lack of updates.

ok remind me to bump this thread on 2010 lest it goes into archives because of lack of updates.

The project won't go into the archives because it's ON..it really is ON.

2 weeks ago, Mukesh Ambani organized a meeting of the Young Presidents’ Organisation in Jamnagar, GJ. This was attended by 200 people from Nandan Nilekani to Sunil Mittal to Adi Godrej. Amongst the attendees was also Sudhir Mankad - the chairman of GIFT who presented/spoke about GIFT
Sudhir Mankand, chairman, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), had an opportunity to showcase the potential of the Rs 63,700 crore project. clicky (http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=10&bKeyFlag=BO&autono=317064)

It really looks like its ON. Maybe, some of the renderings might be changed but the basic concept remains..

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2933431.cms

They are also going for an IPO. And seems like construction has begun.

The company is in talks with half a dozen domestic and international financial institutions to raise the funds, he said, adding the company has plans to come out with an initial public offer (IPO) of USD 2 billion, he said.

The company also has plans to set up a a multi-services SEZ with a thrust on financial services and comprising an International Finance Service Centre .

The total cost of this mega project is estimated at over Rs 25,000 crore. The construction work on the project has already started and the first phase of the project is expected to be operational by 2010.

glass panels not parallel to the ground does not mean that floor is not parallel. An external rendition does not coorelate that tightly with interior design.

I think this is a possible deisgn. Glass panels can be outwardly projected. It is the way they conceptualize it at the end.

Floors are not parallel to the ground?

Looks great.If China can execute many many such projects I dont see why this is not possible.

This article states the Diamond tower will be 410m tall. Also reiterates the fact -- a fact strangely lost on some of the detractors here -- that the buildings have already been approved, and again gives the 2009 date.

New collective investment scheme awaits SEBI nod (http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14639709)
Tuesday, 08 April , 2008, 08:28


Mumbai: Gujarat International Finance Tec city (GIFT) is planning to raise the equivalent of $ 2 billion (Rs 8,000 crore) through a ‘Collective Investment Scheme’, a fund-raising route little used since the ‘nineties.

(For Indian investors the collective investment scheme (CIS) would bring to mind the infamous ‘Own Your Goat’, ‘Own Your Teak Tree’ or ‘Golden Forest’ offers which promised outrageously high returns to investors over a ridiculously short period of time. Most of these schemes went under, burying the investors’ wealth forever).

GIFT, a joint venture of Gujarat Urban Development Company and IL&FS, has informally sounded out the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on its CIS plan, said Ravi Parthasarathy, Executive Chairman, IL&FS. The regulator has now asked GIFT to file a formal request, he said.

A pre-CIS placement of $ 500 million, which will constitute the “cornerstone investment,” is also part of the plan.

After the goat and teak fiascos, SEBI was compelled to bring this investment animal under its wing.

The CIS was never banned; but it was brought under regulation in 1999. A CIS is an arrangement by which payments from investors are pooled together and utilised with a view to receiving profits, income, produce or property, says the SEBI Web site. Investors do not have day-to-day control over the management of such a scheme.

In the case of GIFT, some of the investors would receive property development rights. The CIS will sell two kinds of units -- Units A will relate to commercial projects that are viable; while units B will relate to commercially unviable projects (such as greening, landscaping) but give its holders property development rights, said Hari Sankaran, Managing Director, IL&FS.

“There is an economic rationale for this,” said Parthasarathy. “Wherever we put infrastructure, land prices go up, not just at a CAGR of 30-40 or 50 per cent, but three and four times.”

“Subscribers can even get to choose the buildings they want to develop,” he said. A trust formed by IL&FS and the Gujarat government will manage the CIS.

Financial services zone

GIFT is developing a 500-acre core world-class financial services zone at a cost of $ 16 billion. This core area will itself be part of a 27,000 acre city-township area located between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

There will be 40 different projects within the 500-acre zone. GIFT itself would develop most of the basic common infrastructure.

According to Sankaran the Indian financial services sector will require 1 billion sq. ft of office space in 20 years’ time. GIFT which is being designed for workforce of 3 million has been benchmarked to international standards, he said.

This city would have the tallest buildings in the country, the tallest at 410 metres, with over 30 buildings over 250 metres in height. These buildings have been approved by the State Government already. By mid-2009, the buildings would come up, he said.

glass panels not parallel to the ground does not mean that floor is not parallel. An external rendition does not coorelate that tightly with interior design.

I think this is a possible deisgn. Glass panels can be outwardly projected. It is the way they conceptualize it at the end.
thanks for the reply... but i was taking a wild guess about what the questioner was thinking...

what has not been "approved" mate
the metro's for mumbai, hyd, blore have been "approved" since 5 yrs.
the lanco tower's been "approved" since a year and still no renders.
volkswagen plant was "approved" for AP before being "approved" for other states as well.

to think that a 410 meter tower of such a complex design will be completed by mid 2009(a year and three months left) along with the other 250 meter towers is pure whim and the height of optimism. Hell i dont even think a 250m tower will be ready by then. I hope by mid 2009 someone will quote this along with a completed pic of "the diamond tower" and prove me wrong.

ps: how the hell can something be approved if its waiting for a nod as your headline says?

This article states the Diamond tower will be 410m tall. Also reiterates the fact -- a fact strangely lost on some of the detractors here -- that the buildings have already been approved, and again gives the 2009 date.

New collective investment scheme awaits SEBI nod (http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14639709)

Are you sure about over 30 towers of hight 250 meters?? cause this really sounds huge. I am not sure even if Hong Kong is having more than 30 towers of height over 250 m. (I could be wrong though)

ps: how the hell can something be approved if its waiting for a nod as your headline says?

Wow what an idiotic question, that headline is about SEBI node for IPO. :bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash:

what has not been "approved" mate
the metro's for mumbai, hyd, blore have been "approved" since 5 yrs.
the lanco tower's been "approved" since a year and still no renders.
volkswagen plant was "approved" for AP before being "approved" for other states as well.
...

ps: how the hell can something be approved if its waiting for a nod as your headline says?
Jeez your grasping at straws...

Project is approved by from the local govt all the way up the chain to state. That means construction is greenlit to begin any time. A Mukesh Ambani or a Bill Gates could theoretically come in and start groundbreaking tonight provided he has the cabbage to pay for it.

The article is about financing. I won't rehash what is pretty explicitly spelled out in the article, so I'll let you actually read it rather than pick and choose words and rant about what you THINK the article is about. :|

Suffice it to say, with tenants already had all the way into the third phase, investment in the venture is a sure thing, both as a fact and as a solid investment of capital.

ankushgupta,
Yup, its been confirmed in the renderings released and other articles. The other pages in the thread have more details.

Jeez your grasping at straws...

Project is approved by from the local govt all the way up the chain to state. That means construction is greenlit to begin any time. A Mukesh Ambani or a Bill Gates could theoretically come in and start groundbreaking tonight provided he has the cabbage to pay for it.

The article is about financing. I won't rehash what is pretty explicitly spelled out in the article, so I'll let you actually read it rather than pick and choose words and rant about what you THINK the article is about. :|

Suffice it to say, with tenants already had all the way into the third phase, investment in the venture is a sure thing, both as a fact and as a solid investment of capital.

ankushgupta,
Yup, its been confirmed in the renderings released and other articles. The other pages in the thread have more details.

okay
how about you explain to us why and how they expect to complete thirty 250m buildings and the 410 meter tower in a little over a year. i mean the place should be swarming with construction workers like bees innit. or do they have some kind of super equipment which takes in sand as input and outputs a finished building complete with centralized air-conditioning and internet connectivity surrounded by 100 feet roads for the fortune 500 financial giants who suddenly decided to make a shanty town as their south Asian headquarters.

what has not been "approved" mate
the metro's for mumbai, hyd, blore have been "approved" since 5 yrs.
the lanco tower's been "approved" since a year and still no renders.
volkswagen plant was "approved" for AP before being "approved" for other states as well.

to think that a 410 meter tower of such a complex design will be completed by mid 2009(a year and three months left) along with the other 250 meter towers is pure whim and the height of optimism. Hell i dont even think a 250m tower will be ready by then. I hope by mid 2009 someone will quote this along with a completed pic of "the diamond tower" and prove me wrong.

ps: how the hell can something be approved if its waiting for a nod as your headline says?


i agree with u that the deadline seems a bit optimistic, id say about until 2010-2011, until the first phase of this project is complete. but i dont think u shud have any doubts about this project actually coming up, its different from the other "approved" projects across india u speak about.
-unlike Mumbai metro, there is no land acquisition, or soil testing, the site at the moment is barren land. the render for lanco tower is out (maybe u r talking about the APIIC tower), these things take time bro, theres a lot of burecracy involved in the planning stages, be patient
-the govt of gujarat has been the ones leading this project, there will be no hurdles with clearance.
-if u look at their website, they have a got a break down of the timescale of this project, if im not mistake full scale construction shud start in the next month or too.

i also thought the project was too good to be true at one stage, but i done a bit more research, and i can see no reason why this project will not happen.

GIFT over-booked


Gandhinagar: Less than a year after it was first unveiled in June 2007, the glitzy Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) is more than sold out. That is, if all the MOUs inked actually fructify into concrete committments.

http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/543/gift1mt1.jpg

Gujarat’s Rs 63,700 crore GIFT, that’s being designed to give Mumbai a run for its money as India’s financial hub, is “overbooked” with 78 million square feet space being lapped up as against the 75 m sq ft space on offer at the 500-acre international finance hub. Incidentally, only two bookings for a total of 8.5 million sq ft are committed out of the total 24 bookings. What’s more, proposals are still pouring in. “We are getting one proposal daily though we are all sold out,” said a senior official.

GIFT chairman Sudhir Mankad told TOI, “We are on the fast track. The concept design will be ready by May-end after which we will start the process of implementing the project on the ground by appointing agencies to build basic infrastructure.” According to officials, international and domestic players including financial biggies as well as realty giants have booked space at GIFT.

GIFT is being set up by GIFTCL (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company Ltd), a 50:50 JV between the Gujarat government and International Leasing & Financial Services Ltd.


List of companies that have booked space:

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/9927/pc0041000az0.jpg
[TOI-Apr21]


Cherry pickings from another article on the GIFT IPO -

“GIFTCL has decided to apply to Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) by June-end to raise money through the capital markets to part-fund the Rs 12,000 crore investment that would go into setting up basic infrastructure for the project,” a senior state official told TOI.
....
..
Well-placed Sachivalaya sources told TOI that as soon as the basic design of GIFT is ready by May-end, GIFTCL would firm up its IPO plans. When contacted, GIFT chairman Sudhir Mankad confirmed plans for an IPO, but said “details of the plan would be clearer only a month from now”.
...
..
According to officials, the decision to go public has been taken because there has been an “overwhelming response” from top realtors, finance biggies and IT entrepreneurs to GIFT that plans to give Mumbai a run for its money.

