Discussions and progress updates of building and construction (built environment) projects.

Let us have this thread to discuss and share information about proposed building & construction projects, architectural renderings and construction update photos


(The other Chennai Project thread will be for general development projects, economy, investment news etc. I hope soon we will be having a separate subforum for Chennai metro area and so it should be okay to have more specific threads. If anybody have any concerns or suggestions regarding this thread, you are welcome to post it here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=575959) )

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Complex

Architects gmp win the international tender for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu's parliament building in the port city of Chennai

The provincial government of Tamil Nadu's international invitation to tender for the design of the new state parliament building in the capital Chennai has been won by Berlin-based architects Gerkan, Marg und Partner.
The planning contract has already been awarded. The parliament building is due to be completed by 2010, and will house all institutional functions.

http://i28.tinypic.com/w9z779.jpg

The design takes account of the state's cultural traditions and the urban context of the city of Chennai. The geometry of the building's structure is derived from the traditional, round chakra (mandala) motif, consisting of circles of various sizes inscribed in 36 isosceles triangles.

These timeless, stable shapes - circles and triangles - make up the geometrical structure of the design in both ground plan and elevation. With its highly visible dome, the design also echoes the structural features of Dravidian temple complexes.

The internal plan features courtyard architecture with five round interior courts that are functionally differentiated, creating public, semi-public and also secure internal areas.
The spacious Citizens' Forum on the south side of the building is created by the largest circle in the mandala. It is both the opening towards the city and the entrance area, with public functional areas.
The three other round courtyards in the interior of the building house the Assembly Hall, the Legislative Assembly Chamber and the Convention Hall.

The state parliament rests on a battered plinth and is landscaped all round. The glass dome over the Assembly Hall marks the seat of the Tamil parliament.

http://i26.tinypic.com/1441onm.jpg

Competition 2007 - 1st prize
Design: Volkwin Marg and Hubert Nienhoff with Kristian Uthe-Spencker
Partner: Hubert Nienhoff
Project manager: Kristian Uthe-Spencker
Team: Katharina Broese, Kerstin Otte, Helge Lezius, Julian Jain
Client: Public Works Department Buildings (Maintenance) Circle
Gross floor area: ca. 160,000 m²
Completion: 2010

Source : gmp Architechten (http://www.gmp-architekten.de/index.php?id=6&no_cache=1&L=1&tx_macinaeasynews_pi1[showUid]=180&tx_macinaeasynews_pi1[pointer]=0&tx_macinaeasynews_pi1[sort]=sorting%3A0&cHash=c315de7609)

they release a render and it is not even in colour ???

It will also be interesting to see athiest Karunanidhi ruling the state from a building based on Vedic Hindu concept of Chakra Mandala etc. :D

Mandala : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandala

A right slap in the face for Kalaignar ?? :nuts:

[QUOTE=Fusionist;18607804]they release a render and it is not even in colour ???

Anniyan,

Begining itself is awesome!

Arambame amarkalama irruku!

Fusionist, the GMP folks are updating their site slowly.. even these pics were not posted, whn i chked few days ago.. I guess, we need to wait for few more days n watch their site freq.

The proposal looks great -- but without seeing better renderings convincing me otherwise, I don't think this building is at all terribly reflective of traditional Dravidian architecture as is claimed. All this talk of chakras and isosceles triangles and whatnot seems to be simply sophistry shoehorning rather normal-looking modernist architecture into an artificially-constructed description of Indian-derived concepts. That dome looks nothing like traditional domes, and unless the building has gates and concentric rings of plazas within the structure itself, I don't see how the layout it very much is inspired from traditional mandala form.

Maybe if there were other renderings, the architectural inspiration would be more apparent, but honestly, if you were to show me this building totally out of context, I'd think it looked very, well, Germanic. (edit- I wrote that before realizing the architects were indeed from Germany -- go figure.)

So while it looks all nice and modern, it sure as hell doesn't look very Indian. For something as important as a state legislative complex I'd have loved to see another modern -- or better yet, futuristic -- take on the rich and varied architecture traditions of Tamil Nadu, a la the "neo-Dravidian" architecture of Karnataka's Vidhana Soudha in Banglaore, rather than this architecturally-anonymous, European style only superficially adapted to local architectural customs :(

-Jai

The proposal looks great -- but without seeing better renderings convincing me otherwise, I don't think this building is at all terribly reflective of traditional Dravidian architecture as is claimed. All this talk of chakras and isosceles triangles and whatnot seems to be simply sophistry shoehorning rather normal-looking modernist architecture into an artificially-constructed description of Indian-derived concepts. That dome looks nothing like traditional domes, and unless the building has gates and concentric rings of plazas within the structure itself, I don't see how the layout it very much is inspired from traditional mandala form.

Maybe if there were other renderings, the architectural inspiration would be more apparent, but honestly, if you were to show me this building totally out of context, I'd think it looked very, well, Germanic. (edit- I wrote that before realizing the architects were indeed from Germany -- go figure.)

So while it looks all nice and modern, it sure as hell doesn't look very Indian. For something as important as a state legislative complex I'd have loved to see another modern -- or better yet, futuristic -- take on the rich and varied architecture traditions of Tamil Nadu, a la the "neo-Dravidian" architecture of Karnataka's Vidhana Soudha in Banglaore, rather than this architecturally-anonymous, European style only superficially adapted to local architectural customs :(

-Jai

I think that it is one of the options given by GMP and may not be the one which was finally selected. Only the Architect has been finalised and the option is not yet finalised.

I was told that there are issues between the AAI and the GMP regarding the competition rules.

I was told that there are issues between the AAI and the GMP regarding the competition rules.

this is the design of legislative assembly, not airport

Great finding anniyan. Design Looks good. Is this final design?

this is the design of legislative assembly, not airport

I think he meant 'Architects Association of India.'

The structure is going to give a real fillip to the image of chennai ! Chennai is going to rock with a new era constructions now on.....Wait and watch....I believe Chennai is going to boast maganonimous but elegante' structures very soon and going to follow it's chinese cousin..Shanghai..Hey politicians! now you cannot stop chennai growing leaps and bounds for your petty benefits as you started realizing the potential of chennai now ...very lately, afterall you've chosen your own abode with modern aesthetics

Marg Swarnabhoomi

http://www.marginfrastructure.com/gallery/images/Clsuster_Of_Marg_Tapovan.jpg

Marg Tapovan and Swarnabhoomi

http://www.marginfrastructure.com/images/tapovan_location_map.jpg

River side Mall

http://www.marginfrastructure.com/images/sub_malls_riverside_large.jpg

Ookwood Residance on Kazhiputur

http://www.marginfrastructure.com/images/sub_serapp_oakwood_large.jpg

more of swarnabhoomi

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/images/landmark.jpg

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/img/strategic-01.jpg

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/img/strategic-02.jpg

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/img/multi-01.jpg

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/img/light-02.jpg

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/apartment/plan-02.jpg

Suvurnabhumi is Bangkok AP name!!

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/index.html

Suvurnabhumi is Bangkok AP name!!

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/index.html

Malayalam also!!!

Earlier I have seen some banners used say "Quit Chennai" now they justified with "Swarnabhoomi" Township in the same banners :)

Malayalam also!!!

Earlier I have seen some banners used say "Quit Chennai" now they justified with "Swarnabhoomi" Township in the same banners :)

"Quit Chennai" seems to be Raj Thakkere style as he is doing in Mumbai. Swarnabhoomi looks good.. :lol::lol:

deleted..

Forum Mall, Anna Salai
Retail Outlets+food court+8 screen multiplex AND a 10 storey office block above the podium level.
Architects : RSP Architectures and Engineers

http://i28.tinypic.com/29dvn5w.jpg

more of swarnabhoomi

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/images/landmark.jpg

Is this project by any chance related to Mr.Chitty Babu's skyscraper plan revealed at a property exhibition last year ?

The news came in the Deccan Chronicle special property (print) edition and our forumer JudishRaj posted the news here.

We hope it will be seventy five storied structure, which will have a routine revolving restaurant to give it a panoramic view of the metro and surroundings,' said T.Chitty Babu, Managing Director, Akshaya Homes, a leading construction company in south India. Mr.Babu said that he has formed a consortium of ten builders and they have almost worked out the details. If we get the clearance from the government agencies, it is a matter of time before we officially announce the launching of the project. Mr.Babu, himself a construction engineer with an impeccable track record, wants Chennai city to have something unique which can rival the best in the World. Even after the liberalization and opening up of the economy, we had to be content with the 14 storied LIC building in the Mount Road as the city's tallest structure. It can not go on like this. We want to build the tallest skyscraper of the country, if not of Asia, in our Chennai,' said Babu. The proposed building could be somewhere in the Old Mahapalipuram Road. 'We are focusing it as a commercial complex. There are many clients waiting in the wings to move over to the city's first skyscraper.' said Babu.

Fresh from the success of its Jasmine Court launch, ETA Star Properties, Chennai will invest over Rs. 89 crores into the residential property market in the ‘Pudhu Chennai’, it will soon launch Rosedale, the gateway to Pudhu Chennai envisages being the epitome in luxury living, an ode to the architectural heritage, an amazing amalgamation between style, design and engineering.

The Rosedale is a wide stretch of 6.89 acres of land, with 9 blocks of apartments and each of these blocks towering up to 12 floors.


http://i28.tinypic.com/2iijt4o.jpg

Mr.Ahmed Shakir, Director, said "Chennai has emerged as a melting pot of diverse cultures, a hub for IT in South India and the latest destination for international investment. It is also the home ground of the ETA Star Group.

The proposal looks great -- but without seeing better renderings convincing me otherwise, I don't think this building is at all terribly reflective of traditional Dravidian architecture as is claimed. All this talk of chakras and isosceles triangles and whatnot seems to be simply sophistry shoehorning rather normal-looking modernist architecture into an artificially-constructed description of Indian-derived concepts. That dome looks nothing like traditional domes, and unless the building has gates and concentric rings of plazas within the structure itself, I don't see how the layout it very much is inspired from traditional mandala form.

Maybe if there were other renderings, the architectural inspiration would be more apparent, but honestly, if you were to show me this building totally out of context, I'd think it looked very, well, Germanic. (edit- I wrote that before realizing the architects were indeed from Germany -- go figure.)

So while it looks all nice and modern, it sure as hell doesn't look very Indian. For something as important as a state legislative complex I'd have loved to see another modern -- or better yet, futuristic -- take on the rich and varied architecture traditions of Tamil Nadu, a la the "neo-Dravidian" architecture of Karnataka's Vidhana Soudha in Banglaore, rather than this architecturally-anonymous, European style only superficially adapted to local architectural customs :(

-Jai

I second you on the Architectural design and also the key question to(maybe too early but important) any govt. building is who is going to do the Maintenance. If it is PWD, spending all the money on such a futuristic building is putting taxpayer's money into the gutter.

Small rendering on Gold Tower at Chennai

http://www.realvalue.in/images/gold-l.jpg

http://www.realvalue.in/realgold_souk_decs.htm

Copyright : http://www.tvh.in

http://www.tvh.in/images/res_ourania_popup2.jpg

http://www.tvh.in/images/res_ourania_popup1.jpg

Prince Legrande...

Source: http://property.magicbricks.com

http://property.magicbricks.com/microsite/princefoundations/images/legrande_big.jpg

Copyright : http://www.tvh.in

29 storied building



Have CMDA approved it? Then this will be the tallest building in Chennai.

^^ Not sure whether the CMDA jurisdiction extends until Muttukaaduu..
anyways as they have posted in their website, they should have obtained all the necessary govt. approvals..

Source: http://property.magicbricks.com

http://property.magicbricks.com/microsite/princefoundations/images/legrande_big.jpg

holy shit. how could this project get approval? there is hardly any space around it. imagine areas around this place also with similar buildings. no amount of infrastructre can support such plans.

^^ Funny, They occupied almost half of the road :nuts:I could find some space in left side!

I have been seeing Ampa Mall (near Nelson Manickam Road) for the last 6 months , i dont see progress (going at snail pace). Any one has any updates on completion?

http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/19/stories/2006121901900200.htm

The Link says completion date as April 14, 2007 :bash:

Have CMDA approved it? Then this will be the tallest building in Chennai.

Nope. The tallest building in Chennai will be Metrozone Towers.

http://www.ozonegroup.com/projects/metrozone_gallery.asp

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=metroz1tower-chennai-india

I think Metrozone Towers has been approved!!

^^

That looks cool. Thanks for info.

So the skyline of the Chennai city will be towards OMR which is 17-20KM from Chennai hardcore city!!

^^ Not sure whether the CMDA jurisdiction extends until Muttukaaduu..
anyways as they have posted in their website, they should have obtained all the necessary govt. approvals..

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/03/13/stories/2008031351210200.htm

True Value Homes plans Rs 700-cr project near Chennai

Chennai, March 12

Construction company True Value Homes has set up a joint venture with CPI India 1 Ltd to implement a Rs 700-crore residential project near Chennai.

Mr Nakshatra Roy, Director-Corporate Operations, True Value Homes India Pvt Ltd, said CPI India 1 Ltd, a $1.3- billion fund, is bringing FDI into the project, being promoted through a special purpose vehicle — TVH Estates Chennai Pvt Ltd.

The project, Ouranya Bay, coming up near Muttukadu, about 30 km south of Chennai, will have over 860 apartments spread over six towers of 29 floors each.

The towers will have two levels of car parking and 27 levels of apartments ranging from 1,230 sq to 2,084 sq ft. The launch price of the apartments is pegged at Rs 3,100 a sq ft.

Facilities include 30 serviced apartments, 24 sky gardens, one gym, two stretcher elevators and two passenger elevators in each tower and a helipad on the roof for emergency use. The project spread over 17.5 acres is designed by international architects Surbana.

Singapore tie-up

A unique feature of the project will be the construction technology. True Value Homes has tied up with the Singapore-based MS61 to construct the towers.

The joint venture company for project management, Morpheus Project Management Consultants, will use MIVAN System, a technology provided by MS61.

The entire structure will be of reinforced concrete without use of bricks or mortar, he said.

Chennai, March 13: The Khivraj Group on Thursday launched a Rs 700 crore residential project on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) here.

OMR, which is at the heart of IT corridor, has been witnessing a flurry of real estate development activity involving a majority of Indian realty majors.

The project spread acr-oss 15.5 acres of land will be completed in 3 years and will comprise of 912 apartments in eight 20-storeyed towers.

"The group will develop 70 acres of land releasing more than 3,000 apartments in the OMR belt over the next four years," said the group managing director Ajit Chordia.

Another project of 2,500 apartments on the OMR would start in 6 months.

He said this project, involving an investment of Rs 700 crore, would be completed in four years.

http://203.197.197.71/presentation/leftnavigation/news/business/realty-co-plans-rs-700cr-project.aspx

funny reading this thread. Looking by it most people simply haven't understood what is to be discussed in this topic. lol

funny reading this thread. Looking by it most people simply haven't understood what is to be discussed in this topic. lol

This is from Anniyan's first post

"Let us have this thread to discuss and share information about proposed building & construction projects, architectural renderings and construction update photos"

I dont see any problem with people's understanding.

Cheers
Slakhs

The view must be nice, looking down at the rest of us from that ivory tower, eh fusi?

This is from Anniyan's first post

"Let us have this thread to discuss and share information about proposed building & construction projects, architectural renderings and construction update photos"

I dont see any problem with people's understanding.

Cheers
Slakhs

oh, I thought this was an architecture discussion thread ? how naive of me. My bad. Keep posting !

The view must be nice, looking down at the rest of us from that ivory tower, eh fusi?

an ivory tower in Chennai ? Good start especially if it is tall enough to look down upon the city ! great going.. please post pics pls ! :D

oh, I thought this was an architecture discussion thread ? how naive of me. My bad. Keep posting !

It's very graceful of you to accept your naivety.

Cheers
Slakhs

May have been posted already...

source:http://ltedenpark.com/

http://ltedenpark.com/images/buildings/Ariel2a.jpg

It's very graceful of you to accept your naivety.

Cheers
Slakhs
I find it surprising a "know all" has accepted his naivety

I find it surprising a "know all" has accepted his naivety

I think it is more to do with some forumer's inability to read between the lines ;)

Sorry if this has been posted already.

http://www.hiranandanipalacegardens.com/images/11_c4_road_eye_view.jpg

http://www.hiranandanipalacegardens.com/images/7_cam.jpg

http://www.hiranandanipalacegardens.com/images/4_pavillion.jpg

http://www.hiranandanipalacegardens.com/images/9_cam_01.jpg

http://www.hiranandanipalacegardens.com/images/6_cam.jpg

http://www.hiranandanipalacegardens.com/images/10_club_view.jpg

What the hell is with the Hiranandani's and their cookie-cutter garbage. It was novel when it was one or two buildings. Now its just ugly.

^^ true. Commie blocks reinvented. Just adding a dome on top to 'Indianise' it doesn't do much good in my book.

What's even more galling is that there isn't any variations in theme. These are exactly the same buildings as in Powai and as in Thane. And he has the chutzpah to claim these projects as architecturally unique and significant when it's neither. From what I've read, he plans to build townships like this all over India.

Just like this.

Yuk.

From what I've read, he plans to build townships like this all over India.

Just like this.
Yuk.

now that would be unfortunate :ohno:

New 29 storey apartment building complex in OMR(padur)
Copyright : http://www.tvh.in

Here's a larger rendering from an ad in HT Del -

4 x 29fl residential towers in Padur
click to enlarge
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/14/chennaiouranyabayjb6.jpg (http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/152/chennaiouranyabayvu4.jpg)

folks, that Marg Swarnabhoomi SEZ about which is posted on the first page of this thread is designed by HOK architects and the 1st phase will open by Dec09.

some more renderings from their website (http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/)

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/3861/chennaimarg1xu8.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/9609/chennaimarg3fc2.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/8905/chennaimarg2ir6.jpg


here's an article on it from TOI Mumbai (property section) :


SUPER TIER CITIES

...MARG Swarnabhoomi, conceptualised with the promise of providing peace, prosperity and plenty to citizens is located 90 kms from Chennai.

Swarnabhoomi is bestowed with a scenic ambience amidst large water bodies; it encompasses two notified SEZs one for multi services and the other for light engineering including auto ancillaries. Designed as a global city with world class civil and social infrastructure, MARG Swarnabhoomi has the apt setting for a work-life balance.

Epitomizing the name Swarnabhoomi, this new land of prosperity spread over 1,000 acres is projected to create an economy of US$ 1 billion over the next 5 years through a self sustaining business model.

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/191/pc0450600cc9.jpg

MARG Swarnabhoomi has been designed by world renowned architects HOK, USA. A planned city, it offers superior civic infrastructure, ample provision for residential units, 24-hr water supply, power supply from the state electricity grid, optic fibre telecom & broadband connectivity, sewage treatment and desalination plants. Social infrastructure will include educational institutions, wellness centres, shopping malls and a first of its kind destination mall. For sports aficionados, there’s an international standard golf course, sports and water sports facilities.

This mega infrastructure project will be completed in three phases, the first by December 2009, followed by Phase 2 in March 2011 and Phase 3 by December 2013. MARG Swarnabhoomi is expected to generate employment for over one lakh people once the SEZs are fully developed.

Towards achieving this goal, the company has in place a human capital of 300 talented professional, soon to grow to 1,000. To reaffirm the corporate philosophy of creating an inclusive world, MARG, in association with the Great Lakes Institute of Management, recently launched the Centre of Excellence for Infrastructure, a think - tank to facilitate innovative infrastructure solutions for the nation.

Wow! Cool project, though the actual building designs are pretty run-of-the-mill

It would be a good idea for the Govt. to encourage Private Reality majors to develop similar modern Townships around all proposed SEZs to accomodate one million people each over a period. Even if they could succeed fifty percent atleast 15 million people from existing towns/cities could be moved, thus reducing density. But Builders should plan houses for Rs 4000 to Rs 50000 per month salary earners. Building castles for Rs 60-80 Lakhs will not serve the society at large.

http://www.lancor.in/images/cps/bigview1_cps.jpg

The above is the newest Residential Project (and 3rd in a row) by Lancor Holdings Ltd. in Sholinganallur.

See the location map here (not to scale) that shows their other 2 adjacent projects as well: http://www.lancor.in/images/cps/location.jpg

http://www.lancor.in/images/cps/location.jpg

Does anyone know of any architect specializing in
Green Building, based in/around Chennai .. ? I am
interested in the following aspects of green-ness

1)using green materials such as flyash blocks, non-toxic
paints/plasters, even steel if feasible costwise
2)some efficient waste management -- composting techniques.
3)renewable energy source -- solar panels
4)specialized architechtural design & materals that allow for natural lighting &
insulation from heat (such as dome/glazed materials)
5)geothermal cooling

Given the experiment-ative nature of the project, I'd
like to consult someone experienced with this ...

^^
CRN architects and engineers in India - Intelligent Buildings ..

http://www.crn.co.in/

Recently they have won the order for a huge modern Library Building at Kotturpuram from TN Govt.

here's a larger rendering of the Digital Green IT Park by Emaar MGF on OMR from DP architect's website:

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/1165/chennaiemaardigitalgreelp4.jpg



and a rendering of a hotel+mall on OMR by Emaar MGF:
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/6578/chennaiemaarhotellr8.jpg

I saw new rendering of ETA stars project on IT corridor. In that hoarding it is mentioned as it will be opened in OCT 2008. I couldn find the rendering in net.

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/924/dsc01768qh2.jpg

In this picture small rendering can be seen in the corner.

I couldn find the rendering in net.

it is already posted here :)

Fresh from the success of its Jasmine Court launch, ETA Star Properties, Chennai will invest over Rs. 89 crores into the residential property market in the ‘Pudhu Chennai’, it will soon launch Rosedale, the gateway to Pudhu Chennai envisages being the epitome in luxury living, an ode to the architectural heritage, an amazing amalgamation between style, design and engineering.
.


Anniyan, r u telling about this?

The project on IT corridor is different one i think!!

Anniyan, r u telling about this?

The project on IT corridor is different one i think!!

No, i meant the four-tower ETA techno park. First phase was opened in Dec 2007.

^^

Thanks for clarification!

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/?id=100244

More buildings can be found in this site!!

Metro Zone near Koyamedu

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/1914/70406434ug7.png

http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/5527988.jpg

What the hell is with the Hiranandani's and their cookie-cutter garbage. It was novel when it was one or two buildings. Now its just ugly.
Yep, it's quite fugly.

[QUOTE=Arul Murugan;19426029]http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/?id=100244

Arul,

Digged bit on this site. Got the funny info.

http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/ma/ct/co/ci/?id=100060


It says Blore is more populated than Chennai. True??! :)

Bangalore 4,292,223

Chennai 4,216,268

[QUOTE=Arul Murugan;19426029]http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/?id=100244

Arul,

Digged bit on this site. Got the funny info.

http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/ma/ct/co/ci/?id=100060


It says Blore is more populated than Chennai. True??! :)

Bangalore 4,292,223

Chennai 4,216,268

it's city population and not metropolitan population.....

it's city population and not metropolitan population.....

Even Metro, Blore is biggie than Chennai??. Has Blore city more ppl than Chennai City??:ohno:

I think Blore city jurisdiction is bigger than chennai too
Blore metro has lesser pop than Chennai but i guess the difference will be in few lacs

As per 2001 census Chennai - 64.24 and Bangalore was 56.8 lakhs. The gap was reducing fast as Bangalore was growing much faster than Chennai in the last 3 decades.

Slakhs

Even Metro, Blore is biggie than Chennai??. Has Blore city more ppl than Chennai City??:ohno:

Even Metro, Blore is biggie than Chennai??. Has Blore city more ppl than Chennai City??:ohno:

The Chennai Metropolitan Area(CMA) is the fourth largest metropolitan area in India and the 34th in the world in terms of population (as of 2007). The CMA consists of the metropolitan city of Chennai and its suburbs.

The CMA has an area of 1172 sq km spread over three districts.
source: http://www.cmdachennai.org/maps.html

District | Area (sq km) | Population (2001)
Chennai district | 176 |4,343,645
Thiruvallur district |637 |1,574,847
Kancheepuram district |376 |1,107,789

Total 1189sq km with a population of 70.41 Lakhs as in 2001 census

Bangalore population along with the greater bangalore
source: http://www.bmponline.org/

Population = 6.8 Million (Approx)
Area = 800 Sq Km(Approx)

The Chennai Metropolitan Area(CMA) is the fourth largest metropolitan area in India and the 34th in the world in terms of population (as of 2007). The CMA consists of the metropolitan city of Chennai and its suburbs.

The CMA has an area of 1172 sq km spread over three districts.
source: http://www.cmdachennai.org/maps.html

District | Area (sq km) | Population (2001)
Chennai district | 176 |4,343,645
Thiruvallur district |637 |1,574,847
Kancheepuram district |376 |1,107,789

Total 1189sq km with a population of 70.41 Lakhs as in 2001 census

Bangalore population along with the greater bangalore
source: http://www.bmponline.org/

Population = 6.8 Million (Approx)
Area = 800 Sq Km(Approx)

As far as city population within corporation limit is concerned Bangaluru is the third largest city after Mumbai and Delhi.Bangaluru is followed by Kolkatta and chennai.As far as population in the metropolitan limits are concerned Chennai stands fourth.May be by 2011 decadal census Bangaluru may overtake chennai overall as the growth rate of population of the city is much more than chennai owing mainly to migrant population including predominantly from Tamilnadu willing and loving to settle down in Bangaluru.