Full article [TOI-Apr22]
http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/105/gift2xx0.th.jpg (http://img371.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gift2xx0.jpg)

^^

they should come up with a new name for this brand of reporting, where they sneak in a few lines in such a way that they are completely transparent to the reader yet convey a deeply disturbing fact that has plagued indian infrastructure.

kinda like this

GIFT is overbooked and demand is exceeding supply. *pending signing of MOU's and only two have been signed so far

India will be home to the worlds tallest tower *pending government clearances

odyssey science center will be home to india's tallest building *pending blah blah blah and land acquisition

Someone left this comment (http://indianskyscraperblog.wordpress.com/2007/12/09/gandhinagar-gujarat-international-finance-tec-city-gift-400m-80-fl-310m-x-2-200m-x-10-app/#comment-2197) in by blog. Take it fwiw:
I just returned from Gandhinagar yesterday. I went to the GIFT city site in hte village of Shahpur. The adjoining villages of Vallaj, Ferozepur, have all seen an exponential increase in the value of real estate. The development of the GIFT has started. Initial digging has resumed and the Diamond tower height has been reduced to being 82 storeys on account of the soil conditions.

The entire GIFT project is on wasteland between hte Shahpur and Ferozepur villages. Not one farm has been acquirede for the project. This is the amazing thing. This is the reason why you do not hear any complaints from the adjoining villagers. The price of the land adjoining the project is now between 50 lacs a bigha to 1 crore a bigha( itr was 5 lacs a bigha in September 2007).

The problem that i see is that the farmers are finding it difficult to adjust to this new found wealth. Fianace advice to these people with counselling would help.

Hitesh Kothari

Someone lThe problem that i see is that the farmers are finding it difficult to adjust to this new found wealth in by blog. Take it fwiw:

that's quite a dilemma

Someone left this comment (http://indianskyscraperblog.wordpress.com/2007/12/09/gandhinagar-gujarat-international-finance-tec-city-gift-400m-80-fl-310m-x-2-200m-x-10-app/#comment-2197) in by blog. Take it fwiw:

wait, it says the diamond tower height has been REDUCED to 82. im not that good at math, but wouldn't that be more like an increase of 2 floors?

From what we here know, yeah

Firstly, apparently there is apparently a model of the city on display somewhere:
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/9493/01hk7.jpg

--------==--=--==---------

Secondly, here are some more updates on the project from a presentation (http://crgp.stanford.edu/events/presentations/India/GIFT.pdf) given by K.Srinivas, IAS., M.D., GUDC at Stanford University.

----==--==-----

SEZ breakdown:
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/5958/06et7.jpg

Divided into...
Processing Areas (125 acre)
•International Financial Service Center (IFSC)
•International Techno Park
•STPI Units - Technology
•International Market Zone
•Exchanges, Service Units
•Inter. Education Zone

Non-Processing Areas (125 acre)
• Utilities
• Integrated Townships
• Entertainment zone
• Hotel/Convention Centre
• Shopping Malls
• Health Services
• Schooling

----==--==-----

A graphical breakdown of land use and built up area use in the project:
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7420/04fg3.jpg
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7639/05nj8.jpg

• Total road network to be strengthened in two phases:
• 2 new bridges and 1 river tunnel envisaged
• 7 grade separators planned

----==--==-----

And some transportation stuff...

1. The "living bridge" concept to maximize space use and minimize the negative impact of infrastructure on the city:
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/48/07qb1.jpg

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/286/08vq3.jpg


2. The extension of Ahmedabad's Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=364192) into GIFT (37km):
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1346/09qa3.jpg


3. The extension of Metro Rail System (MRTS) into GIFT:
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7928/10fi0.jpg
• Additional link of 25 km between GIFT, Airport, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar
• Transport Demand Generated by GIFT between Ahmedabad & Gandhinagar
• 2.5 lakhs trips per day one way by Year 2010
• 5 lakhs trips per day one way by Year 2017

----==--==-----

GIFT provides landscaped zones and hierarchy of green space:
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/129/11wd9.jpg

City level
• Central green
• Peripheral greens/Buffer greens
• Public greens
• Greenways

Neighborhood Level
• Public greens

----==--==-----

cont...

-Jai

...cont

----==--==-----

Examples of Building Design Packages:
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/2322/12yd3.jpg

• Individual developers may develop "packages", meaning individual plots within the GIFT city that have specific zoning, height, use, etc. So as long as developers conform to those package requirements, they may use their own designs, or use use pre-designed building packages concepts
• Land Area varying from 1.8 Ha – 12.9 Ha
• B/U Area varying from 1.2 mn. Sq. ft. – 7.5 mn. Sq. ft.
• F.S.I. varying from 2.5 – 13.7


Example pre-designed concepts for Package A - primary school and library:
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6739/pa01la9.jpg

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/2591/pa02ze2.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/9390/pa03vr5.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/9612/pa04hw7.jpg

--------

Example pre-designed concepts for Package B - residential and retail:
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7499/pb01ov6.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/3215/pb02cu2.jpg


----==--==-----

Designs of Landmark Buildings

Unlike the design packages, the Landmark Buildings will be constructed by GIFT Ltd. (the public-private venture), though I would assume with input from the the tenants.

The designs of the landmark buildings (viz. Diamond Tower, Gateway Towers, Crystal Towers and the Transport Hub tower) have gone through 2 iterations. The original designs below are depicted in the video and its screencaptures I had posted earlier in this thread.

The presentation has much more detailed depictions of these original designs. The new designs are far, far better in my opinion. I've added them as well for comparison to the old.


Again, before anyone flips out, the renderings posted below are OLD. They have been REDESIGNED. So if someone still wigs out and asks if these are new designs, I reserve the right to e-punch you in the teeth.

Old design for Transport Hub/Hotel:
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6061/th1zn4.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/3145/t04yl3.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7544/th2ta4.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4695/th3ha3.jpg


New design:
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8466/03sh9.jpg

--------

Old design for Crystal Towers:
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/3887/c01wl2.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/7468/co2vs6.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/424/c03rk6.jpg


The Crystal Towers have been deleted in the new version of the project. The row of waterfront commercial towers, however, are similar in height, and some seem to be inspired by the old facade, though the use of glass in the facade is much more extensive:
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/9365/image52iz7.jpg

--------

Old design for Gateway Towers:
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/8708/gw02yv2.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/6780/gw03iw3.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2702/gw04ob0.jpg


New design for Gateway Towers:
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/1371/image52go6.jpg

I don't buy the bullshit "inspired by the Gateway of India" explanation for the old Gateway Towers design -- it looks like every other skyscraper proposed in China and Korea. The new design looks a 100 times better. Far more elegant and in-tune with the skyline than the bland and blocky old version

--------

Old design for Diamond Tower:
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/1984/di01uy0.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4848/di02is1.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/3284/di03ml7.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/7083/di04ez3.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/8646/di06gp1.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/148/di05rw9.jpg


New design:
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/4734/image52mt2.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3913/04ki4.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/1954/05nc7.jpg

Of all the proposals, I like the old Diamond Tower design the least. The new design again is a 100 times better than the old one. Far more iconic, far more revolutionary in design, and far, far more balanced as a pinnacle in the skyline.

Note how well the new Sig Towers and the Diamond Tower complement each other in the new plan. Totally no chemistry between them in the old one.

----==--==-----




My verdict on the old designs... yeah they're modern, but Jesus they're terrible.

ECADI's original proposal looked to replicate Shanghai in Gujarat. And not just SH's impressive infrastructure, but also its kind of super tall but super bland blah architecture that's going up everywhere in modern China and elsewhere in the world.

The old designs aren't culturally relevant, together as a whole looks oppressive on the skyline, and does not at all look extraordinary in the world cityscape.


The new designs beautiful. They are far more interesting, and they are far more pleasing to the eye and more balanced as a skyline whole. If they were done by ECADI as well, I'm impressed at the sea-change in perspective, though other architects may also be involved. The new Gateway Towers and Diamond Tower in particular look grand in the final version.

What's great about the GIFT plan is the allowance of developers to plan their own architecture through the design package framework. As such, the end result will be a far more organic looking city, doing away with the 'Simcity'-like architecturally repetitious plague of many megaprojects. With individual developers designing to compete against each other, it will also ensure top-quality architecture, materials and design.


Just my 2 paisa,
-Jai

Nice work Jai, it looks great.

thx

Wow!!!! Just like they say

This sh!t is beginning to take shape.

Thanks Jai!!! fantastic updates, great work

HOLY SHIT this is amazing

we need someone down there to take pics of construction!

Good work Jai. Thanks for digging out all the renders and plans. Thank God they redesigned the Diamond tower. The old design really lacks the wow factor and is far less iconic than the new design.

Holy cow....this is one hell of a mega project!

:cheers:

wow the diamond tower is really rocking, definitely one of my fav skyscraper projects

to be fair the old design and the new design are both amazing....i hope if they build GIFT II that they use ECADI again

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Its-final-Gujarat-gets-its-IIT-from-coming-session/315829/


Earlier, a 300-acre piece of land was earmarked for the proposed IIT, but with the Centre delaying the decision, the state government gifted it to the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City.

This project is as real as its gonna get...:cheers:

the designs are holy moly!!!!! :cheers: .. BUt no matter how i try , the pessimistic part of me has to show its fears,given our history in these matters :-
Just hope the designs do not stay only on paper :S

I came across this old news.. was wondering if the Little Japan is being refered for GIFT.

A 'Little Japan' on 100 sq km in Gujarat (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/A_Little_Japan_on_100_sq_km_in_Gujarat/articleshow/2780918.cms)
14 Feb 2008, 0128 hrs IST,Rajiv Shah,TNN

GANDHINAGAR: A 'mini-Japan' may take shape in Gujarat soon. A high-level business delegation from the Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO), which visited Gujarat last week, has asked the state government to provide a vast area of 100 square kilometres, where the Japanese could build their own township.

The land has been sought along the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor which the Japanese government is helping to build.

"We have given them maps of the areas we can offer, so that they can have a closer look," a senior government official said after a meeting with nearly 40 top business executives who formed part of the delegation looking for opportunities along the DMIC.

The request to provide land for an exclusive Japanese industrial township came from JETRO vice-executive chairman Sunichi Yamamoto. The idea first cropped up during Chief Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan in April 2007.

Now, it has been left to the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) to work out details of the township with JETRO. The Japanese will return soon with a finalised location. Major industries keen to set up their offices in the township include Toshiba, Sumitomo, Chisso, Fujitrans.

The township will be primarily industrial and complete with residential complexes, medical, health and recreation facilities, restaurants, educational institutions. "Japanese companies will set up base here and will build the required infrastructure as per Japanese standards and requirements," the official said.

The official further said there is a tendency among Japanese to live in a cluster and feel at home wherever they are in the world. A similar project had been taken up in Thailand which has proved to be a successful model. The aim would be to give families of Japanese executives and workers a distinct flavour so that they don’t miss the environment back home.

The township will come up in any of the special investment regions' (SIRs) corridors proposed for development in the DMIC - Ahmedabad-Dholera, Ankleshwar-Vadodara, Dahej-Bharuch and Mehsana-Palanpur.

I came across this old news.. was wondering if the Little Japan is being refered for GIFT.



No this is along the Delhi Mumbai Infrastructure Corridor which is being partly funded by Japan...has nothing to do with GIFT...

mention

Core group readies to roll investment summit ball for 2009

Gandhinagar, May 25 A High-powered core group of the state government on the 2009 Investment Summit is set to hold its first meeting on Tuesday, amid much anxiety and hope over the kind of target it has been given by Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

While figures are still confined to the realm of guesswork, sources close to the CM said, "Obviously it has to cross the benchmark set in 2007." With the last edition of the biennial exercise having yielded promises of Rs 4.66 lakh crores, the mood in the industry team varies from anxiety to hope as a build up to the Tuesday meet.

"The meeting would set into motion the processes of executing the 2009 summit," informs an official. Headed by Industries and Energy Minister Saurabh Patel, the core group comprises all top bureaucrats of the government including chief secretary Manjula Subramaniam, Additional Chief Secretary D Rajagopalan, and officers from the CMO and industry related departments.

While the last summit's investments might see 25 per cent of the promises not being met, bureaucrats involved with the preparation inform that the home grown industry top honchos are also not loosening their pockets this time around.

During the 2007 summit, Reliance and Tatas made big-ticket announcement as their investments were lined up for the Jamnagar refinery and Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP) respectively. The Adani Group too was in the process of coming out with its IPO and expansion plans for the port. Then there was the SEZ that made the corporate house announce its share of investments. Between them, they accounted for close to one-fourth of the investment promises. This time, all these groups would probably tread carefully.

The reasons for this are many. "The difficult international economic situation coupled with uncertainties for the next couple of quarters is surely going to be a dampener. Also the fact that 2009 is an election year, would weigh heavily on the minds of industrialists," feels a bureaucrat.

Officials have pegged all their hopes on the three big investment possibilities: the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), the Gujarat International Finance Tec City (GIFT), and the Special Investment Regions (SIR). "As we see it, this also provides us with an opportunity to get Gujarat on the FDI map. The big three – DMIC, GIFT, and SIR – is what we are betting on," says an officer involved with the preparations.

Gujarat banks on mega projects to lure global investors (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/gujarat-banks-on-mega-projects-to-lure-global-investors_10064049.html)


Ahmedabad, June 24 (IANS): At the Vibrant Gujarat global investors summit in January next year, the Gujarat government’s accent will be on marketing the $90-billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and the $6-billion Gujarat International Finance Tech-City (GIFT) projects. Officials told IANS Tuesday that besides these two mega projects, the state government will also focus on attracting investments in identified sunrise sectors such as biotechnology and nanotechnology.

The DMIC project, planned on the lines of the famous Tokyo-Osaka industrial corridor, covers Delhi and the National Capital Region around it, as well as the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

But the maximum area of the project passes through Gujarat - about 40 percent.

The officials said thanks to the DMIC project, Gujarat could have a dedicated petroleum, chemicals and petrochemicals hub in the Bharuch-Dahej area, in addition to another in the Ahmedabad-Dholera stretch.

Besides, it could also build four industrial regions along the corridor.

The DMIC and the special economic zones that have been proposed along the corridor will cover 18 districts and an estimated 75 percent of the population. Gujarat hopes to attract an investment of Rs.2000 billion, estimated to generate 800,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The four industrial regions proposed are the Palanpur-Siddhpur-Mehsana sector in north Gujarat, the Vadodara-Bharuch stretch in central Gujarat, and the Surat-Navsari and Valsad-Umargaon zones in south Gujarat.

Dairy farming, textile mills, salt, ginning and value-added agri product sectors would benefit in north Gujarat, while in central Gujarat, it would be auto components, automobiles, electronics, chemicals, cement and pharmaceuticals.

In south Gujarat, the biotech, ceramic and engineering sectors would reap benefits.

The GIFT on the other hand, according to project chief executive officer D.S. Anjaria, could emerge as the world’s largest international finance centre, sprawled over 500 acres on the banks of the Sabarmati river near Gandhinagar.

The first phase of the project is planned to be operational by 2010, and Anjaria said memoranda of understanding (MoU) have already been signed with realtors to develop 90 million square metres, against the planned 75 million square metres.

“We are planning to develop the project at one time, instead of in phases,” he said. A 100-storey skyscraper - the tallest in India - surrounded by model townships, techno-parks, financial districts, and export-oriented unit parks would be developed.

The special economic zone (SEZ) proposed within the GIFT will have a financial centre, techno -parks, software parks, market zones, money exchanges, service units and education zones.

Anjaria said five Indian banks have already confirmed their location at GIFT, while two foreign banks have shown interest. “Stock markets and commodities markets are expected to come up in the SEZ,” he added.

Anjaria, who is a former chief secretary of Gujarat, said the Vibrant Gujarat summit is the “ripe time to market the project and clinch deals as we will have done much spadework on the project by that time.”

At the 2007 edition of the summit, the state attracted investment proposals worth Rs.4,628.35 billion.

:banana::banana::banana:

Also, is it really 90 m sq meters or 90 m sq feet?

Some major news indeed! Major points from the article....

Firstly, the size of GIFT has grown 20%! From 75 to 90 million sq ft!

Secondly, due to the overwhelming demand (its already close to if not completely sold out), the entire project is going up all at once, not in phases!

And lastly, it seems Diamond Tower has grown even taller -- to 100 stories! Assuming the ratio stays the same as the old design (400m:80fl), the building would presumably be 500 meters/1,640 feet tall!

I just thought of something... last month I had posted elsewhere an article saying that a new Gujarat project, 'nano city' (not to be confused with the one in Haryana) will have a 100 storey tower (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=20701466&postcount=126).

Did the reporter who wrote that story get mixed up? Is the 100 storied tower in that article actually referring to the Diamond Tower? Or is there two 100 storied projects in the pipeline for Guj?

Inquiring minds want to know

All credit to Tapsboy @ flickr

Found these completely by accident, but these have been labelled by the photographer as the location of GIFT!!!

He has many pics of the Sabarmati Redevelopment which I am soon going to post here on SSC, so I'm pretty confident that he's the kind of guy who follows such development projects and therefore knows the location of the GIFT project!

Pics uploaded Jun 25th, but no particular way of knowing when they were taken.

Admittedly nothing more than a cleared/flattened/worked piece of land… but hey, at least it’s been cleared/flattened/worked ;)

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/6413/giftsitelb5.jpg

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/2149/giftsite2ho2.jpg

For me and for anyone following this project, any sort of actual site updates were probably the only thing really lacking!

Hopefully there will be plenty more updates to come! :cheers:

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/8064/26062008001013so8.jpg

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/8137/26062008002009jp5.jpg

http://www.ecadi.com/en/news_d.php?id=337

ECADI Attended Davos Economic Forum in Dalian-Discussing Strategical Cooperation with Gujarat, India 2007-09-30
Davos annual meeting is referred to as the unofficial economics summit meeting by western media with its biggest feature to emphasize particularly on strategically thinking service for entrepreneurs to develop their business. From 6 September 2007 to 8 September 2007, the summer Davos Economic Forum- Annual Meeting of the New Champions was held in Dalian, China.

Gujarat is one of the fastest growing economic zones in the world. It has attracted much foreign investment, representing nearly 25% of that attracted by India. Therefore, India's Gujarat was invited to attend this meeting, and a promotion conference of Gujarat was also held. As a member of the joint design group for Gujarat International Finance Town Project which plays a crucial role in helping improve investment environment and attract foreign funds, ECADI was invited by the owner of the Project to attend the conference. On behalf of ECADI, Mr. Yao Wenlin, attended the conference and discussed in-depth strategic cooperation between ECADI and Gujarat with the other guests, including Governor of Gujarat.

During the meeting, Governor of Gujarat spoke very highly of the plan by our Company for Gujarat International Finance Town Project, and hoped our Company to continue to bring ideas from our valuable experiences in China for the design of this project. The Governor also encouraged ECADI to play an active role in turning this project into a worldwide advanced urban district. He also extended his intention that ECADI may serve more projects in the new town construction of India.

Meanwhile, President Yao Wenlin went on an in-depth discussion with President of IL&FS Company, which is one of the owners of this project and also one of the largest basic facilities development companies in India, on participation of our Company in IL&FS Company's various development projects. The bilateral communication involves issues of how to participate in the projects in Gujarat and how to cooperate strategically between both parties in fields such as project information exchange and human resources exchange.

According to www.deshgujarat.com says the construction will itself start this month.

First phase work of GIFT set to begin this month(June 08)


Work on the first phase of the super ambitious, glitzy, global financial hub Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) near Gandhinagar is expected to start this month.

GIFT will come up on 500 acres and will have a Special Economic Zone(SEZ), international education zone, integrated townships, an entertainment zone, hotels, a convention centre, an international techno park, software technology park of India(STPI) units, shopping malls, stock exchanges and services units. It would also function as an integrated city-centre with extensive residential, commercial and public spaces.

Chief Minister Shree Narendra Modi hopes the central business district would rival Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris and London, say officials.

In all, GIFT is expected to have a cluster of 17 high-rise commercial buildings, with the tallest being the signature 80 storey, 400 meter Diamond Tower.

The project would have more than 80 million square feet of built-up area in a highly concentrated and vertical form.

To be developed along the Sabarmati River, GIFT would have advanced facilities like inner city light rail transit systems (LRTS), dedicated and guaranteed power and water facilities and central cooling services.

The first phase of the project, covering 25 million square feet, is scheduled to be operational by mid-2010.

Pre-construction activities like road building in the neighborhood of the project site have started. Fifteen million square feet of the floor space of the first phase has been secured by a host of national and international companies.

The idea of GIFT was born during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, 2007 and is being planned by East China Architectural Design and Research Institute (EXADI), which is responsible for planning much of Shanghai, and Fairwood Consultants India. Yao Wen Lin, ECADI board chairman, has been quoted as saying that GIFT’s design would excel Shanghai, say state government officials.