Madras has to build this one. It'll look gigantic. Definitely lconic enough.

more of swarnabhoomi

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/images/landmark.jpg

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/img/strategic-01.jpg

http://www.margswarnabhoomi.com/img/strategic-02.jpg

As per Census 2001, Kolkata is the third largest (population) City, Bangalore was 4th in the provisional results, in the final list, Chennai is slightly ahead. Interestingly, in Metro Population too, Hyderabad is ahead of Bangalore.

Please see relevant links

Kolkata -
http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Population_Finder/View_Village_Population.aspx?pcaid=5865&category=U.A.
Chennai - http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Population_Finder/View_Village_Population.aspx?pcaid=7571&category=U.A.
Bangalore - http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Population_Finder/View_Village_Population.aspx?pcaid=7302&category=U.A.
Hyderabad - http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Population_Finder/View_Village_Population.aspx?pcaid=6932&category=U.A. (ignore the error)

Cheers
Slakhs

PS: I do apologise for the OT discussion

As far as city population within corporation limit is concerned Bangaluru is the third largest city after Mumbai and Delhi.Bangaluru is followed by Kolkatta and chennai.As far as population in the metropolitan limits are concerned Chennai stands fourth.May be by 2011 decadal census Bangaluru may overtake chennai overall as the growth rate of population of the city is much more than chennai owing mainly to migrant population including predominantly from Tamilnadu willing and loving to settle down in Bangaluru.

Pressure to go green builds

Chennai Has 8 Out Of 17 Certified Eco-Friendly Buildings In The Country

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: The concept of green buildings is catching on in Chennai. According to a recent report, the city has the most green buildings in India and the highest total volume of certified green building space. Of the 17 LEED — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a green building rating system developed by the US Green Building Council — certified buildings in the country, Chennai alone has eight of them. That’s 67.3 per cent of the total green building space in India.
A green building is one that incorporates the use of renewable energy, efficient use of water and use of recycled or recyclable materials, and provides for healthy indoor air. Its advantages are manifold: the expenditure on design and equipment is rapidly offset by gains in power, water and hygiene — apart from reducing emissions and helping to reduce global warming.
Across the country, companies are increasingly coming forward to have green audits conducted in order to ensure that their processes and practices are environmentally friendly. The CII is actively promoting the concept and it looks like several corporates are buying the idea. The Tatas, ITC, and ONGC all have plans for green buildings. A green stamp is seen as a sign of corporate social responsibility and creates goodwill for the brand among consumers.
Only a month ago Hyderabad-based Ramky Enfiro’s proposed facility to treat hazardous waste in Gummidipoondi near Chennai landed in rough weather. Locals complained that a proper public hearing was not conducted before the government cleared the project. A compliance advisor, an independent recourse mechanism used by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), started reassessing IFC’s proposed funding for the project.
As demands for environmental compliance increase, the focus is shifting to the need for more green buildings and sustainable projects. Buildings are responsible for 40 per cent of the world’s energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Energy efficient buildings can cut operating costs by 15 to 40 percent. Apart from reducing operationing costs, users of the buildings are guaranteed comfort, better health and safety.
A recent US survey said the pressure to go green also came from consumers, government agencies and policymakers. The respondents, mostly heads of Fortune 500 companies, felt the benefits of good practices would increase brand value and enhanced reputation.
The report said companies in the near future would succeed or falter based on how they understood and took advantage of the competitive opportunities that sustainability offered. Sustainability presented a tremendous revenue growth opportunity for companies that incorporated right practices and innovative thinking, it said.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2008/05/01/4/Img/Pc0040800.jpg

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOI/navigator.asp?Daily=TOICH&login=default

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/1063/dsc04503gg9.th.jpg (http://img385.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc04503gg9.jpg)

Murugan Dharmalingam
Salem,Tamilnadu-Tiruchi

deleted

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Markets/Real_Estate/Ritz_Nitesh_to_offer_1_million_luxury_residences/articleshow/3037805.cms

BANGALORE/MUMBAI: Ritz Carlton Residences, the benchmark in luxury homes for the rich and famous in busy metros and exotic retreats, may be ready to redefine the ultimate in apartment living in India.

It is believed to have chosen the stunning backdrop of the Kochi coastline and the posh Boat Club area in Chennai as addresses for the million-dollar residences it will offer in partnership with Nitesh Estates, sources said.

Domestic realty major Nitesh is scheduled to bring India’s first Ritz Carlton hotel to Bangalore. Nitesh, it is understood, would extend its association with Ritz Carlton Hotel to a few more markets and unveil Ritz Carlton Residences too.

But sources said the 2,500-4,000 sq ft apartments are expected to be ensconced within the premises of Ritz Carlton hotels in Kochi and Chennai.

Carrying a price tag in excess of $1 million, they will come with dedicated concierge and house-keeping services, gourmet dining and valet parking. An outright buy could cost Rs 3-6 crore and they may also be available on long lease. What has fuelled the speculation is Nitesh’s recent acquisition of land in Chennai and Kochi.

The domestic real estate company bid Rs 700 crore to lease 9 acres near the Boat Club for 66 years. It is also believed to have bought 4 acres next to Bolghatty Palace in Kochi for an undisclosed amount. The land in Kochi is surrounded by water on three sides, with the heritage palace on the fourth.

“We can only confirm that the company is looking at mixed-use developments in both cities. We are looking at iconic developments that will leave a lasting impression,” Nitesh Estates CEO RS Mani said. He declined to comment on speculation about whether the Ritz association would be extended to these markets.

Sources said Nitesh has already roped in New York-based architectural consultancy KPF to develop these properties. The mixed-use development in Kochi is estimated to be about 5 lakh sq ft while in Chennai it could be a million sq ft. KPF is credited with some of the most acclaimed mixed-use developments in the world, including Tokyo’s $4-billion Rappongi Hills, built by realty tycoon Minoru Mori.

The 31-year-old Nitesh Shetty-led real estate company has been in limelight after it unveiled high-profile associations in the recent past. After back-to-back deals with private equity majors such as Och Ziff and Citigroup, it struck a tie-up with Ritz Carlton to foray into hospitality.

As far as city population within corporation limit is concerned Bangaluru is the third largest city after Mumbai and Delhi.Bangaluru is followed by Kolkatta and chennai.As far as population in the metropolitan limits are concerned Chennai stands fourth.May be by 2011 decadal census Bangaluru may overtake chennai overall as the growth rate of population of the city is much more than chennai owing mainly to migrant population including predominantly from Tamilnadu willing and loving to settle down in Bangaluru.
Another important reason is Bangalore & Hyderabad grows in all directions whereas Chennai's growth is restricted one side by Bay of Bengal.

^^

Like Chennai, does Bangalore has metropolitan limits?

Even we can say Bangalore may have restriction in growth towards South, TN border is Just 30KM from City centre...

But Chennai Metro is expanded till 28KM from city centre and even growing beyond Tambaram to Chengalpet!!

=============================================
Chennai has been ignored by the state politicians and even the centre for a long time and the very minimal projects which were given by the centre did not get support or patronage from the Locals in Chennai eg: MRTS, Airport expansion. MRTS was started after 1981 and even now the construction has not got over. This project was the second revolutionary one after Calcutta's underground Metro Train at that time.
Delhi on the other hand which just started implementing Rail transport for the city successfully completed it 3 years ahead of schedule and they are of world class too.
When the Greenfield airports for BLR and HYD were proposed the then TN govt didnt even care about the developments in the neighbouring states.
Most of Chennai's infrastructure were roads and Water supply related ones only. We have to agree that Chennai has better main roads when compared to Bangalore but bangalore is way ahead in the condition of Residential area streets.
The recent developments in the Highway depatment throughout the state is also not impressive. Though there was a hype while announcing projects most of the projects have gone beyond deadlines (remember the 4 laning between Kancheepuram and Maduravoyal). We cannot blame the government for this. The reason for this is the selfishness in many Tamil minds.I know it hurts and embarassing but we have to accept it as a fact. When the TN govt announces the Airport expansion program along with the AAI, the people who are affected refuse to evacuate in spite of the court verdict. They have been offered with alternative sites and compensation for their buildings. They are just motivated by the scavenging coalition parties to create chaos and defame the present government. On the other hand, Karnataka government announced Layouts in the outskirts of Bangalore and the farmlands have to be given to the government for a consessional compensation- 1/3rd of market price (this is not assumption, I have read in Indian Express) still things are progressing satisfcatorilly. Hopefully they move to court demading more compensation. If the people in Manapakkam, kerugampakkam and whatsoever really understand that this will help in their sons' or daughters' career and future of our state they would have accepted by now and in case of discrepencies in the compensation they should have then gone to court.
I think we are making a big mistake of comparing within ourselves. "I am happy comparing the developments in Chennai and Pune, comparing Bangalore and Hyderabad.."

How many of you have actually visited the Chinese Forums in Skyscrapercity.com and the way the infrastructure developments are happening. Our real enemy is China.. I am not trying to be malicious in spreading enmity.. I am talking the fact. The manufacturing growth this quarter in India has fallen down to 3 percent.. We were always thinking of manufacturing as a balancing part to Agriculture.. But what happened now? If this trend continues the next quarter also, then our overall growth rate will come down below 6 percent...

India is one of the poorest countries in the world.. Out per capita income is only half of china per capita income. We are not even half of China's GDP..

Apart from human rights china is way ahead of India. But is Human rights "The best" in India. No way. How many children are left behind in factories rather than going to school. Thousands of children work in factories and Shops in almost all part of India from Mumbai and Delhi to the remotest villages. We are ranking in par with Bangladesh, Angola, Congo, Pakistan in Child Labour, Poverty, Women Terrorism, Naxalism, Corruption, Illiteracy, Hygiene.. the list goes on.. What are we going to do..? There are TV programs in the UK which talks about India's poverty, Child Labour and our hygiene. UK people ask one simple question. Are all these people disabled to take care of their hygiene, are the parents lazy enough to make their child earn for them.. Why cant the government think of punishing the parents who compell their children to work for money in addition to punishing the employers? Remember we involve in these discussions, earn money just because we are educated. If our parents have sent us to work? I dont know how many real intelligent kids are still working for daily wages.
I know there will be some replies from some people blaming me that this is part of a democracy, we are growing inspite of all these, dont talk other than the chennai forum topics and so on.. I dont care....
And I am not writing this for you to just feel sorry for the next 5 minutes and forget. How many of you have actually thought of adding value to india? I accept that I myself had never thought of really adding value apart from feeling sorry for India? But can we do something now? can we TRY changing the fate of India? I know it will not make big impact by me, by you.. But it will make a REAL impact by "WE", by "US". we have the power of internet, we have a little money, we have the power of education, we have the power of honesty, dedication, hardwork.....

I started blaming the State goverment then the Center and it really ended up on us...

Think about some ideas if you have the guts to make the real impact.

=============================================
Chennai has been ignored by the state politicians and even the centre for a long time and the very minimal projects which were given by the centre did not get support or patronage from the Locals in Chennai eg: MRTS, Airport expansion. MRTS was started after 1981 and even now the construction has not got over. This project was the second revolutionary one after Calcutta's underground Metro Train at that time.
Delhi on the other hand which just started implementing Rail transport for the city successfully completed it 3 years ahead of schedule and they are of world class too.
When the Greenfield airports for BLR and HYD were proposed the then TN govt didnt even care about the developments in the neighbouring states.
Most of Chennai's infrastructure were roads and Water supply related ones only. We have to agree that Chennai has better main roads when compared to Bangalore but bangalore is way ahead in the condition of Residential area streets.
The recent developments in the Highway depatment throughout the state is also not impressive. Though there was a hype while announcing projects most of the projects have gone beyond deadlines (remember the 4 laning between Kancheepuram and Maduravoyal). We cannot blame the government for this. The reason for this is the selfishness in many Tamil minds.I know it hurts and embarassing but we have to accept it as a fact. When the TN govt announces the Airport expansion program along with the AAI, the people who are affected refuse to evacuate in spite of the court verdict. They have been offered with alternative sites and compensation for their buildings. They are just motivated by the scavenging coalition parties to create chaos and defame the present government. On the other hand, Karnataka government announced Layouts in the outskirts of Bangalore and the farmlands have to be given to the government for a consessional compensation- 1/3rd of market price (this is not assumption, I have read in Indian Express) still things are progressing satisfcatorilly. Hopefully they move to court demading more compensation. If the people in Manapakkam, kerugampakkam and whatsoever really understand that this will help in their sons' or daughters' career and future of our state they would have accepted by now and in case of discrepencies in the compensation they should have then gone to court.
I think we are making a big mistake of comparing within ourselves. "I am happy comparing the developments in Chennai and Pune, comparing Bangalore and Hyderabad.."