The project is being implemented by Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company Ltd, a joing venture between the state run Gujarat Urban Development Company (GUDC) and infrastructure Lease and Financial Services (IL&FS).

The union government has cleared the SEZ to be developed over 250 acres of the project area.

The rest would be a Domestic Tariff Area (DTA), which would function as a domestic financial district with a separate technology park, finance and tech services, an export-oriented undertaking park, a domestic market zone and domestic utilities.

The multi-service SEZ, which is expected to attract Rs.150 billion($3.8 billion) in investments, is targeting exports worth $1 billion in the first three years beginning 2010, when the first phase of the project will become operational.

Current projections estimate that exports will double to #2 billion by 2015 and $3 billion by 2020. A total job creation of one million is estimated by 2020, officials say.

As of now, five types of businesses have been contemplated – a global BPO centre, operations hub for domestic financial services providing mid-office and back-office related activities, a global IT hub for financial services, a global research and development centre for emerging sectors like pharmaceuticals and a financial centre for selected product markets.

Source: http://deshgujarat.com/2008/06/04/first-phase-work-of-gift-set-to-begin-this-monthjune-08/

That article seems wrong because they make the amount of land bigger and it's supposed to all come up at once, not in phases and the tower has been raised by 20 floors....

Hopefully there will be plenty more updates to come! :cheers:

totally :yes:

Seems another redesign is in the works, this time with taller buildings.

I wish we could see the proposals, however.

Seems another redesign is in the works, this time with taller buildings.

I wish we could see the proposals, however.

we'll find out at that thing in new jersey in a couple months

definitely

You guys attending should make a point to either go to the event, or at least approach the GIFT presenters seperately, that way we can get independent confirmation, so to speak. We should also prepare a list of questions to ask in advance.

interesting developments

80-F to 100-F but be cautious. This is still a pipedream.

worse idea of dealing with shanghai architects. Shanghai has some of the least creative run-of-the-mill highrise architecture. Should have opted for western architects instead. India's fascination with Shanghai is overdone, It was Mumbai first & now A'bad.

The new designs, like the old designs I posted a couple pages back, are perported to reflect Gujarati architecture. The redesigned Diamond Tower is nice, so I'm not too concerned about the other buildings. I'm optimistic about this one

worse idea of dealing with shanghai architects. Shanghai has some of the least creative run-of-the-mill highrise architecture.

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/8136/800pxshanghaipudongskylmd5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^
"least creative" "run-of-the-mill"... If you say so...

Anyway, I think Jai has already addressed the point of design in GIFT.

Should have opted for western architects instead. India's fascination with Shanghai is overdone, It was Mumbai first & now A'bad.

If the Indian media wanted to hype up the Idea of Mumbai/Shanghai, then that’s really not Ahmedabad’s problem. Even just geographically, Ahmedabad is clearly more similar in layout to Pre-Boom Shanghai, most importantly by having the undeveloped tracts of farmland that somewhere like Mumbai never will.

This project is not about trying to turn Ahmedabad into Shanghai, it’s about trying to modernize Ahmedabad by building GIFT the way that Shanghai did by building Pudong, so for that surely it makes sense to say that the best way to do that is to involve the same people.

This is Shanghai

http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/5235/shanghaimapvd6.th.jpg (http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shanghaimapvd6.jpg)

This is Ahmedabad

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/5197/ahmedabadmapay6.th.gif (http://img235.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ahmedabadmapay6.gif)

Pudong was developed along the East Bank of the Huangpu, GIFT will be on the East Bank of the Sabarmati. It’s not some random choice done by tossing coins to pick between Shanghai and Dubai or wherever.

And seriously speaking, which Western City would have anything even remotely useful to bring to the table when it comes to redeveloping an Asian City with a multi-million population, for the 21st Century? Would they be in a better place to understand Indian population, poverty and pollution better than the Chinese?

This is still a pipedream.

Keep saying that, in fact, post that very line here; once every month. I want to see how long it takes for you to back down.

I just thought of something... last month I had posted elsewhere an article saying that a new Gujarat project, 'nano city' (not to be confused with the one in Haryana) will have a 100 storey tower (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=20701466&postcount=126).

Did the reporter who wrote that story get mixed up? Is the 100 storied tower in that article actually referring to the Diamond Tower? Or is there two 100 storied projects in the pipeline for Guj?

Inquiring minds want to know

I have a feeling that this isn't what inquiring minds wanted to know...

But nonetheless, I have to say that I def think that there has been some sort of mix-up here, "Nanocity" just seems like a relaunch/rebranding of the less than successful "Infocity"...

Link (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Gujarats-date-with-IT-gone-wrong/331701/)

Though Infocity has the built in capacity to nurture 20 towers (each with five floors), it has only three towers with 41 companies employing 11,000 employees. Since 2000, it has attracted a total investment of a mere Rs 125 crore, mostly from small local players.

Thats where the 100 comes from. Seems like they are just going to add to the 3 existing buildings (since when have 5floors = tower?!)

Anyway, the whole article is worth a read as it cites a few possible reasons for why Gujarat has completely missed out on the IT boom.

Rs 4,000-cr GIFT set to be unwrapped by year end (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Rs-4-000cr-GIFT-set-to-be-unwrapped-by-year-end/334986/)

Gandhinagar, July 12 Shanghai inspiration behind structural design of skyscrapers

With the East China Architectural Design and Research Institute (ECADI) busy giving final touches to the detailed structural designs for several skyscrapers to come up for the planned Gujarat International Finance Tec-city (GIFT) project, the work on the Rs 4,000 crore infrastructure component of the project is expected to begin by the year end.

"The laying of internal roads, underground cables and pipes, water supply, sewage, power supply system and so on will begin early this December," said a delegation member.

Recently, Gujarat Urban Development Company (GUDC) Managing Director Srinivas Katikithala went on a week-long visit to Shanghai to hold detailed discussions with a team of ECADI designers and architects on the subject. Srinivas was part of an 8-member delegation comprising consultants of the GIFT project who visited Shanghai early this week.

"During its recent visit to Gujarat, the ECADI team had presented concept designs for six skyscrapers envisaged for the ambitious GIFT project. We went to Shanghai to understand the concept designs, and after prolonged discussions with them, we endorsed the concept," said Srinivas.

"During our six-day stay in Shanghai, we also discussed this and other issues related to the master planning and development of the project with the ECADI team," said a delegation member.

A GUDC official told this paper that the ECADI team of designers will visit Gandhinagar sometime next month when detailed structural designs and other things related to the proposed highrises under the GIFT project will be finalised.

To be benchmarked as "a global finance hub", the Rs 50,000 crore GIFT project is a joint venture between the GUDC and Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) — a leading Mumbai-based infrastructure consultancy firm. It is envisaged to come up on 500 acres of land along the eastern banks of the Sabarmati on the outskirts of Gandhinagar.

A senior official associated with the project said: "One of the skyscrapers envisaged on the GIFT project premises will be more than 80 storeys high, while the rest will be just above 50-storeys. More than 50 such buildings are proposed for construction under the multi-crore state-of-the-art project."

An official said the China Government-owned ECADI is a reputed company credited with the design and construction of 80 per cent of the buildings in Shanghai. The Gujarat team members also visited Seoul (South Korea) and attended a World Tall Buildings Conference there, he said. "The conference provided us a rare opportunity to interact with some leading world famous developers, designers, architects, planners and technocrats. We also get to know their views on the latest building technology trends in the world", he said. "On the sidelines of the world meet, we also had a chance to interact with the developers of the under-construction 200-storey "Burj Dubai" building — considered the tallest in the world," he added.

this is bloody amazing

^^indeed

Thats where the 100 comes from. Seems like they are just going to add to the 3 existing buildings (since when have 5floors = tower?!)

Anyway, the whole article is worth a read as it cites a few possible reasons for why Gujarat has completely missed out on the IT boom.
Damn.. oh well, at least GIFT will serve to open up both eyes and minds about the necessity for skyscraper and cbd development

A senior official associated with the project said: "One of the skyscrapers envisaged on the GIFT project premises will be more than 80 storeys high, while the rest will be just above 50-storeys. More than 50 such buildings are proposed for construction under the multi-crore state-of-the-art project."
I sure hope he means 50 highrises, that alone is supremely awesome... if he means 50 highrises of 50 stories eac... nah, it hurts too much to dream...

http://www.gujintlfintecity.co.in/about_gift.htm


i don't understand much of the stuff written oer there. But i think all details have been comprehensively mentioned.
The Project Concept , Target Occupants of the City : , Project Description and Component Mix : are the highlights .

they also have a Queries section . How about posting a query through email??

The old design for the diamond tower looked good aswell

WTF LOOK AT THIS NOW
(http://gujintlfintecity.co.in/doc/Project%20Information%20Memorandum.pdf)
Here is a list of things from this presentation that I think are ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUSLY IMPOSSIBLE

PAGE 61 - PRT

PAGE 63 - Signature and Living Bridge

PAGE 69 - Automatic Solid Waste Transport System

PAGE 72 - CITY WIDE Centralized AC System

ROFL THIS PROJECT IS FAR TOO UNREALISTIC NOW

maybe you guys already saw this but i didnt that's why i was so surprised

http://gujintlfintecity.co.in/doc/Project%20Information%20Memorandum.pdf

There are way better renderings of the Diamond Tower on Pages 101, 102, 151

THEY HAVE A THING FOR EVERY SINGLE BUILDING AT GIFT

105
108
116
117
124
138
146
161


SERIOUSLY LOOK AT THE BOLD ONES

well kinda looks almost impossible task for us. renders are good but seem like a pipe dream. just too good..

yeah and it looks like they've gone back to the old design of the diamond tower

http://gujintlfintecity.co.in/Pg02/01_n_1.jpg
http://gujintlfintecity.co.in/Pg02/02.jpg
http://gujintlfintecity.co.in/Pg02/06.jpg
http://gujintlfintecity.co.in/images/landmark_building.jpg

oh dogg phlease...
we dont have these kind of buildings in all India put together...
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/10.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/Untitled-1.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/Untitled-2.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/Untitled-3.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/Untitled-4.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/Untitled-5.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/gift1.gif
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/gift2.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/gift3.gif
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/gift4.gif
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/gift5.gif
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/gift6.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/gift7.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/gift8.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/gift9.jpg

don't lose hope yet, they've updated their website and now they have a phone number and an address and a board with board members and stuff so maybe someone can call them up and ask them if this shit is finalized or if these were just random fantasy renders

:wtf: is all that supposed to be ???? :omg: :eek2: . Are they SERIOUSLY trying to build all that in INdia ....... You gotta pinch me !!! :nuts:

man but if they do pull this off , it would be R-I-D-I-C-U-L-U-O-U-S P-H-E-N-O-M-E-N-A-L :o

Jeeezus Christo!!!! That's nuts! I don't care if they went back to the lackluster tower if they're bringing THOSE towers with it!