How many of you have actually visited the Chinese Forums in Skyscrapercity.com and the way the infrastructure developments are happening. Our real enemy is China.. I am not trying to be malicious in spreading enmity.. I am talking the fact. The manufacturing growth this quarter in India has fallen down to 3 percent.. We were always thinking of manufacturing as a balancing part to Agriculture.. But what happened now? If this trend continues the next quarter also, then our overall growth rate will come down below 6 percent...

India is one of the poorest countries in the world.. Out per capita income is only half of china per capita income. We are not even half of China's GDP..

Apart from human rights china is way ahead of India. But is Human rights "The best" in India. No way. How many children are left behind in factories rather than going to school. Thousands of children work in factories and Shops in almost all part of India from Mumbai and Delhi to the remotest villages. We are ranking in par with Bangladesh, Angola, Congo, Pakistan in Child Labour, Poverty, Women Terrorism, Naxalism, Corruption, Illiteracy, Hygiene.. the list goes on.. What are we going to do..? There are TV programs in the UK which talks about India's poverty, Child Labour and our hygiene. UK people ask one simple question. Are all these people disabled to take care of their hygiene, are the parents lazy enough to make their child earn for them.. Why cant the government think of punishing the parents who compell their children to work for money in addition to punishing the employers? Remember we involve in these discussions, earn money just because we are educated. If our parents have sent us to work? I dont know how many real intelligent kids are still working for daily wages.
I know there will be some replies from some people blaming me that this is part of a democracy, we are growing inspite of all these, dont talk other than the chennai forum topics and so on.. I dont care....
And I am not writing this for you to just feel sorry for the next 5 minutes and forget. How many of you have actually thought of adding value to india? I accept that I myself had never thought of really adding value apart from feeling sorry for India? But can we do something now? can we TRY changing the fate of India? I know it will not make big impact by me, by you.. But it will make a REAL impact by "WE", by "US". we have the power of internet, we have a little money, we have the power of education, we have the power of honesty, dedication, hardwork.....

I started blaming the State goverment then the Center and it really ended up on us...

Think about some ideas if you have the guts to make the real impact.

Is there a way to get this into the deaf ears of the politicians with loudspeakers ??

Is there a way to get this into the deaf ears of the politicians with loudspeakers ??

What Vinodvasagar is saying is not to go begging to the politicians but take charge ourselves and do our mite individually and collectively including pressing the politicians.

Vinod it is a great idea. We have to come out with simple steps to implement simple solutions.

nice, i didnt thought that india too is making pretty good progresses, hee hee hee!

=============================================


How many of you have actually visited the Chinese Forums in Skyscrapercity.com and the way the infrastructure developments are happening. Our real enemy is China.. I am not trying to be malicious in spreading enmity.. I am talking the fact. The manufacturing growth this quarter in India has fallen down to 3 percent.. We were always thinking of manufacturing as a balancing part to Agriculture.. But what happened now? If this trend continues the next quarter also, then our overall growth rate will come down below 6 percent...



Many people doesnt know that China cities have world class infrastructure!! We are way behind!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Regarding your comparison with HYD and BLR!!

Just to remain you that Chennai Railway infrastructure is far better than above cities.

Railway lines to Pondicherry along ECR and proposed railway link to Sriperumbudur will give more links from core city!!

In Bangalore apart from White Field-Majestic there is no double and electrified line exist as of now!!

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/The_Sunday_ET/Property/Sustained_real_estate_demand_has_been_a_result_of_IT__BPO_boom/articleshow/3049819.cms

Speculation might be the buzzword in the realty market in major metros, but in Chennai, it is a serious buyers’ domain. Largely, it is end-users driving the residential property segment, while the commercial segment is growing in tune with demand from other sectors.

The commercial IT space is facing an excess supply due to STPI norms not meeting industry expectations, but the situation in residential market is real, says Prakash Challa, president, Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India, Tamil Nadu. In fact, if prices touched unrealistic levels recently, the reason was rising land prices and construction costs. Mr Challa says real development has taken place in two pockets — GST and OMR corridors.

In the residential segment, sub-Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per sq ft categories have been doing exceedingly well. Bookings across new projects such as Opaline, Estancia and L&T’s Eden Park have been on the rise. Apartments in the range of Rs 30-60 lakh are still a large and growing market segment. Unlike in Bangalore, Delhi or Mumbai, where speculative interest is high, the city has not seen a major shift as the belief that it is a growing platform is still alive among investors. Barring OMR, where the rates were ostensibly high, there has been no radical change in the infrastructure matrix, says consultant M S Jagan, formerly head of Ascendas and Mahindra RI Developers projects.

According to HDFC (TN &Kerala) regional manager Mathew Joseph, there has been no slowdown in credit off-take. Mature first-time buyers are graduating to larger apartments, given their rising incomes.

“Very few realty markets globally have undergone such a dramatic change in a short span of time. Reflecting the diverse nature, the next few years would see tremendous growth opportunities. Sustained demand has largely been a result of growth spearheaded by a spurt in the knowledge sector, essentially the IT and BPO-led businesses,” says Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj (Chennai) MD Ramesh Nair.

Real Estate Consultancy Services chief consultant Rajesh Babu says middle and low-end developers are facing difficult times. Unable to withstand debt pressure for ongoing projects, they are triggering a new trend. By “liquidating” space to accommodate multi-tenants, they get the twin advantage of meeting demands from SMEs and overcoming their debt burden.

In January-March 2008, 1.6 million sq ft commercial space was absorbed, marginally down from 2 million sq ft space in the year-ago period. Around 60% space utilisation has gone into setting up SEZs. But, it is still corporate office space that has is facing a supply constraint.

Though only 20,000 sq ft is needed, the supply has drastically come down, Babu adds. Demand for office space in Chennai is expected to touch 7 million sq ft in 2008. As IT and Infrastructure Developers’ Association secretary Salaikumaran says, “We must have a hybrid system wherein companies, IT and non-IT , can co-exist and increase the developers’ risk appetite.”

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/iw/2008/05/25/stories/2008052550841700.htm

:bash:


The Tamil Nadu Government has to streamline building approval processes in Chennai and the rest of the State to fully realise the investment potential in the real-estate sector. The State has earned an unenviable reputation for delays in sanctioning building plan approvals and clearances — a clearance for a multi-storeyed building could take 18- 24 months, that is almost as long as it takes to construct the building. :ohno:
Talk to anybody in the construction industry, the complaint is the same: Delay in approvals within the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) jurisdiction in Chennai Metropolitan Area, and that of the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) which is responsible for clearances elsewhere. Just the formalities involved in getting land use conversion — from agriculture to non-agriculture — alone could take nearly a year. Other States such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh or Maharashtra have a system for fast-track clearances of projects. Approvals are obtained in about 4-6 months, including land usage conversion.

Need to speed up

The Tamil Nadu Government has acknowledged the need for expediting the clearance procedures and has started taking steps to speed up approvals for IT and industrial buildings.

At a high-level meeting last February, called by the Chief Secretary, Mr L. K. Tripathy, the officials connected with various agencies involved in plan approvals, including the CMDA, DTCP, Chennai Corporation, Municipal Administration, Fire Department, Traffic and industry promotion agencies, had expressed an intention to put in place a system to accord clearances within 60 days for IT and industrial buildings. But the proposal continues to be on paper and is yet to take off.

At the meeting, the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (Elcot) was identified as the nodal agency that would act as a single window facilitation agency to accept the applications from IT building developers and SEZ developers and coordinate the process of obtaining clearances from various agencies. The Guidance Bureau, the agency under the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, created to attract investments into the State, would play a similar role to get approvals for industrial buildings.

The plan was to institutionalise this structure with an appropriate legislation, a draft of which was to have been prepared during the Budget session of the Assembly. The legislation was to provide for a 60-day time limit for building plan approval, 30 days for issue of final building plan clearance by the local bodies and the formation of a single window facilitation authority. However, nearly three months after the proposal there does not appear to be much progress in this direction.

Shortage of space

The State Government has estimated that over 20 million sq.ft. of built-up space for the IT industry is needed within the SEZs over the next 18 months. If building approvals are not given on time, IT investments could migrate to other States where such space is available.

There is also an acute shortage of office and retail space which is driving up the costs. Industry estimates peg the demand for office space in Chennai at about 7-8 million sq.ft. and for retail space about 2 million sq.ft. this year. Developments have to be speeded up to meet the demand.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/05/26/stories/2008052651081500.htm

:bash:

Chennai, May 25 Developers planning office and hospitality projects in the industrial estates in Chennai’s suburbs have been hit with the Tamil Nadu Small Industries Development Corporation (Sidco) not approving the projects pending a policy decision from the State Government, according to sources in the know.

Sidco, a State Government enterprise, has sought a clarification from the Government on whether non-engineering companies can be allowed to develop space in the engineering industrial estates in Guindy and Ambattur.

The move has caught developers by surprise because Sidco is having second thoughts after allowing IT projects on a massive scale in both the estates. About 3 million sq ft of IT space has come up in Guindy on the southern outskirts and nearly 6 million sq ft in Ambattur to the west. Industry estimates that there is potential at both the industrial estates to at least double the IT space.

Sidco manages five industrial estates in and around Chennai, and Guindy and Ambattur industrial estates have emerged prime destinations for IT companies and office-space developers. The hospitality industry has also started looking at space here. Till a decade ago these were distant industrial suburbs, which have now been engulfed by the growth of the city and have become prime areas of investment. An acre of land in Guindy now costs over Rs 1 crore and in Ambattur about Rs 75 lakhs.

Waiting for approval

According to developers, at least 7-10 proposals for IT space development and hospitality projects, including an IT building at an advanced stage of completion, are stuck, with Sidco declining to give no-objection certificates. Though the engineering companies that own the land in the industrial estate are free to sell the land or develop it as a joint venture, they need to inform Sidco of the proposal.

On the reasons for Sidco’s move, sources in the know say a section of the manufacturers feel constrained by the presence of IT companies. Skilled and semi-skilled workers with industrial units find IT companies better pay masters and change jobs. For instance, a welder who is paid about Rs 6,000-7,000 in an industrial unit prefers to take up the job of an office assistant because the pay is a few thousand rupees more and they get to work in air-conditioned comfort.

‘not against IT’


However, according to the representatives of industrial associations, they are not against the IT companies. There are nearly 500 industrial units in Guindy and about 800 in Ambattur. The developers give the units a chance to encash on the growing land value and shift to other locations further from the city like the Sidco’s industrial estates at Thirumudivakkam, Thirumazhisai and Thirumullaivoyal to the west of the city. The IT space has come up in places sold off by engineering units.

deleted post

An acre of land in Guindy now costs over Rs 1 crore and in Ambattur about Rs 75 lakhs.

i guess it should be one ground and not one acre......

DLF Gardencity, OMR - spread over 53.5 acres.

Website (http://dlf.in/wps/portal/homes?jspName=dlf_gardencity_omr_chennai/overview.jsp)

Gardencity is a premium residential estate with an appealing Spanish style of architecture against a backdrop of fabulous gardens. Offering unparalleled lifestyle privileges such as having the prestigious PSBB Millennium School, Chennai's finest club and excellent shopping facilities within the residential estate.

Masterplan - click to view large
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4804/sm2mn0.jpg (http://dlf.in/wps/PA_shbfsr3/images/dlf_chennai_mp_big.jpg)


http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6462/smdz9.jpg

http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/7857/dlfchennaiev3bigow9.jpg

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/6625/dlfchennaiev1bigbx1.jpg

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/5216/dlfchennaiev2bigcu3.jpg

Clubhouse
http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/7682/chup7.jpg

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6931/dlfchennaiev4bigal7.jpg

Atmospehere Lifestyle Homes Pvt Ltd has appointed Atkins (UK) as designers for their next project. Initial Contract Value £615,000.

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels and Rakindo Developers JV Hotel in Chennai

The UK-headquartered Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc owns and operates more than 110 hotels, making it one of the largest owned and managed hotel groups in the world.

Rakindo Developers Pvt. Ltd, is a 50:50 joint venture between Chennai-based Trimex Group and UAE-based Rakeen Pvt. Ltd.

Location : T - Nagar
Size : 120 rooms
Target : Business Travellers
Completion : 2009


http://i29.tinypic.com/24gokzr.jpg

The hotel will feature contemporary, urban-inspired guestrooms with smart design features that promise to make guest stays memorable - from modular furniture designed to encourage multi-tasking and productivity, to swiveling flat-screen televisions. Featuring landscaped areas, the hotel will enhance the guest experience with well-integrated technology that is user friendly and fuss free, offered in a welcoming environment that provides road warriors with connectivity for business needs and also a casual environment to unwind after the flurry of an extensive business day.

One hundred percent wireless, the hotels will open with a first-of-its-kind business concept which will include private business booths in a casual setting, specially equipped for conducting business meetings.

^^Any idea about the star-rating of the hotel?

MARG SWARNABOOMI SUCKS DO U THINK THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO MATERIALIZE. HAVE U EVER SEEN ANY DEVELOPMENT ACROOS INDIA SINCE 60 YERAS OF INDEPENDENCE LIKE THIS PROPOSE DEVELOPMENT, LOOKS LIKE STAR TREK. MOST OF THE IMAGES ARE LIFTED FROM USA ARCHITECTS PROFILES. HAVE SEEN MARGS TRACK RECORD IN THE PAST YEARS WHAT HAVE THEY BUILT ANYTHING CLOSE TO THIS PROPOSED RENDERED IMAGERY. I PITY THE POOR PEOPLE GETTING SUCKED WITH THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY, THERE ARE OTHER BETTER DEVELOPMENTST HAN THIS , WHERE IS THE ECONOMIC GROWTH JOB PROSPECTS, IN THIS LOCALITY, SEE THE AMOUNT OF TOLL U HAVE TO PAY, WHERE ARE THE SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, SUPER MARKETS ETC, PITY CHENNAITES

Deepa H Ramakrishnan

It is slowly shedding its image of being an unsafe place to reside

http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/19/images/2008061959310301.jpg
On growth path: The skyline of north Chennai is changing with more developers promoting both residential and commercial projects in the area. —

CHENNAI: With land prices in south and central Chennai soaring , more and more property developers are now looking to tap the potential of areas to the north of Poonamallee High Road. Various places, including MKB Nagar, Kolathur, Madhavaram, Kodungaiyur and Tiruvottiyur High Road, are witnessing rapid residential property development.

A considerable chunk of the development is focussed on those who are increasingly purchasing properties in north Chennai from an investment perspective. North Indians, including some IT professionals and those who have lived in north Chennai previously, are also looking to buy homes in these localities.

“Buyers consider not only land prices but also other factors such as the proximity of the localities to the Central, Egmore and Perambur railway stations and relatively quiet localities. With the government speeding up infrastructure projects, the prospects for growth of north Chennai are getting brighter. Slowly many housing projects are coming up and side-by-side banks, shopping malls, hospitals and other facilities are also being established,” said George Thomas, Manager, Rajarathnam Constructions Pvt Ltd.

Unlike in south Chennai, smaller apartments, particularly single-bedroom flats, are available in north Chennai. Government and railway employees are opting for single-bedroom flats priced between Rs.17 lakh and Rs.20 lakh.

People from areas such as Adyar, Aminjikarai and T.Nagar are purchasing plots and flats for investment. “A two-bedroom flat in Kolathur and Madhavaram fetches a monthly rent of Rs.8,000. Individual houses do not fetch so much rent because safety is an issue,” Mr. Thomas added.

Approved residential layouts in the localities too are also sought after. “In places such as Kodungaiyur, Selavayal, Krishnamurthi Nagar, Kamarajar Nagar and Thiruvalluvar Nagar you can see large tracts of open lands that are being developed into layouts,” said A. N. Subramani, a long-time north Chennai resident with interest in realty sector. Though MKB Nagar in Vyasarpadi is considered a poor or lower middle class neighbourhood, there are residential colonies such as Vasantham, Markavi, Golden Complex, Malligai Colony, Ashok Leyland Nagar and Poompuhar Nagar, where government staff and north Indians are settling down, he said.

In places where there is no vacant land, old buildings are being pulled down to make way for new ones. In MKB Nagar, old buildings on 850 sq feet of land are being sold for up to Rs.40 lakh.

The Tiruvottiyur High Road too is witnessing similar development and a case in point is the apartment-cum-commercial complex coming up on the land where Tamil Nadu Theatre was located. The project developer, G.Sajjanraj, said that though the time taken for the apartments to be sold was longer, north Chennai for developers too was a growing locality.

“There are people, who are interested in good property irrespective of where they are located and that is one reason why more developers are looking at north Chennai,” he said. The proposed Metro Rail corridor from Old Washermenpet to Chennai Airport is also cited as a reason for the growing popularity of north Chennai.

Former State chairman of Builders Association of India (Tamilnadu and Puducherry) J. R. Sethuramalingam said north Chennai was slowly shedding its image of being an unsafe place to reside.

“Traditionally only those who lived there used to invest more in north Chennai. But now that is changing and it is being considered as safe as south or central Chennai.”

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/19/stories/2008061959310300.htm

^^ Please do not post general news in this thread. This thread is for sharing information about a proposed building or construction project, architectural renderings and construction updates.

Some inside information...


Project Name : Lanco Ville

Type : Residential

Status : Ongoing

Developer : Lanco Horizon Properties Pvt Ltd

Designer : Atkins (doing masterplan, architecture, structures, MEP, QS, Complete designs)

BUA 4,000,000 sqft

Height : 100 meters

No. of Storeys : 30

Some inside information...


Project Name : Lanco Ville

Type : Residential

Status : Ongoing

Developer : Lanco Horizon Properties Pvt Ltd

Designer : Atkins (doing masterplan, architecture, structures, MEP, QS, Complete designs)

BUA 4,000,000 sqft

Height : 100 meters

No. of Storeys : 30

Where is this going to be located?

Where is this going to be located?

It is part of this integrated township project i think
http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/12/stories/2007061204491800.htm

^^ Please do not post general news in this thread. This thread is for sharing information about a proposed building or construction project, architectural renderings and construction updates.

Oh! Am sorry about that! Thanks for the feedback Annian!!:)

It is part of this integrated township project i think
http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/12/stories/2007061204491800.htm

One more 30 storeyed in OMR, gosh OMR near kelambakkam is turning out to be skyscraper zone.
I see this is the hyd builder i was confused with Lancor (chennai builder)

¡WoooW!

¡Awesome! I'm from Mexico [Piedras Negras City (Mexican Border with USA)]; Chennai is spectacular, here in Mexico, Monterrey is very modern and trendy. Congratulationes for Chennai!

Greetings!

(Sorry my english, i speak Spanish... Cheers!!!)

Arriba México, Coño!!!

^^^^
Miguelquirarte ,

Hola..

Glad to see your nice comments on our land side.. keep posting your rewards towards our efforts.. language?!...never mind!

Gracias and Adiós :cheers:

¡WoooW!

¡Awesome! I'm from Mexico [Piedras Negras City (Mexican Border with USA)]; Chennai is spectacular, here in Mexico, Monterrey is very modern and trendy. Congratulationes for Chennai!

Greetings!

(Sorry my english, i speak Spanish... Cheers!!!)

Arriba México, Coño!!!

Hey Keep posting buddy! Language doesn't matter! It's great to have encouraging comments from the other side of the globe. :)

Some inside information...


Project Name : Lanco Ville

Type : Residential

Status : Ongoing

Developer : Lanco Horizon Properties Pvt Ltd

Designer : Atkins (doing masterplan, architecture, structures, MEP, QS, Complete designs)

BUA 4,000,000 sqft

Height : 100 meters

No. of Storeys : 30

Anniyan,
Any info on when it is going to start! Lanco is already in the process of constructing 100 storey tower in Hyd, Do you think they will have the resources to construct another township in Chennai at the same time?

¡WoooW!

¡Awesome! I'm from Mexico [Piedras Negras City (Mexican Border with USA)]; Chennai is spectacular, here in Mexico, Monterrey is very modern and trendy. Congratulationes for Chennai!

Greetings!

(Sorry my english, i speak Spanish... Cheers!!!)

Arriba México, Coño!!!


muchas gracias amigo!!!


btw has the plan for the sriperumbudur airport terminals released as yet?

Anniyan,
Any info on when it is going to start! Lanco is already in the process of constructing 100 storey tower in Hyd, Do you think they will have the resources to construct another township in Chennai at the same time?

The design work started in november'07 and its still going on. May be the ground work on site wud have already started, i donno.

Express Avenue in Chennai

http://expressavenue.in/


A world class shopping cum entertainment complex, housing some of the biggest brands from around the world along with a five star hotel and Grade A office building.The mall promises to give Chennai a whole new dimension to work, leisure, entertainment and shopping.

For years now, Anna Salai has been the lifeline of Chennai city. Located on Anna Salai just before the landmark LIC building, Express Avenue will be the biggest shopping mall in prime Central Business District, (CBD) of Chennai.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Costruction of this express avenue started... I saw cranes working in the site. One can see this site while traveling from LIC towards Royapettah. The rendering is looking world class and it is going be bigger than Spencer's i guess.

^^Guess the five-star hotel you've mentioned is the "Taj Mount Road" hotel by Taj GVK group. It's a 227-rooms deluxe hotel built on a 2-acre land at a cost of around Rs. 1.4 billion. Dunno whether it is part of the Express avenue project. For some reasons, the opening is getting delayed (which was supposed to be opened in March, 2008). Any updates?

^^

In express avenue website it is mentioned as

"Express Avenue is a passionate project of the Express Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., a 100% subsidary of the Express Newspaper Pvt. Ltd."

Is there any link between express newspaper and Taj GVK group??

^^

In express avenue website it is mentioned as

"Express Avenue is a passionate project of the Express Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., a 100% subsidary of the Express Newspaper Pvt. Ltd."

Is there any link between express newspaper and Taj GVK group??

The Taj GVK hotel is not connected to Indian Express development. The hotel was started by Thirupura Sundari Hotels and was sold to GVK, who has signed a JV with Taj group for runnung the same.

The entrance to the hotel is on Club house road opp L&T ECC office.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/13/stories/2008071350150100.htm

It cites poor infrastructure facilities within Chennai city as reason

CHENNAI: An expert committee appointed by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to review proposed building norms has recommended that the higher floor space index (FSI) extended to IT buildings be done away with because of the poor infrastructure facilities within the city.

FSI is the ratio that determines the maximum extent that can be built on a given plot. At present, dedicated IT buildings can build 1.5 times over and above what is permissible for other buildings.

The committee has also recommended that higher FSI for buildings along the MRTS corridor be discontinued.

The committee, after studying objections and suggestions made during public consultations on the second draft master plan, has not recommended any major changes to FSI.

The maximum permissible FSI for ordinary buildings is 1.5, and 2.5 for multi-storied buildings.

It has recommended that construction of multi-storied buildings be allowed on 12-metre and 15-metre wide roads, but limited the FSI to 1.5 and 1.75. No change has been proposed to the maximum permissible height in Chennai, which continues to be 60 metres. The second draft master plan was made public in April 2007. Suggestions made by experts were cleared in November 2007, and the plan was submitted to the government for final approval.

The Cabinet sub-committee on the second master plan for the Chennai Metropolitan Area on July 8 discussed an increase in the floor space index and relaxing height restrictions.

It will meet again on July 21 with a set of “workable proposals” before submitting them to the Cabinet.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/13/stories/2008071350150100.htm

It cites poor infrastructure facilities within Chennai city as reason

CHENNAI: An expert committee appointed by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to review proposed building norms has recommended that the higher floor space index (FSI) extended to IT buildings be done away with because of the poor infrastructure facilities within the city.

FSI is the ratio that determines the maximum extent that can be built on a given plot. At present, dedicated IT buildings can build 1.5 times over and above what is permissible for other buildings.

The committee has also recommended that higher FSI for buildings along the MRTS corridor be discontinued.

The committee, after studying objections and suggestions made during public consultations on the second draft master plan, has not recommended any major changes to FSI.

The maximum permissible FSI for ordinary buildings is 1.5, and 2.5 for multi-storied buildings.

It has recommended that construction of multi-storied buildings be allowed on 12-metre and 15-metre wide roads, but limited the FSI to 1.5 and 1.75. No change has been proposed to the maximum permissible height in Chennai, which continues to be 60 metres. The second draft master plan was made public in April 2007. Suggestions made by experts were cleared in November 2007, and the plan was submitted to the government for final approval.

The Cabinet sub-committee on the second master plan for the Chennai Metropolitan Area on July 8 discussed an increase in the floor space index and relaxing height restrictions.

It will meet again on July 21 with a set of “workable proposals” before submitting them to the Cabinet.