Gimmie a couple hours guys, I'll try to go through and compile all the details and post them! Cheers!

wholly hell.... this isnt happening... i need to b knocked in the head :nuts:

*knocks you in the head*

This is sweet... compiling info now :)

I'm such a friggin skyscraper nerd. I cancelled a date to make time to do this :)







(Worth it, btw)

*knocks you in the head*

This is sweet... compiling info now :)

I'm such a friggin skyscraper nerd. I cancelled a date to make time to do this :)







(Worth it, btw)

i divorced my wife for it

ha!

*knocks you in the head*

This is sweet... compiling info now :)

I'm such a friggin skyscraper nerd. I cancelled a date to make time to do this :)







(Worth it, btw)

you sir are going to a all hot-girls-hell and you will be locked in a cage plus your hands will be tied behind your back :lol:

But I'll still have my skyscrapers!

Guys, something came up so I'll have to finish compiling all this info tomorrow. Till then, a taste of the new GIFT:

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7473/tempdr8.jpg

Yup. That's 50 stories tall, and just one of the many buildings coming up!

really?


























i mean, really???

Very nice.

They should build this kind of stuff in Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, B'lore or even Hyderabad. The true cities of India. Ahmbad at best is a small time town compared to real cities mentioned above. stuff like this looks out of place here. Still a big pipe dream. I seriously doubt any of this will really take shape.

Maybe GIFT is the Shenzhen of India? :dunno:

Can't wait for you, Jai :cheers:

Very nice.

They should build this kind of stuff in Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, B'lore or even Hyderabad. The true cities of India. Ahmbad at best is a small time town compared to real cities mentioned above. stuff like this looks out of place here. Still a big pipe dream. I seriously doubt any of this will really take shape.

naw those cities are way too strained in terms of infrastructure. they don't even have sewage pipes or paved roads. not to mention the ridiculous energy deficiency and bad governance in those states. this sort of thing simply wouldn't work there. those cities also have well established land mafias, waqf boards, influencial gundas, huge slum areas, etc that cause problems for development. those cities are also controlled by the state government instead of a localized GIFT board like this. plus, this project is basically a huge SEZ which means it'll attract more investors, but mumbai, kolkata, delhi, etc are not SEZ cities. this project will put Ahmedabad in the big league almost overnight. remember, Shenzhen and Guangzho were little baby cities too, but look at them now.

this project HAS to be real because:

1) gujarat government actually does stuff (eg. Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmdabad BRTS, rural electricity)
2) this project has a real website that has just seen a major update
3) ECADI had a press release claiming they were doing this
4) the details in this 200 page document are amazingly well planned and well thought out (besides the 80 pages of detailed renders and city planning, read the 100 pages of feasability and economic theory behind it)
5) we have pictures of where they have begun the land flattening process

what else do you need? lets wait until summer next year before we start saying this is a fake.

naw those cities are way too strained in terms of infrastructure. they don't even have sewage pipes or paved roads. not to mention the ridiculous energy deficiency and bad governance in those states. this sort of thing simply wouldn't work there. this project will put Ahmedabad in the big league almost overnight.

this project HAS to be real because:

1) gujarat government actually does stuff (eg. Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmdabad BRTS, rural electricity)
2) this project has a real website that has just seen a major update
3) ECADI had a press release claiming they were doing this
4) the details in this 200 page document are amazingly well planned and well thought out (besides the 80 pages of detailed renders and city planning, read the 100 pages of feasability and economic theory behind it)
5) we have pictures of where they have begun the land flattening process

what else do you need? lets wait until summer next year before we start saying this is a fake.

i agree. the detailed study and attention they paid on every single building is commendable. the planning is solid, plus we have seen some foreigners in the pics that gives it some weight too.

my biggest fear/paranoia is they will change the designs to some thing more PWD like in the later phase. from past experiences watering down of the project always seems a good chance.

Very nice.

They should build this kind of stuff in Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, B'lore or even Hyderabad. The true cities of India.

read the file , the presentation has given a perfect response to youe "perfect city claim " .

Ahmbad at best is a small time town compared to real cities mentioned above. stuff like this looks out of place here. Still a big pipe dream. I seriously doubt any of this will really take shape.

Its not Ahmedabad or Gandhinagar ; GIFT is intended to be a city in itself .

Im from Mumbai & i can assure you theres no way my beloved city qualifies for all that !!!! Doing such a thing over there means you will have to rip apart all the existing infrastructure , sewage lines , etc . & Dont even think about bulldozing existing colonies, slums for the creation of such an "PLANNED INTEGRATED " IFC. Mumbai has been touted as an IFC by the Maharashtra Govt. since long , but so far not many are buying the idea due to the very reasons. I know developing such huge structures seems impossible in India . But then again from the look at the PDF ,it looks like the Gujarat Govt. & the private parties are REALLY serious about all that stuff. So i am ready give them a thumbs up . Let us see how things proceed .

Guys, something came up so I'll have to finish compiling all this info tomorrow. Till then, a taste of the new GIFT:

Yup. That's 50 stories tall, and just one of the many buildings coming up!

You went on that date , didnt you?:lol:

oh my goodness! This is amazing stuff here!

Respect to all who put SSC commitments before personal commitments.

indrajal that was good one.

Fine fine, you found me out, I went on that date anyway. I'll post up the pics in a couple hours

just to tell u, I am Gujarati. We are the cheapest people in all of India, seriously. Most of you know this, but one thing I know is that we complete our work because it makes us money. This project is a typical example of Gujarat. We are building this to make us money. I have a good feeling about this.

dude u may be a gujju but calling all gujjus the cheapest people of world may not be the best thing to do on a public forum. its still generalizing and speaking for everyone kind of thing.

best of all, this project will probably drive other states to make similar initiatives....maybe someday there'll be a MPIFT in Bhopal....

At least it'll light a fire under the asses of those asses making a mess of similar endeavors in Hyderabad.

If those guys had gotten their collective crap together, it would be Hyd boasting these towers. But Gujarat, through visionary leadership and a firm private-public initative managed to usurp them.

How much more time will it take Jai? http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/4046/iconbiggrinzl5.gif

meanwhile some news from last month-

GIFT goes for study on wind resistance of high-rises


Gandhinagar: The Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), a joint venture between Infrastructure and Lease Finance Services (IL&FS) and Gujarat Urban Development Company (GUDC), is set to be an engineering miracle.

With proposals to have 312 tall buildings — the tallest being Diamond Tower with 87 floors; another 40 buildings with more than 50 floors and some more with 24 plus floors — GIFT will be hiring a top foreign consultant to ensure that the high rises withstand wind-induced motion.

A high-level GIFT team went for the Tall Buildings Conference in Seoul, South Korea, early this month and had discussions with officials from Cermak Peterka Peterson (CPP) Incorporation, US-based wind engineering consultants. CPP vice-president Dr Roy Denoon agreed to take up the work of what is called “wind tunnel analysis” for the buildings proposed to come up on the 1,000 acre GIFT campus, to be set up next to Gandhinagar on the banks of Sabarmati river.

The GIFT team at Seoul included GIFT consultant Fairwood Ecadi, Consortium representative Ranbir Das, planners Umesh Shrupali, Tarun Sharma and Prakash Gaur, and GIFT director K Srinivas. GIFT sources said while it is easy to have quake-proof buildings, tall buildings should also have the capacity to withstand higher wind velocity.

“Dr Denoon was fascinated that this is for the first time the CPP Inc might analyze one entire township, suggesting wind movement between several high-rises,” an official said.

The engineering jobs that might be accomplished are rounding up the sharp edges of the high-rises, making way for wind to pass through them, and putting up wind dampers at the top of the buildings, which absorb high velocity wind.

[TOI-July22]

How much more time will it take Jai? http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/4046/iconbiggrinzl5.gif

meanwhile some news from last month-

GIFT goes for study on wind resistance of high-rises



[TOI-July22]

yeh to kuch jyada hi hai bhai :omg: . I really feel that they WILL acheive this project , come what may :cool:

dude u may be a gujju but calling all gujjus the cheapest people of world may not be the best thing to do on a public forum. its still generalizing and speaking for everyone kind of thing.

well the sad thing is that we dont take offense to it cuz its true, I mean of course there are alot of gujus that arent cheap, but there are alot that are. Honestly, I know so many that are actually proud of being cheap because they have saved alot of money. I am one of these. I apologize if you are guju I dont mean to hurt anyone, its just like a joke.

How much more time will it take Jai?

Jai has a whole bunch of dates lined up, I guess. Being the only Indian in Hawaii has its advantages, you're always in demand

My mind is still recovering from those renders. If that materializes...

Sorry guys... I can never plan too far ahead for anything because something or other always screws up my plans. How about this... I've compiled all the images, but still haven't had time to do a write up on the buildings, i.e a write up so each of these can eventually have their own thread.

In addition, I want to still compile a map showing the location and heights of all these buildings in location to each other in the masterplan.

When I do that, I'll ask that the GIFT thread in the international forum (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=552863) be moved to General Urban Developments (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=904), and will post each individual building thread in the respective international forum.

So give me an hour or so, and I'll just post the buildings and their floor counts/estimated heights in this thread. By the end of this weekend, I'll post each individual project in their own threads. We may have to open up a Gandhinagar-GIFT subforum in a couple months when construction starts.



Guys, this GIFT is bigger than any of us have anticipated. Beyond our tempered fantasies. Its it will be singularly massive, much more so than the older renderings implied. Maybe not as large or as tall in its peaks than Mumbai (who knows - not yet anyway, there's still plennnnty of room around it) but its formal clustering and 'proper cbd' layout rather than Mumbai's haphazard development will make it THE hottest and most impressive downtown skyscraper area in the entire subcontinent.

We are talking Dubai-like impressive.

I hopehopehope Hyderabad's leaders will see this and freak the hell out, so that we can really have another similarly awesome CBD in the south. If they pull this off, and it looks like a pretty much done deal, Modi pulled off a friggin grand slam of a project

This is too exciting. My ultimate desire is that every state will try to outdo Gujarat's GIFT :D

Thanks, Jai. Take your time, appreciate it :cheers:

Please note, the heights of several of these towers has been made taller in the new report compared to the old one. I've used a couple old renderings, hence some of the height discrepancy between the floorcount in some images.