WTF??? If the expert committe wants to have the same FSI and 60 m as the max permissible height, why the f**k are even talking about a new master plan. We might as well stick to whatever plan there is(old master plan). Why do we even need those so called experts to tell us that it cant be done?
These morons keep objecting relaxation of FSI and height on the basis of poor infrastructure rather than suggesting ways to improve the infrastructure.
I would say just fire these stupid a$$es and bring in some guys with real international planning experience.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/13/stories/2008071350150100.htm

It cites poor infrastructure facilities within Chennai city as reason

CHENNAI: An expert committee appointed by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to review proposed building norms has recommended that the higher floor space index (FSI) extended to IT buildings be done away with because of the poor infrastructure facilities within the city.

No change has been proposed to the maximum permissible height in Chennai, which continues to be 60 metres.

Do these people want Chennai to remain the same way without any improvement for years to come? Chennai is one the best city in terms of infrastructure. The gargantuan rise in FDIs and the ongoing developments in and around the city is a testimony to this. But cities which are not as good as Chennai are indeed enjoying a real vertical growth. I'm confused...:nuts:

WTF??? If the expert committe wants to have the same FSI and 60 m as the max permissible height, why the f**k are even talking about a new master plan. We might as well stick to whatever plan there is(old master plan). Why do we even need those so called experts to tell us that it cant be done?
These morons keep objecting relaxation of FSI and height on the basis of poor infrastructure rather than suggesting ways to improve the infrastructure.
I would say just fire these stupid a$$es and bring in some guys with real international planning experience.

forget about increasing fsi. i would even suggest that planners go the other extreme and freeze any further construction activities within the city for the next 10 years and let infrastructure related activities catch up. i am glad there is still some sanity in city planning and that they are acknowleding that we have serious infrastructure issues.

forget about increasing fsi. i would even suggest that planners go the other extreme and freeze any further construction activities within the city for the next 10 years and let infrastructure related activities catch up. i am glad there is still some sanity in city planning and that they are acknowleding that we have serious infrastructure issues.

There you go again!!
"Burn the house to get rid of mice" attitude.

So you want the city to come to standstill without any growth for the next 10 years??.
May be it is because of the mindset of people like you that Chennai has'nt seen much growth when other Indian cities are scaling vertical heights. In a country as India, Infrastrucutre will be built only when there is necessity. So If Chennai remains like this for next years, its infrastrucutre will also most likely remain in the same state without any improvement.

No offence, but do you have any hidden agenda against Chennai's growth, as I havent seen anything positive yet from your posts or anything on how chennai's infrastrucutre could be improved

Again I have nothing personal against you, but I think Chennai Architecture thread would be better off without your suggestions, because every single person in this thread knows and acknowledges that Chennai has infrastrucute problems. Inspite of all that, almost all( with few exceptions) of the members want Chennai to grow, and their messages are posted in the same spirit.

So when you make "extreme" statements like "freeze the city for next 10 years" please remember that it will steer towards heated discussions and end up in personal attacks, as it has happened before in this forum.

Hope you take my comments in right spirit.

There you go again!!
"Burn the house to get rid of mice" attitude.


So when you make "extreme" statements like "freeze the city for next 10 years" please remember that it will steer towards heated discussions and end up in personal attacks, as it has happened before in this forum.



Let us not blockade discussions just because it might get heated and end up in personal attacks. We should ensure it doesn't end up that way instead of eliminating any controversial ideas/discussions.

IMO, even this sounds like the "Burn the house to get rid of mice" attitude.

^^Please... Please... chin up pals...:) No personal attacks, whatever the nature be....

Guys! We all value your posts and suggestions. Every single post is valuable as long as it is relavant to the subject of the thread.

We shall encourage optimistic posts and find solution to (what has been said in) the so-called pessimistic posts. In this way, no problem will ever go unnoticed.:cheers1:

Let us not be hung up on FSI. The important thing is all round development in the city. As a first measure, the old buildings in Chennai require upgrading. Too many old junk. The city needs to consolidate the commercial areas into a modern one. There are many run down buidlings creaking, filthy and unappealing in looks. Massive Infrastructure improvement needs to happen in parallel.

Bluru is in the midst of a change, the old mom and pop shops are being demolished and in its place gleaming strip malls and mini-malls are sprouting up overnight. A similar climate needs to happen in Chennai. The old Ranganathan street required a vision by politicians and bureaucrats. They could have converted the area into a mega mall. Businesses would have agreed to a plan with a future vision. The place is crowded, filthy and very old. Access roads and through traffic have a problem. Instead what they came up is a flyover, which is barely enough for two lane traffic. Very myopic IMO. There are other similar areas, overgrown with mom and pop stores, traffic outgrown and choking the system. Many of them in filthy environs making shopping unappealing for the new generation. The city needs to enact minimum standards for operations. Right now there are too many short cuts and appeasement of business folks. All mom and pop stores need to be in a clean a/c mall. We cannot have chaos all over the place, better to have designated areas for shopping / entertainment with clean appealing environs. Traffic flow throughout the city must be thoroughly thought through. Other basics like garbage collection, water supply, electric power etc are well known issues that have yet to be addressed in a comprehensive manner.

Let us not be hung up on FSI. The important thing is all round development in the city. As a first measure, the old buildings in Chennai require upgrading. Too many old junk. The city needs to consolidate the commercial areas into a modern one. There are many run down buidlings creaking, filthy and unappealing in looks. Massive Infrastructure improvement needs to happen in parallel.

Bluru is in the midst of a change, the old mom and pop shops are being demolished and in its place gleaming strip malls and mini-malls are sprouting up overnight. A similar climate needs to happen in Chennai. The old Ranganathan street required a vision by politicians and bureaucrats. They could have converted the area into a mega mall. Businesses would have agreed to a plan with a future vision. The place is crowded, filthy and very old. Access roads and through traffic have a problem. Instead what they came up is a flyover, which is barely enough for two lane traffic. Very myopic IMO. There are other similar areas, overgrown with mom and pop stores, traffic outgrown and choking the system. Many of them in filthy environs making shopping unappealing for the new generation. The city needs to enact minimum standards for operations. Right now there are too many short cuts and appeasement of business folks. All mom and pop stores need to be in a clean a/c mall. We cannot have chaos all over the place, better to have designated areas for shopping / entertainment with clean appealing environs. Traffic flow throughout the city must be thoroughly thought through. Other basics like garbage collection, water supply, electric power etc are well known issues that have yet to be addressed in a comprehensive manner.

I agree with you about the fact that the road infrastructure is poor, and there is a lot of work to be done to improve them, but what exactly is so much better about these malls than the mom-and-pop stores? Why should they be torn down? After all they're part of the city's culture, and mega malls would be hard-pressed to replace them. Build the malls, that's fine, but there's no need to get rid of small independent stores.

what exactly is so much better about these malls than the mom-and-pop stores? Why should they be torn down?

I think you misunderstood what I said. I am all for mom and pop stores but having them strewn all over the place creates issues - traffic, crowds, and levels of cleanliness/garbage and so forth. It is better to house them in one common destination under a single roof or complex. Nations like singapore have done them well. Why you ask? Simply because consumers now want to shop at destinations and do not have the time to hop, skip all over the city. The traffic problems compound with such paradigms. Having a destination, improves efficiency, usage and a whole host of other issues. We can have dedicated freeways/roads into malls/destinations with large underground parking. People can spend 2-3 hrs shopping/spending idle time and depart. The mall/destination has common facilities for managing cleanliness, crowd control, etc.

All large malls, have mom and pop stores within. For example at Garuda mall, Bluru, I saw a vendor in a cart, within the mall of course, selling paan-supari products only. He is mom&pop. In fact, the Rangathan Street businesses are all mostly mom and pop. If they are housed within a large superstructure that would become one single destination. There are ways to accomodate low cost vendors a la Singapore, with hawkers stall. People park their vehicles or take buses to the destinations and stroll around the place shopping.

Cross posted from Chennai ProjUpdate 3 thread .... to make this issue clear.

Quote:
Originally Posted by R2IChennai
I agree, Increasing FSI is going to make concrete jungle will stress existing resources, I hope the fSI will be insync with road length type of building etc.


As usual, there is a hype when someone is talking to a gallery. It would have been better if the member secretary talks to the press.

There is no big change in the MP II. Now you can not build MSB (Forget skyscrapers), if the width of the road is less than 18 metres.

Now, there is a talk to reduce the road width condition to 12m. MSB is any building above 15 metres. The condition that the building height can be max double that of the road width still stays. That means nobody can build more than 24m height on a 12m road.

The set back rule also stays which insists on min 5 m setback on all sides upto 15m height and 7m or more setback for taller buildings as per CMDA rules. Unless the plot size is bigger, you can not really build a tall MSB building. This will automatically negate the mushrooming of MSBs.

But the FSI story is little different. Currently in CMDA areas, FSI is 1.5 for buildings upto 15m height and 2.5 for MSBs provided they meet all other criteria mentioned above. When they reduce the road width condition to 12m, more area can be built as per MP II. This may add strain on the existing water, electricity and sewage infrastructure.

Nungambakkam High Road is a typical example. The services are bursting at the seams and frequent collapses are occuring. How can one allow more MSBs on this road without improving the infra services? Since available land parcels (bigger I mean) are few, nobody within the city can take advantage of these changes. This may act as a deterrant.

The MP II will actually help the suburbs which are coming under the new CMA.

I think you misunderstood what I said. I am all for mom and pop stores but having them strewn all over the place creates issues - traffic, crowds, and levels of cleanliness/garbage and so forth. It is better to house them in one common destination under a single roof or complex. Nations like singapore have done them well. Why you ask? Simply because consumers now want to shop at destinations and do not have the time to hop, skip all over the city. The traffic problems compound with such paradigms. Having a destination, improves efficiency, usage and a whole host of other issues. We can have dedicated freeways/roads into malls/destinations with large underground parking. People can spend 2-3 hrs shopping/spending idle time and depart. The mall/destination has common facilities for managing cleanliness, crowd control, etc.

All large malls, have mom and pop stores within. For example at Garuda mall, Bluru, I saw a vendor in a cart, within the mall of course, selling paan-supari products only. He is mom&pop. In fact, the Rangathan Street businesses are all mostly mom and pop. If they are housed within a large superstructure that would become one single destination. There are ways to accomodate low cost vendors a la Singapore, with hawkers stall. People park their vehicles or take buses to the destinations and stroll around the place shopping.

I see your point, and it makes sense. Having them in one area is a nice perk for customers, and good for our infrastructure woes as well. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

“Indiscriminate multi-storeyed buildings will make city unlivable”

CHENNAI: The State government must take measures to approve the long-pending draft Second Chennai Master Plan and the development control rules without any further delay, said representatives of Citizens Alliance for Sustainable Living (SUSTAIN), a voluntary organisation.

In a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Wednesday, SUSTAIN’s managing trustee M. G. Devasahayam said “any alteration to the draft Master Plan and the development control rules at this stage will not be in the interest of the city and its future.”

Indiscriminate promotion of skyscrapers and multi-storeyed buildings and providing higher Floor Space Index (FSI) would make the city unmanageable and ‘unliveable’ for over 70 per cent of the population comprising low-income and economically weak people. FSI is the ratio of total permissible built-up area and the plot area.

While planners and experts look at the FSI and height restrictions as a means by which construction activities can be regulated based on the infrastructure available, including waste management, parks and transportation, the developers and owners of plots in an urban area view it as a limiting factor.

Mr. Devasahayam observed that more buildings with higher FSI would be cause “dire consequences to the quality of life in the city.”

At present, Information Technology firms can build 1.5 times over what is permissible for other buildings.

The expert committee constituted by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, after studying the suggestions made during public consultations, has recommended that the higher FSI extended to IT buildings be done away with due to the poor infrastructure within the city.

It has suggested that construction of multi-storeyed buildings be allowed on 12-metre and 15-metre wide roads, but limited the FSI to 1.5 and 1.75. No change has been proposed to the maximum permissible height in Chennai, which continues to be 60 metres.

Though developers argue that increase in the FSI and building height would bring down the land cost and selling price of built space, the selling price of buildings with higher FSI and those with lesser height are the same, he said.

Planners recommend only sustainable FSI and building height as any increase in density will result in straining the urban infrastructure and facilities, which are already in bad shape, Mr.Devasahayam said in the memorandum.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/18/stories/2008071860190400.htm

Whatever might have been the architectural aspirations of Tamil Nadu since independence, it is only in the present millennium that she is beginning to command the resources for a forward movement in the world of modern architecture. At this juncture, it is inevitable that deliberations surface between the radically modern and those strapped to a backward gaze. Currently, the poles of the spectrum are stillness or movement. Conserve and stagnate or demolish and recreate, are the options.

After six decades of independence, the soul of the State is seeking utterance. Tamil Nadu is stirring itself. When the state is venturing out, plumbing new ground, there will be no turning back in the name of conserving an unsavory past. The old and the new will be ill at ease if they search for co-existence. It is the law of life that at all times the old order changeth, yielding place to the new. Quite pointedly Nannool wrote “Palaiyana kalithalum puthiyana pukuthalum valuvala, kaala vakaiyinaane.” “There is nothing faulty in the old yielding place to the new; it characterizes changing times” Our vision will be projected to the next thousand years and not riveted to the last hundred.

How will Indian governance be if the seat of administration is in Old Delhi? How will Delhi legislate without a Lok Sabha? Where will foreign Heads of States meet the President of India if there be no Rashtrapati Bhawan? Is Delhi administration conceivable without the North and South Blocks? Could they have been built in Old Delhi if vacant space was not available in New Delhi and had there been a freeze on demolition? How will Punjab be without a Chandigar, to inspire confidence and pride?

When humanity evolves, its highest manifestation may be seen in aesthetics. An area of high visibility is architecture. It presents the visual image of man’s soaring thoughts, ambitions and visions. The representation is generally in stone. As George Bernard Shaw points out, six of the seven wonders are of stone. According to him, a beautiful building will leave the viewer breathless. The Taj Mahal, Lok Sabha, Vidan Soudh, Bahai Temple in Delhi and Madir Mandir in Auroville create a breath taking impression. The Parthenon in Athens, Colloseum in Rome, Westminster in London, Capitol in Washington, Tien an Men Square in Beijing, Palace of Versailles, the architectural monuments of Moscow and many more in several other countries will continue to be marvels. Is it such buildings that are sought to be conserved in Tamil Nadu?

In Tamil Nadu itself Mahabalipuram, Tanjore, Chithamparam, Sri Rangam, Madurai and Rameswaram will retain the admiration of humanity. These temples have reached perfection in layout, temple architecture and exquisite sculpture. Why should anyone suggest even touching them? Who will dare? Do the above considerations hold for the archaic dilapidated, staid and prosaic buildings which are collapsing from their own inevitable decay? What is mystical about them? Of what architectural merit? Of what archeological value? Of what monumental signifiance? Only debris value! They came up in haste in the murky days of Tamil Nadu’s decline. They have to be moved out without trace. Quite advisedly has the Tamil Nadu government decided to demolish them. The Tamil community with renewed confidence has placed its vision on an alluring future.

It is not in search of Dravidian architecture, or primitive buildings that the wealthy, the educated, and the sophisticated are fleeing to Europe and America. How many architectural masterpieces are there in Tamil Nadu to draw the attention of the Tamils? How many can fill our hearts with pride? Hence, travel is confined to pilgrimage, where temple architecture stands supreme. Modern industrial and commercial culture call for architecture appropriate to their needs. Those exposed to the west and attuned to the times are happy to provide them.It is striking that the beautiful complexes- Estancia, Chennai Tech Park,TCS Siruseri,Marg- were designed by foreign architects and project proponents are non-Tamils.The Legislative Assembly of German design stood selection because Kalaignar is modern. Any rearguard literature to stifle this advance can have only archival relevance.

To honor tradition is worthwhile. To sink deep in an archaic mire is dishonorable. The Tamils will surely veer from this infernal abyss. A building doesn’t become a monument hrough aging and dilapidation. For want of finances in the hands of the government of Tamil Nadu, they existed beyond their grave and escaped demolition. What a tragic commentary for buildings not worth even rupees 20 million to remain standing on an acre of prime land valued at over rupees 500 million. Let the cityscape of Chennai change beyond recognition. “Go thou like the rhinoceros, not turning at the rustling of the leaves”- is a scholarly line which Chennai is sure to heed.

Keeran

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/The_Sunday_ET/Property/Engineers_Estates_affordable_luxury_villas_attract_NRIs/articleshow/3320007.cms

Engineers Estates, a venture started by five technocrats in Chennai, is fast gaining recognition as a realty hotspot. But with the city realty scene already dominated by big realtors, the action is turning to industrial hubs like Oragadam. It is near this emerging auto corridor that Engineers Estates has chosen to launch Park City, an “affordable luxury” villa project.

The 115-luxury villa project in Padappai is just 2 km from the upcoming Hiranandanis’ SEZ. Promising a refreshingly different lifestyle, the project is spread on 9 acres with a 18-month timeline for completion.

Considering the 2,200 acres reserve forest area, the gated community project is strategically located. “Two months post launch, over 60% bookings have been completed. The response has been overwhelming. Of the 65 independent villas in phase one, we have sold 35 villas, so far. Construction work has already begun,” Engineers Estates director M Balsubramanian told ET.

What makes the project more attractive to buyers is the fact that two auto majors — Nissan and Renault — have announed plans to locate their facility in Orgadam. “We stepped up prices by 15% recently,” Mr Balsubramanian said, noting that about 20% of the bookings were through the equated monthly instalment (EMI) route. The project has tied-up with HDFC, which has given the legal clearance and other procedural approvals, he added.

The second phase of 50 villas is slated for launch in January, Mr Balasubramanian said, adding that 50% of the buyers were non-resident Indians (NRIs).

Surrounded by two lakes, Park City is an ideal destination for those who want to be close to nature and to maintain the green environment, over 2,000 trees would be planted inside the gated community. It would be a destination where aspiration would meet every investor’s affordability. Each villa offers the best in architecture, infrastructure and security, says Engineers estate marketing director Vignesh Kumar.

Theere are three types of villas — Rose, Allamanda and Gladiolus — on offer and are priced in the Rs 25 lakh to Rs 40 lakh range. “We see this as weekend homes which would usher in a new way to beat the city stress,” Mr Subramanian said.

Each villa would be built on 1,800 sq ft area, varying from 1,000 sq ft to 1,700 sq of constructed area. Amenities within the gated community include club house, meditation centre, basketball court, open air theatre, creek walk and bird watch besides pool side barbecue and lake view deck.

Engineers Estates proposes to invest Rs 30 crore in the project in a phased manner. The company has developed over 5 million sq ft and it has a land bank worth Rs 75 crore in Tamil Nadu.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/Second_master_plan_for_city_likely_on_Aug_30/articleshow/3414370.cms

The much-awaited second master plan for Chennai city is likely to be rolled out on August 30 after the cabinet gives its official stamp of approval.

The cabinet had earlier referred the master plan to a cabinet sub-committee headed by electricity minister Arcot N Veerasamy. A month ago, the sub-committee submitted its recommendations and it is learnt that CM M Karunanidhi has also given his nod.

The revised document will once again be tabled before the cabinet on August 30, following which it would be released, a highly-placed source in the government said.

As the master plan is not likely to increase the floor space index (FSI) substantially, it could come as a shock for many business houses, especially in the T Nagar area, the commercial and retail hub of the city, where building violations abound.

While it is estimated that the city has close to 1.7 lakh buildings that have violated construction rules since February 28, 1999 - the cut-off date for the first regularization scheme - the worst cases of violations are in T Nagar, where a few dozen traders have constructed buildings which measure more than twice the permissible built-up area.

Though the government had promulgated an ordinance a month ago to prevent the demolition of unauthorized buildings in the city for another year, their fate will hang in the balance unless the FSI limit is hiked in the building rules.

However, there are indications that there will be a marginal increase of 0.25 in the FSI for buildings coming up on big roads. Also, the premium FSI prescribed in the draft master plan has not been altered, it is learnt. The premium FSI is 0.5 for special buildings (ground plus three) and 1 for multi-storey buildings in specific areas, which will be notified.

The government will collect an additional charge for sanctioning premium FSI and the money thus collected will be deposited in an escrow account for infrastructure development.

Another significant decision taken by the authorities is not to expand the Chennai metropolitan area (CMA) for the time being. A debate was on for quite some time as to whether some more areas under Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts could be brought under the CMDA limits.

Those who argued in favour of expansion said much of the ongoing developments in Chennai were taking place outside the CMDA limits and it would make better sense to integrate those areas with Greater Chennai. As of now, the CMA boundaries are Uthandi on the East Coast Road, Semmancherry on the OMR, Kelambakkam near Vandalur on the GST, Poonamallee on the Bangalore Highway and Minjur in North Chennai.

CHENNAI: Following the State Cabinet’s approval of the second master plan, builders have approached the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority for clarifications regarding building rules.

One of the pressing doubts among the builders and apartment buyers is whether plans sanctioned under the previous master plan and building rules can be changed to comply with the new rules in order to take advantage of the anticipated relaxation in the building rules. It is expected that the new rules will demand less open space around the buildings and provide for additional floor space index.

When the builders approached the CMDA, they were assured that all options would be considered, and a suitable decision would be taken shortly, says M.K.Sundaram, chairman of the Builders Association of India, Southern Centre.

The other important issue is the status of buildings that have violated the rules. Stop work and demolition notices issued to buildings for violation as per the first master plan will stay, says a government source. If the owners of such buildings and unauthorised construction think that the new rules will exonerate the buildings, they can get permission.

But they have to reapply under the new rules and get it sanctioned. But the catch is that all rules have not been equally relaxed; some have been tightened. Hence, if the builder or owners apply for fresh permission, the new rules will be applied in total. The new rule, for example, is expected to demand less side open space but has increased the number of car parking lots required. When a fresh application is made to exonerate a building from the side open space violation, it may have to provide more car parking lots.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090256290700.htm

Rosedale by ETA Star

http://i36.tinypic.com/33uwd2e.jpg

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Chennai_to_allow_high_rises_soon/articleshow/3438483.cms

CHENNAI: The city’s chief planning agency, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), has set in motion the process of redrawing its skyline. With the second master plan, cleared by the Tamil Nadu cabinet last week and released here on Tuesday, the agency has lifted vertical restrictions and eased the process of building high-rises in the city for commercial and residential use.

Buildings on arterial roads like Anna Salai, Poonamallee High Road and Ring Road with a width of 100 feet will henceforth face no restrictions on height. A towering structure on the lines of Burj Dubai could thus be a possibility in the future. :cheers:

Releasing the highlights of the master plan, minister for CMDA Parithi Ellamvazhuthi said the agency was aiming at an inclusive development model for Chennai to transform it into a world-class metro. The plan, which lays emphasis on building adequate housing stock and office space in keeping with growing needs, would be notified on Thursday, following which it would be released to the public, he said. “The CMDA is aiming at encouraging a walk-to-work culture by dispersing population into several residential-commercial clusters,” Ellamvazhuthi said.

The second master plan has lifted several restrictions imposed on the construction industry. Structures coming up along the main 100 feet arteries of the city will no longer be governed by height limits. Similarly, curbs on buildings coming up along the smaller 60 feet and 40 feet roads too have been eased.

In order to boost social infrastructure, the CMDA has given 0.25 additional floor space index (FSI) for all hospitals. FSI is the ratio of the plot’s size to the built-up space on it.

As a sop to developers promoting high-value projects in premium locations, the state has offered extra FSI of 0.5 on ground-plus-three-storey buildings and an extra FSI of 1 for high-rises, provided a premium is paid for it.

The plan encourages redevelopment of existing structures too by allowing their owners to exploit the new FSI rules. In the past, housing board apartments and bungalows have seen such redevelopment across various parts of the city, including Adyar, Anna Nagar and KK Nagar.

Chennai: The Chennai Metropolitan Area second Master Plan, recently approved by the State government, has several modifications in the development control rules.

Minister for Urban Development Parithi Illamvazhuthi told presspersons here on Tuesday that the Master Plan introduced the concept of premium Floor Space Index enabling builders to get additional FSI by paying a sum.

An additional FSI of 0.5 would be permitted for non multi-storeyed buildings (above the permitted FSI of 1.5) and additional FSI of 1 for multi-storeyed buildings (above the permitted FSI of 2.5) would be allowed. Floor Space Index is the ratio between the built-up area and the area of plot available.

The payment stipulated for the premium FSI would be announced after the government gazette notification on the second Master Plan. Mr. Illamvazhuthi said. The Master Plan would come into effect after the announcement.

Taller buildings

The other highlights of the plan are: additional FSI of 0.25 for all hospitals; permitting multi-storeyed buildings in the entire metropolitan area; permitting working women’s hostels and old age homes in primary residential areas; allowing special buildings along roads of 30 feet width (instead of the 33 feet stipulation earlier); allowing multi-storeyed buildings along roads of 40 feet width and permitting six dwelling units in ordinary buildings instead of the present four.

The Master Plan also required developers building projects on one hectare or more to reserve 10 per cent of space for housing for low-income groups and economically weaker sections. Additional FSI of 0.25 for small building units not exceeding 480 square feet would also be provided.

FSI of 2 would be permitted for special buildings and group developments with dwelling units not exceeding 75 square metre (807 sq. ft) each in the MRTS (Mass Rapid Transit System) influence area between Luz and Velachery.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary R. Sellamuthu said the Master Plan envisaged the transfer of the Chennai Metropolitan Area as “a modern, vertical society which will cater for and care for every section of the city”.