GIFT is uniquely divided into alphanumerically named "Packages", which represents one site/project and individual instance of public-private partnership, or just public development for parks or service buildings. At each of these packages, the city developers and/or private investors and architects reached consensus on what the design of the individual tower will be, keeping in mind individualism in design yet with an eye to keeping a harmonious whole.

Here is a location map of all the Packages:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/9869/packageshm4.jpg

I have even larger versions of all the images here that I have extracted and spliced together from the pdf. Will post a zip of them later

-----==--=--==-----

Package A - School and Library: 17 floors

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3893/packageasmall1zn8.jpg

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/2765/packageasmall2hj8.jpg

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/5038/packagealarge3zr6.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package B - Retail and Residential: 1 x 30 floors, 1 x 25 floors

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7254/packagebsmall1wj9.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3249/packagebsmall2xp3.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package C - Gateway Towers: 2 x 70 floors/360m high; 1 x 45 floors

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/958/packagecgatewaytowerssmvg7.jpg http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/1980/packagecgatewaytowerssmyh8.jpg

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/412/packagecgatewaytowerssmfa4.jpg

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/7084/packagecgatewaytowerssmlx9.jpg

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/7169/packagecgatewaytowerssmmk1.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package D - Diamond Tower: 87 floors/400m

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4319/packageddiamondtowersmaqn3.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1616/packageddiamondtowersmajc4.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4229/packageddiamondtowersmaip9.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2291/packageddiamondtowersmabs8.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2674/packageddiamondtowersmafe8.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package E - Retail, Commercial and Residential: 1x65 floors, 2x60 floors

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/404/packageesmall1gr7.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5323/packageesmall6rg1.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1457/packageesmall2uj6.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/180/packageesmall3na0.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4893/packageesmall4xy3.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/820/packageesmall5lo3.jpg

-----==--=--==-----

Package F - Retail and Commercial: 1 x 55 floors, 1 x 45 floors

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5760/packagefsmall1jy9.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4276/packagefsmall2go1.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1911/packagefsmall3sy8.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2162/packagefsmall4wp6.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package G - Hotel and Transport Hub: 1 x 70 floors, 1 x 65 floors, 1 x 40 floors

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4915/packagegtransporthubhotmt8.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2641/packagegtransporthubhotbu2.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6894/packagegtransporthubhothz8.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4135/packagegtransporthubhotiy8.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9853/packagegtransporthubhotbe9.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8660/packagegtransporthubhotkh8.jpg

-----==--=--==-----

Package H - Crystal Towers: 2 x 70 floors, 2 x 50 floors

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4169/packagehcrystaltowerssmft6.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/2582/packagehcrystaltowerssmya1.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3267/packagehcrystaltowerssmgi6.jpg

-----==--=--==-----

Package J - Residential, Retail, Commercial: 1 x 40 floors, 2 x 35 floors, 13 x 15 floors

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7272/packagejsmall1cn3.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3667/packagejsmall2df5.jpg

-----==--=--==-----

Package L - Unknown (Commerical?/Residential?): 2 x 35 floors, several x 25 floors

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/2977/packagelsmall1ee2.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8939/packagelsmall2gp4.jpg

-----==--=--==-----

Package M - Commercial: 1 x 50 floors, at least 3 x 30 fl

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4700/packagemsmall1ue8.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/10/packagemsmall2ln3.jpg

-----==--=--==-----

Guys, I ran out of time, so I'll stop here for now. Note this is only about 1/2 the projects here.

The count SO FAR (only 1/2 way!):
1 x 87fl,
5 x 70fl,
2 x 65fl,
2 x 60fl,
1 x 55fl,
3 x 50,
2 x 45fl,
2 x 40fl,
4 x 35fl,
4 x 30fl,
several x 25fl,
1 x 17fl,
13 x 15fl


Will post the rest later tonite or tomorrow, depending on how drunk I am :cheers:

Will toast several rounds to GIFT, which will probably confuse my friends

And u said.....Note this is only about 1/2 the projects here.

This is huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge!!!!!

This is simply amazing, I really hope this gets built. For the first time, we would have a CBD in India of international standards and a kick ass downtown area. And best of all, it might trigger an all out CBD/Skyscraper war between Indian cities lol.

best of all, this project will probably drive other states to make similar initiatives....maybe someday there'll be a MPIFT in Bhopal....

And best of all, it might trigger an all out CBD/Skyscraper war between Indian cities lol.

This is my idea of a "healthy" competition :happy:

I remember this quote

http://www.chineseinindia.com/companies/ecadi.html


Mr Yao Wen Lin, board chairman of ECADI, committed "to design GIFT to a standard, that would be superior to one in Shanghai, China". ECADI has planned and designed nearly three-quarters of modern Shanghai.

I never believed that it will really be superior to Shanghai but with these new renders I think I am becoming a believer.

Just wish if they would have kept the other render for the diamond tower. Current one though good is not as good and as new.

Anyways this project will send a shock wave through India. Hope it will create a revolution.

One positive influence I am hoping for is that when in mumbai all the mills and dharavi is removed and they can get more FSI, they will build rest of bombay to match GIFT or else bombay can forget the dream of becoming financial capital of modern India.

i dont see why you all don't like this new diamond tower as much. i think it looks far more majestic and elegant

plus it's less like a sculpture, and more like a tower.

Here are the rest of what we know!

-----==--=--==-----

Package N - Unknown: 26 floors

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/4549/packagensmall2dy9.jpg

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/175/packagensmall1mw1.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package O - Commerical: 1 x 52 floors, 1 x 50 floors

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/9856/packageosmall1vb4.jpg

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/4936/packageosmall2qu0.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package P - Retail, Residential: 1 x 32 floors, 2 x 25 floors

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6417/packagepsmall1gk5.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package Q - Retail, Residential: 1 x 35 floors, 1 x 25 floors

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/2720/packageqsmall2as0.jpg

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/7874/packageqsmall1gi3.jpg

-----==--=--==-----

Package R - Commercial: 3 X 32 floors

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/200/packagersmall1sd5.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package S - Commercial: 4 X 25 floors, 3 X 15 floors

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/5272/packagessmall1me0.jpg

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/9175/packagessmall2ai3.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package T - Retail, Unkown: 30 floors

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/9796/packagetsmall1bg8.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package U - Residential, Retail: 2 x 35 floors, 2 x 25 floors

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/7054/packageusmall1nh7.jpg

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/7315/packageusmall2ia5.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package V1 - Riverfront

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/4549/packagev1small1cf8.jpg

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/6820/packagev1small2ek7.jpg

-----==--=--==-----

Package V2 - Commercial: 62 floors

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/9990/packagev2small1wa8.jpg

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/5093/packagev2small2ef9.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package W - Museum and Convention Center

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/8523/packagewsmall1el9.jpg

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/4014/packagewsmall2wv3.jpg

-----==--=--==-----

Package X - Unkown, Retail: 3 x 55 floors

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6523/packagexsmall1ze6.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4769/packagexsmall2qk8.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Package Y - Commercial, Residential: 1 x 45 floors, 1 x 25 floors, 2 x 15 floors, 1 x 10 floors

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6627/packageysmall1bl1.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4766/packageysmall2jm8.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/9706/packageysmall3fy8.jpg


-----==--=--==-----

Final Count of above 15 floored Towers:
1 x 87fl,
5 x 70fl,
2 x 65fl,
2 x 60fl,
1 x 62fl,
4 x 55fl,
1 x 52fl
4 x 50fl,
3 x 45fl,
2 x 40fl,
3 x 35fl,
4 x 32fl,
5 x 30fl,
~20 x 25fl,
x 25fl,
1 x 17fl,
18 x 15fl
_______

Total 50+ floors: 20

This number is likely to go up. Note firstly that the latest article posted by IU indicates that the expansion and redesign will have 40 towers > 50 stories tall. Secondly, there are still several Packages unaccounted for.


I'm guessing this whole update is the design so far. We're looking at the latest snapshot of what is a work in progress. Other recent articles said we will have a finalized design by the end of the year.

Cheers,
Jai

anyone wanna post these in international section (supertalls)? or should we wait until january when we supposedly get finalized versions of all this information?

indrajal that was good one.

thanks man... credit goes to bhopalus for finding it..

anyone wanna post these in international section (supertalls)? or should we wait until january when we supposedly get finalized versions of all this information?
I'll start working on that later today

THis is just like skyscraper nirvana for me. Organismic.

:)

Jai and others,

i don't know how depressed I will be if this project doesn't gets build. I will never forgive modi or whoever will be responsible.

Also Jai, will you start threads on one per building or will you keep it like previously where its called GIFT.

I've contacted the mods and had the thread renamed and moved to the General Developments forum:

GANDHINAGAR | Gujarat Int'l Finance Tec-City | 40+ buildings > 50 fl | 40+ buildings > 25 fl | App (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=552863)

I'll post the buildings in their new threads with the location as 'Gujarat Int'l Finance Tec-City' in the relevant forums. This may take several days.

Cheers,
Jai

Cheers jai!

^^
great stuff lads. to be honest ive given up on mumbai ever being an international class city, whereas gujarat just keeps on amazing me...whether u love or hate modi nobody can deny that this project will eclipse anything thats ever been built b4 in india (with the exception of the Taj Mahal. hehe) and ALL the gujarati people will benefit from this.

i wish other states could aspire to reach such ambitious heights

I would love to see this project come up. It is going to give India a totally different definition.

anyone wanna post these in international section (supertalls)? or should we wait until january when we supposedly get finalized versions of all this information?

i'd wait.

actually this is sufficient enough info to put in the supertall section, this is actually more than the average if you put all the info together and submit it.

^ Correct


BTW, here are some larger renderings of the old skyline. I had these saved on my computer, but forgot they were there:

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6639/01xp9.jpg

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/3448/02od8.jpg

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/9250/03co1.jpg

Sweet Jebus! All the more reason to check out the event organized by GIHED in Chicago now. The locations and dates for the events are also out-


http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/8493/bannercf8gy3.jpg


Sumeet and I spoke with each other yesterday and have planned to attend the Chicago event on September 6 (Saturday). If anyone would like to join us, then post a message here or PM either one of us.


Nitro, Can you get in touch with Sunil Bahl and ask him about the timeline of the project?

Cool :) Take pics!

yeh to kuch jyada hi hai bhai :omg: . I really feel that they WILL acheive this project , come what may :cool:
Hi, sorry, was that directed at me? I don't speak Hindi




....BTW, am I the only one who's oddly delighted by this:

Seperated at birth?
http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/9808/packagewsmall2rw4.jpg
^ GIFT Museum and Convention center

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3760/ankylosaurusmagniventrihf1.jpg
^ Ankylosaurus Magniventris


My inner 9 year-old is thrilled



....BTW, I've asked the mods to rename this thread as a GIFT "General Development" thread and created threads on the new towers in the Central / West forums.

I also added the following towers to the main forums:

• GANDHINAGAR - GUJARAT INT'l FINANCE TEC-CITY | Diamond Tower | 400m | 87 fl (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=680088)
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4108/packageddiamondtowersmajj9.jpg (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=680088)

• GANDHINAGAR - GUJARAT INT'l FINANCE TEC-CITY | Gateway Towers | 362m | 70 fl x 2 | 45 fl (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=680126)
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1408/packagecgatewaytowerssmdc7.jpg (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=680126)

I'll post the rest over the next couple days when I have the time.

Cheers,
Jai

....BTW, am I the only one who's oddly delighted by this:

Seperated at birth?


My inner 9 year-old is thrilled

It looks wonderful, avant-garde, I should say. But frankly, it doesn't delight half as much as the tallies do me :D


....BTW, I've asked the mods to rename this thread as a GIFT "General Development" thread and created threads on the new towers in the Central / West forums.

I also added the following towers to the main forums:

• GANDHINAGAR - GUJARAT INT'l FINANCE TEC-CITY | Diamond Tower | 400m | 87 fl (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=680088)

• GANDHINAGAR - GUJARAT INT'l FINANCE TEC-CITY | Gateway Towers | 362m | 70 fl x 2 | 45 fl (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=680126)

I'll post the rest over the next couple days when I have the time.

Cheers,
Jai


Thanks, Jai :cheers:

....BTW, am I the only one who's oddly delighted by this:


My inner 9 year-old is thrilled



Jai

oh i loved it the first time i saw it. the details they went through is unmatchable for any Indian project or even international ones.
keep looking at other pics too.. you will find surprising things..

Cool :) Take pics!

Definitely.

Wow I've just spend an hour going through this thread, and words fail express my feelings...Buildings that are out of this world!!! Any construction yet? And what kind of transport is going to prevail? I saw some pics which had metro rail, which is another plus!

This is my own little fantasy, but I hope one day, there will be high speed rail along these cities:
Gandhinagar - GIFT - Ahmadabad - Baroda - Surat (-----> Bombay if possible!)

A guy can dream can't he :D

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/Untitled-1.jpg

That is amazingly cool.

^^^^

That seems way cool. But I am keeping my fingers crossed on this project. It shows some good renderings.

Hey
I can visit GIHED in Chicago now.. after all meadows club is 10 min drive from me.. i m not going to miss it.

*cough*
edit

:cheers:

^ ^ cant see your pic. they do not allow hotlinking

ABB will power up the world’s biggest financial district (http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?cid=9078&codi=35815&idproducttype=8&level=0)

Published Aug. 13, 2008


Occupying a greenfield site of more than 500 acres in the rapidly developing state of Gujarat, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) will be the world’s largest international financial services center and IT hub when it is completed in 2017.

The site consists of about 100 million square feet of commercial and residential floor space, including an 80-storey signature building known as Diamond Tower. The center will dwarf comparable financial districts like London’s Docklands, Shanghai’s Pudong and Tokyo’s Shinjuku.

GIFT is located midway between Gujarat’s two most important cities, Ahmedabad (India’s seventh largest city) and Gandhinagar, and will be linked to both by expressways and mass transit railway systems. The massive development is expected to provide employment for around 500,000 people, and homes for about 50,000.

In addition to advanced ICT (information and communications technologies) systems, GIFT will function as an environmentally friendly eco-city, incorporating renewable energy sources like solar power, energy-efficient intelligent buildings and district cooling.

ABB was selected by Fairwood India, the project management consultants for GIFT, to design a complete power distribution system for the entire city to international benchmark levels of grid reliability, power quality and energy efficiency.

How to power a state-of-the-art city

ABB's power dstribution solution will reduce power losses and energy consumption to levels even better than internationally accepted standards.

The solution is based on a peak-demand capacity of 1,000 megawatts, and includes power technologies like extra high-voltage underground cables, underground gas-insulated substations, dry-type distribution transformers in high-rise buildings, and energy management systems which control and manage the entire power supply system.

The solution is benchmarked against other international installations like Burj Dubai (the tallest building in the world for which ABB supplied the power equipment); the ABB-designed Barbana underground substation in Spain which incorporates a waterfall to eradicate transformer noise, dissipate heat and enhance its urban location; and the Hong Kong Electric Company, which has achieved a reliability rating of 99.998 percent every year since 1998.

Construction of Tec-City is scheduled to begin at the end of 2008. Memorandums of understanding have already been signed with a number of Indian and international companies for more than 40 million square feet of space. The total cost of the entire project is estimated at $16.3 billion.

*cough*
http://img.waffleimages.com/760ad55821f70eb940667b711c66fdf3a738bb36/GIFT_large_.jpg

:cheers:

makes me proud to be a gujarati just by seeing that pic

Sorry, imageshack was giving me some problems last night... here:
http://i35.tinypic.com/2z6v6rp.jpg

"The total cost of the entire project is estimated at $16.3 billion."

ROFL such an amazing project is SO cheap? the beijing olympics costed 40 billion, but an entire uber city like GIFT only costs less than half of that?!

"The total cost of the entire project is estimated at $16.3 billion."

ROFL such an amazing project is SO cheap? the beijing olympics costed 40 billion, but an entire uber city like GIFT only costs less than half of that?!

the freedom tower in nyc itself will run upto $ 3 billion.
expect to see some real cheap paints and materials. like the buildings in mumbai.

the freedom tower in nyc itself will run upto $ 3 billion.
expect to see some real cheap paints and materials. like the buildings in mumbai.

how much they paid for the land in NYC?

how much they paid for the land in NYC?

land in lower manhatten is leased out by the port authority of ny/nj not sold.

^^^

Devil I have never seen a post that is complementing from you, u should just die, and make us happy.

^^^

Devil I have never seen a post that is complementing from you, u should just die, and make us happy.

how can i complement something which does not exist Mr Patel.

"The total cost of the entire project is estimated at $16.3 billion."

ROFL such an amazing project is SO cheap? the beijing olympics costed 40 billion, but an entire uber city like GIFT only costs less than half of that?!

Costs for

* Real Estate
* Developmental
* Labour

are completly different between other countries and India. By comparing infratructure for Olympics to this is like comparing apples and oranges imho.

how can i complement something which does not exist Mr Patel.
I dunno, perhaps by forcing yourself to override your own amazing cognitive dissonance?

isn't there a GIFT II in the pipeline too now?

isn't there a GIFT II in the pipeline too now?

let them first design and build the GIFT I, then we can replicate this GIFT Success in many other cities...just need this one to click...

http://i35.tinypic.com/2z6v6rp.jpg

Any similarities here??

http://lh4.ggpht.com/luka.esenko/RzeCUKFkAvI/AAAAAAAAAeY/LRwdCoMmAU4/s800/pudongC-blog.jpg

um no, i dont get it what are the similarities?

The building on the far right in the GIFT project resembles one of the Chinese buildings.

Rest it just resembles any other downtown in a developed city with a good waterfront.

^^ the CCTV tower. Yea ofcourse. But this one looks cooler... once built :lol:

actually there's a few buildings there that seems to have been, let's say, "inspired" by buildings from Shanghai and Beijing...

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/9857/2z6v6rpbo7.jpg

1) WFC, Shanghai
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/00/SWFC_June_2008.jpg/200px-

2) Jin Mao, Shanghai
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Jin_Mao_Tower.jpg/200px-

3) CCTV, Beijing
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/CCTV_Beijing_April_2008.jpg/180px-


that said, this is a stunning project, and of course these are only initial renders...

ferrari_fan......good job/....i saw this project today itself and many of the stts. resembled the.....other famous....forms and development criteria.......as well on the left the circular tower....is no unique way of from but seen in london......

similarlarly in the video put up by the gov. also contain much footage of vidoes from some international ppl......

i dont understand why dont these ppl improve..

wht say...

I won't believe in this project until the foundations are laid. If that happens, Modi's gonna make it possible. :)

one thing that might be worthy of note is the company planning GIFT (ECADI) built practically all of Pudong

World’s largest green financial district planned (http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?cid=23745&codi=36124&idproducttype=8&level=0)
Source: GLOBE-Net
Published Aug. 21, 2008

A unique ’green building’ experiment is underway to create he world’s largest international financial center and one of India’s biggest ever infrastructure projects. The Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) will occupy a green field site of more than 500 acres in the rapidly developing state of Gujarat in India. It is slated to be the world’s largest international financial services center and IT hub when it is completed in 2017.

This landmark project is an attempt to harness the growth and ambition of India, and direct it toward a concentrated urban setting as the focal point for the future development of the country.

In addition to hosting advanced ICT (information and communications technologies) systems, GIFT will function as an environmentally friendly eco-city, incorporating renewable energy sources like solar power, energy-efficient intelligent buildings and district cooling.

ABB, a world leader in power and automation technologies, was selected by Fairwood India, the project management consultants for GIFT, to design a complete power distribution system for the entire city to international benchmark levels of grid reliability, power quality and energy efficiency.

GIFT will have 104 million sq. ft. of built-up area, largely dedicated towards offices, in a concentrated high-rise setting that will be visually stunning as well as efficient and convenient to live in. The project is in its final pre-construction stages, and work on the ground has begun.

The site consists of about 100 million square feet of commercial and residential floor space, including an 80-storey signature building known as Diamond Tower. The center will dwarf comparable financial districts like London’s Docklands, Shanghai’s Pudong and Tokyo’s Shinjuku.

GIFT is located midway between Gujarat’s two most important cities, Ahmedabad (India’s seventh largest city) and Gandhinagar, and will be linked to both by expressways and mass transit railway systems. The massive development is expected to provide employment for around 500,000 people and homes for about 50,000.

Only 250 of the allotted 500 acres will be developed initially. The total project, including the townships, will be developed over the next 20 years, but the project’s core will lie in the first 250 acres.

Green Building in India

Sustainable urban development is now a key focus of the construction industry in India, with the industry hitting a boom phase. The Indian real estate sector is growing at an estimated 30% and is expected to be worth US $50 billion by 2010.

Increasingly, developers are incorporating energy efficiency and environmentally friendly systems and processes into their buildings, realizing savings of 40-50% in energy costs and similar reductions in water consumption.

The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) estimates the demand for green building materials and equipment will reach US$4 billion per annum by 2010. Despite the growth there are significant barriers to building green, including the increased costs and design and construction skills required. Although architects have been adopting green principles, a widespread, integrated and holistic approach towards construction of green buildings is still in its early stages.

Projects like GIFT will do much to stimulate this component of the Indian economy.

I didn't realize this project was so green...

If this project comes thru, we could say that India has finally started thinking big.

A board chiefly populated by IAS people does not inspire much confidence though.

It would be nice if their website had a section on 'current status' / 'progress report' or something similar

GIFT beta (http://www.gidb.org/sectors/studyreports/IT/InfocityReport-August%2020.pdf)

:)This project looks Great.:)

who is funding it. MODI is great...but he is old.

He is young compared to many!

A one-eyed man in a pack of blind people.

Another part of a rendering we probably won't see in full size for several months :(
http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/30/03n2py4.jpg

I've added two more building threads to the International and Central/West forums:

• GANDHINAGAR | Crystal Towers | 65 fl x 2 | 55 fl x 2 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=695696)
http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7594/packagehcrystaltowerssmev1.jpg (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=695696)

• GANDHINAGAR | Block Package E | 65 fl x 1 | 60 fl x 2 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=24530046)
http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/2079/packageesmall1gr7nj7yd0.jpg (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=24530046)

Will add more whenever I have the time

-Jai

Did anybody catch this?

GIHED Property Expo Comes to New Jersey at World Gujarati Conference (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/gihed-property-expo-comes-new/story.aspx?guid={48654264-578D-4275-865B-26F7B915D674}&dist=hppr)

Did anybody catch this?

GIHED Property Expo Comes to New Jersey at World Gujarati Conference (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/gihed-property-expo-comes-new/story.aspx?guid={48654264-578D-4275-865B-26F7B915D674}&dist=hppr)

Yup! (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=648918) But thanks for reminding me. I'm going to bump the thread again


edit- xposting info here for max visibility
Apparently the designs for India's first true commercial CBD, the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, will be making a major overseas debut in New Jersey and Chicago.

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/400/01gi8ii6.jpg

Hoping to woo rich desis to invest, Gujarat Institute of Housing and Estate Developers (GIHED) are attending property roadshows in a big way.

From this article (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Now_city_realtors_go_for_Chicago/articleshow/3118401.cms):


With scant information for all of these projects on the net -- especially the Sabarmati riverfront development -- we could surely use someone local to go document the exhibits there. Hopefully, they'll bring models and new renderings of the projects to distribute.

Can anyone make it?

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/9144/tempdr8gf1.jpg (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=552518&page=9)


With the GIFT upscale and redesign to 40+ towers above 50 storeys tall (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=552518&page=9), there's even more impetus to go and find out what you all can!


Posted by IU:
Originally Posted by IndiansUnite http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=23637494#post23637494)
Sweet Jebus! All the more reason to check out the event organized by GIHED in Chicago now. The locations and dates for the events are also out-


http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/8493/bannercf8gy3.jpg


Sumeet and I spoke with each other yesterday and have planned to attend the Chicago event on September 6 (Saturday). If anyone would like to join us, then post a message here or PM either one of us.



So that is Aug 29-31 at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center, Raritan Center, Edison, New Jersey. (http://www.njexpocenter.com/)

and

Sept 06-07 at The Meadows Club Chicago, Rolling Meadows, Illinois (http://www.themeadowsclub.com/location.htm)

All yall gujjus post up!

Guys! The New Jersey show starts tomorrow! Local guys, please try to make it and post pics! :D

See if you can find out
- any more official building roof heights and floor heights, especially for GIFT
- estimated project start, completion times for any projects, especially for GIFT
- any confirmation on the number of above-50-floor towers planned for the entire project
- whether more new skyscraper designs will be announced in the project
- whether any more skyscrapers will be planed in the future outside the current GIFT 500 acre location
- any information and where this proposed 'GIFT 2' is supposed to come up
- whether GIFT will be an independent city or will fall within (and be governed by) Gandhinagar
- whether skyscrapers will be built in the Riverfront project, and the designs of those


Try to take as many pictures as you possibly can. For anyone who can take pics I can arrange some free webhosting for from a friend where you can upload as many images as you want in full size. I'm sure they'll have huge pictures of the GIFT skyline on the walls, like they had in the 'Vibrant Gujarat' thing they had in India.

The more pictures you take of any projects and the more swag (free stuff, like broceuures, CDs, literature, etc.) you can get your hands on the better.

This goes for anyone attending :cheers1:

I've added one more building thread to the International and Central/West forums:

• GANDHINAGAR | Block Package F | 55 fl x 1 | 45 fl x 1 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=697168)
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/971/packagefsmall2wt6ad3.jpg (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=697168)

I'll try to make time to add two more tomorrow

Are these buildings actually u/c or still being planned?

Union Bank may set up BPO hub at GIFT (http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14750925)

Public sector bank, Union Bank of India plans to open a 24x7 customer care centre, and is looking to make GIFT the national hub. Top officials from the bank are in negotiations with Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), in Gandhinagar.

Union Bank cuts rates on foreign currency deposits

"Officials from the bank's head office are in talks with state government officials and GIFT. Depending on how the talks go, the bank may consider opening a call centre there," said an official of the bank.

So did anybody attend the NJ event?

^ Looks like no one went to the NJ one. I'm heading to Chicago this Saturday and will meet up with Sumeet in downtown Chicago and Rajugentleman80 at the event. I'll take as many pics as I can, film a couple of videos and get hold of any key guys at the event to answer the questions posed by Jai regarding the project. Can someone dig out the starting+ending time of the event?

Wicked

If there are models or huge banners and what not, be sure to take a number of high-rez panoramic photos of the same (i.e. standing in one place and just clicking away from left to right, up to down.) Don't worry if they don't line up, in fact try to make them overlap. I have some good photo editing and pano software that can stitch them pretty well

IU its from 10 AM to 10 PM. I confirmed that. Plenty of time for us to pester them with all sorts of questions. There will be booths set up, conference rooms, seating area, walk through etc..

I will be really disappointed if these guys don't showcase GIFT properly.


http://www.gihed.org/images/gujaratshow.gif

So was this the reason why Modi went for the US visa to showcase the GIFT project?

I already attended NJ property show but just to let you know that they didn't showcase GIFT Project nor Sabarmati River Front but they did put up the big banner of GIFT which showed the rendering of Twins Gateway Towers, Sabarmati River Front Rendering and obvious BRTS just the banners. The major thing I came across was the banner which showed Delhi-Mumbai Corrider with detailed information as I didn't get time to read. Then they have some 36 SEZ zones coming up in Gujarat and that too largest SEZ Zones in India with more then 1000 Hecters.

dude did they have any brochure on GIFT or any information on it ?

dude did they have any brochure on GIFT or any information on it ?

Nope. Just a huge banner showcasing Gateway Towers some info written on the banner.

So was this the reason why Modi went for the US visa to showcase the GIFT project?

Correct your fact Dude, he didn't ask for Visa.

ok guys

it was disappointing. Both me and IU think so. We expected GIFT to be there but according to many officials at rolling meadows, GIFT was only to be showcased at New Jersey.

in chicago they were only attempting to sell real estate deal and get others aware & interested in it.



Vibs,

people informed us that there was booth dedicated to GIFT and it was mentioned in a speech given by vice president of GIHED.

Anyways guys we will have to be patient and as time passes by we will come to know more stuff about this project.

ok guys

it was disappointing. Both me and IU think so. We expected GIFT to be there but according to many officials at rolling meadows, GIFT was only to be showcased at New Jersey.

in chicago they were only attempting to sell real estate deal and get others aware & interested in it.



Vibs,

people informed us that there was booth dedicated to GIFT and it was mentioned in a speech given by vice president of GIHED.

Anyways guys we will have to be patient and as time passes by we will come to know more stuff about this project.

Well to be honest there wasn't any booth but regarding about the speech given by Vice President I think they must've showcase GIFT in the conference Hall with laser shows or projectors.

Hello all
I visited GIHED expo in Chicago today. To be honest they didn't had any GIFT or Riverfront booth in Chicago, but I was informed they had a booth and manned by govt officials and the developer reps at NJ expo. As far as GIFT and Riverfront is concerned this expo was waste of time.

But not completely....
I got to know more about the giant leap Gujarat (and Ahmedabad) is talking in term of development. We all heard about 60 meters ring road and development around it.. well I found out about a proposed 90 Meters expressway still further out... wow..Just like I-456 around Indianapolis, IN or I-285 around Atlanta, GA. Unlike other municipalities AMC and Govt of Gujarat are looking out to future and creating a planned development environment... I am still analyzing the CD's and brochures I will post updates in Ahmedabad and Gujarat development sections accordingly.

IU & Sumeet I apologize I was not able to make it on Saturday..
Cheers!!

Sumeet and Rajugenteleman pretty much summarized what happened at the event in Rolling Meadows.

Summeet and I went in thinking that the walls will be embellished with GIFT posters and a model of the city will be displayed but sigh the GIFT project was only meant to be showcased in Jersey. There were some posters of the Sabarmati riverfront project and the BRT system in the lobby but there weren't any booths inside the hall representing those projects. Those GIHED cretins had picked those posters up from the NJ event. I have some pics on my phone which I'll upload soon. I took my digicam along but there wasn't any significant project to take pics of.

Do you have any info on the Sabarmati Riverfront Development?
When is that project gonna start?

Do you have any info on the Sabarmati Riverfront Development?
When is that project gonna start?

Wow, that's a major bummer indeed... :( But thank you, all of you who made the time to attend the exhibition.

That's really weird, I've never heard of a property exhibition that didn't make the effort to sell property. This either implies complete arrogance of the developers (which I guess is a good thing if it means they are that confident the project will be seen throguh), or complete incompetance in the part of their sales team.

We should all try contacting them on their address on the website and ask them these questions. Maybe if enough people do, they will deign to clarify what's going on

Cheers,
Jai

Wow, that's a major bummer indeed... :( But thank you, all of you who made the time to attend the exhibition.

That's really weird, I've never heard of a property exhibition that didn't make the effort to sell property. This either implies complete arrogance of the developers (which I guess is a good thing if it means they are that confident the project will be seen throguh), or complete incompetance in the part of their sales team.

We should all try contacting them on their address on the website and ask them these questions. Maybe if enough people do, they will deign to clarify what's going on

Cheers,
Jai

completely agree with you there
100%. Not making an effort to sell because of arrogance.
Makes total sense.

:| In a b2b world, why target businesses in a property expo. The vast majority of sellable space in gift is commercial and finance, not residential, and has already been booked. Besides, I don't think GIHED, which ran the expo, is even involved in the selling plots in GIFT.

Oh but wait, I forgot. Every news article and project report about gift is a dirty, dirty lie, and I should be ashamed of myself. My bad.