Implementation review

The implementation of the Master Plan would be reviewed by committees, which are yet to be formed. CMDA officials said the committees would include experts and representatives from non-governmental organisations. The five committees would oversee: economy and employment; land use and environment; traffic and transportation; shelter and infrastructure; and investment planning and governance.

Answering a query on building violations in T. Nagar, Mr. Illamvazhuthi said the Justice Mohan Committee had been appointed to look into the issue. Action would be taken on panel recommendations, he said.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/03/stories/2008090359710500.htm

[url]
Buildings on arterial roads like Anna Salai, Poonamallee High Road and Ring Road with a width of 100 feet will henceforth face no restrictions on height. A towering structure on the lines of Burj Dubai could thus be a possibility in the future. :cheers:


I remember, Kannan Infratech has already explained about this in one of his previous posts. I hope things would be made clear if he posts his opinion here too.:)

It'd be nice to have Burj Dubai-kind of structures in our city too. Hope Chennai is striding towards it.:banana:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/Second_master_plan_for_city_likely_on_Aug_30/articleshow/3414370.cms

As the master plan is not likely to increase the floor space index (FSI) substantially, it could come as a shock for many business houses, especially in the T Nagar area, the commercial and retail hub of the city, where building violations abound.


However, there are indications that there will be a marginal increase of 0.25 in the FSI for buildings coming up on big roads. Also, the premium FSI prescribed in the draft master plan has not been altered, it is learnt. The premium FSI is 0.5 for special buildings (ground plus three) and 1 for multi-storey buildings in specific areas, which will be notified.


Another significant decision taken by the authorities is not to expand the Chennai metropolitan area (CMA) for the time being. A debate was on for quite some time as to whether some more areas under Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts could be brought under the CMDA limits.



First of all, referring to the reports published in the newspapers and concluding on some points may be a mistake. These reports have bben written by the journos based on the press releases. We must wait for the new DCR Book to be published.

But we must admit that some efforts have been made to accomodate the demands from the industry. But jumping only the half the width of a well will not take you across safely.

Extra FSI at a premium cost in selected areas, where the land price is very high - is a very valid and welcome point.

Which areas, what is the premium, any scintific study was done to arrive at these decisions, who is the final decison maker - Not clear. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Next point is Expanding CMA. Unless CMA is expanded to cover the entire Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur districts, future infrastructure planning will take a beating. We should have something similar to NCR.

If the next Masterplan (MP III) is released in say 2020 with data available as in 2008, what's the use?

First of all, referring to the reports published in the newspapers and concluding on some points may be a mistake. These reports have bben written by the journos based on the press releases. We must wait for the new DCR Book to be published.

But we must admit that some efforts have been made to accomodate the demands from the industry. But jumping only the half the width of a well will not take you across safely.

Extra FSI at a premium cost in selected areas, where the land price is very high - is a very valid and welcome point.

Which areas, what is the premium, any scintific study was done to arrive at these decisions, who is the final decison maker - Not clear. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Next point is Expanding CMA. Unless CMA is expanded to cover the entire Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur districts, future infrastructure planning will take a beating. We should have something similar to NCR.

If the next Masterplan (MP III) is released in say 2020 with data available as in 2008, what's the use?

If they need a uniform code of conduct along OMR/ECR uptil atleast Mahabalipuram it is very critical to bring them under one authority. With plans afoot to develop the Phase2 of OMR and all those mega-housing, its baffling how CMA could ignore the immediate urgency of bringing em under one roof.

Maybe they think the logistics are too complex to deal with as they have more than enough work "on hands" in the Festival/Deepavali season :banana:

First of all, referring to the reports published in the newspapers and concluding on some points may be a mistake. These reports have bben written by the journos based on the press releases. We must wait for the new DCR Book to be published.

But we must admit that some efforts have been made to accomodate the demands from the industry. But jumping only the half the width of a well will not take you across safely.

Extra FSI at a premium cost in selected areas, where the land price is very high - is a very valid and welcome point.

Which areas, what is the premium, any scintific study was done to arrive at these decisions, who is the final decison maker - Not clear. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Next point is Expanding CMA. Unless CMA is expanded to cover the entire Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur districts, future infrastructure planning will take a beating. We should have something similar to NCR.

If the next Masterplan (MP III) is released in say 2020 with data available as in 2008, what's the use?

If its desirable to have a uniform code of conduct along OMR/ECR uptil atleast Mahabalipuram it is very critical to bring them under one authority. With plans afoot to develop the Phase2 of OMR and all the imminent mega-housing and townplanning baggage that comes along, its baffling how CMA could ignore the immediate urgency of bringing em under one roof.

Maybe they think the logistics are too complex to deal with as they have more than enough work "on hands" in the Festival/Deepavali season :banana:

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English version uploaded on

CMDA website
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CHENNAI: The Second Master Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area 2026 has been notified by a government order and it has come into force from September 2.

The new master plan is in three volumes and the English version has been uploaded on the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority website ( www.cmdachennai.gov.in). The Tamil version would be uploaded on Friday.

The government order states that the approved plan would be available for public inspection from 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on working days at the office of the CMDA, Egmore.

The master plan has relaxed many building rules. For ordinary buildings, with a plot width of 6 metres, the side open space required is 1 metre and for plot widths between 6 and 9 metres, the side open space required is 1.5 metres. However, there is no change in the Floor Space Index (FSI) and it remains at 1.5. FSI is the ratio between the total built-up area and the plot area.

On plots abutting 18-metre road, commercial use would be permitted irrespective of their land use classification. This according to CMDA rules would mean commercial buildings could be developed amidst primary residential areas.

Construction on ECR

The new rules allow for construction on the East Coast Road that was hitherto banned. Areas falling in the eight villages — Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai, Okkiam Thoraipakkam, Injambakkam, Karapakkam, Sholinganallur and Uthandi — were hitherto declared as aquifer recharge areas and construction was not permitted. The new rules permit construction in these areas subject to Costal Regulation Zone clearance and meeting conditions, including a minimum plot size of 440 sq.m and a maximum permissible FSI of 0.8.

The second master plan has introduced new concepts such as premium FSI and transfer of development rights.

However, details regarding the charges to be paid towards availing premium FSI and the areas where it would be allowed have not been spelt out. The decision regarding extension of CMDA boundary limits is expected to be notified separately soon.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/05/stories/2008090559060300.htm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
English version uploaded on

CMDA website
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHENNAI: The Second Master Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area 2026 has been notified by a government order and it has come into force from September 2.

The new master plan is in three volumes and the English version has been uploaded on the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority website ( www.cmdachennai.gov.in). The Tamil version would be uploaded on Friday.

The government order states that the approved plan would be available for public inspection from 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on working days at the office of the CMDA, Egmore.

The master plan has relaxed many building rules. For ordinary buildings, with a plot width of 6 metres, the side open space required is 1 metre and for plot widths between 6 and 9 metres, the side open space required is 1.5 metres. However, there is no change in the Floor Space Index (FSI) and it remains at 1.5. FSI is the ratio between the total built-up area and the plot area.

On plots abutting 18-metre road, commercial use would be permitted irrespective of their land use classification. This according to CMDA rules would mean commercial buildings could be developed amidst primary residential areas.

Construction on ECR

The new rules allow for construction on the East Coast Road that was hitherto banned. Areas falling in the eight villages — Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai, Okkiam Thoraipakkam, Injambakkam, Karapakkam, Sholinganallur and Uthandi — were hitherto declared as aquifer recharge areas and construction was not permitted. The new rules permit construction in these areas subject to Costal Regulation Zone clearance and meeting conditions, including a minimum plot size of 440 sq.m and a maximum permissible FSI of 0.8.

The second master plan has introduced new concepts such as premium FSI and transfer of development rights.

However, details regarding the charges to be paid towards availing premium FSI and the areas where it would be allowed have not been spelt out. The decision regarding extension of CMDA boundary limits is expected to be notified separately soon.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/05/stories/2008090559060300.htm

^^

What is the CRZ restriction as per new ammendments ? I read in one of the earlier drafts that upto 300 mt from HTL is whats now prohibited from construction .... I dont know what CRZ zone classifications are. Can anyone clarify pl ?

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Commercial/Demand_for_office_space_on_the_rise_in_ChennaiSurvey/articleshow/3471658.cms

Though one million Sq.ft of fresh office space had been created in Chennai in the second quarter of current fiscal, demand for space continued to be increasing, a recent survey on property in and around Chennai said.

The survey done by well-known property demand assesser, Colliers International, revealed that the investors were particular that they got space in the prime central business district of Anna Salai and Parrys corner, besides in the IT corridor.

They also wanted residential accommodation in the fast growing suburbs in South Chennai, as most of the IT companies were located there, C Saravanan, Regional Director of the Company told reporters after releasing the report.

The demand for office space in the city was primarily driven by IT, telecom and financial sector companies, he said.

Though the supply position of space to IT companies had improved during the quarter, the demand from non-IT sector could not be met, the survey revealed.

The second Master Plan for the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) has been widely acclaimed by the industry for liberalising, belatedly though, the development control norms. With the city's population slated to touch 126 lakh by the year 2026, and the impact on housing demand estimated at 12.37 lakh units, there is a dire need to re-look the plan in order to meet the surging demand in housing.
A significant development is the introduction of the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) in case of road widening, conservation of heritage buildings, slum redevelopments, etc. Here, the plan has provided for an additional FSI of 0.25 for hospital developments. That apart, permission has been granted for the construction of high-rise buildings exceeding 60m height along the roads that are wider than 30.5m.
According to industry experts, property developers can build more areas now with balcony, fire escape, staircase, lift, well and portico and these common areas will hereafter be excluded from the computation of FSI.
Property developers from now on will also be able to plan buildings with good and aesthetic designs, earmark more open area, and make provision for light entering the building in a way that there is abundant cross-ventilation in each room. With more skyscrapers lined to make their presence felt in the city, Chennai's skyline is set for a rapid change in the coming years. The permission for multistoried buildings (MSBs) along 12m and 15m wide roads will also increase the land availability in city areas for both residential and commercial development.
For the economically weaker sections too, the plan has tangible benefits. For instance, the plan has approved higher FSI at 2.00 for special buildings and group developments with dwelling units not exceeding 75 sqm in floor area each in the MRTS influence area between Luz and Velachery.
But how does this translate in terms of property prices? Will the property prices come down due to the easing of FSI norms thereby enabling developers to build more on narrow roads? T Chitty Babu, Managing Director of Akshaya Homes Private Limited says, "With land owners' expectations rising due to the easing of FSI norms, land cost may rise where the demand is high." Rajarathinam, Chairman, Institute of Architects, Tamil Nadu Chapter, adds, "It will also create more lung space."
However, a disquieting feature in the Master Plan is the provision of a ten per cent reservation for the low-income group for development on land area that is one hectare and above. "This has not been debated at all in the revised Master Plan which was circulated amongst the members of the public for discussion and feedback," says Prakash Challa, President, Credai Tamil Nadu.
The best way to opt for affordable housing is through public-private partnership model (PPP) whereby the government can provide large tracts of puramboke land available at its disposal for development by private developers, he adds. However, as M K Sundaram, Chairman, Builders Association of India, Tamil Nadu, says, "Ten per cent of the land reservation need not be within the same campus and can be either within the site or in a separate site within a radius of two kms. Now the thrust should be on improving infrastructure by way of improved connectivity levels and tackling transportation problems."

Source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOI/navigator.asp?Daily=TOICH&login=default&AW=1221288157750

http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=334556

Around 2 million sft of office space was added in Chennai and Bangalore during the second quarter of 2008. The demand was primarily driven by IT, telecom and financial sectors in Chennai and biotechnology and textiles industries in Bangalore.

A study titled ‘Property Market Overview’ by Colliers International, a Canada-based real estate research and consulting firm, said in Chennai, Sholinganallur emerged as the new hub for IT parks and was a major supply generator during the second quarter.

Even though the supply situation during the quarter in the commercial segment improved, there was limited supply in the non-IT office space sector, which created sustained demand in this segment.

On the contrary, demand for IT space showed a marginal downward sign due to consistent supply in other areas like Guindy and Ambattur.

Rentals in Grade A office space in prime locations such as the central business district (CBD) and MRC Nagar were in the range of Rs 80 to Rs 85 per sft a month. In other areas such as Guindy, Adyar and Egmore, this was around Rs 60 an sft while in Ambattur and Taramani the average rental stood at around Rs 38 an sft.

CMDA will take action based on main recommendations of seminar, says Parithi Illamvazhuthi

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“Measures proposed inadequate to protect heritage buildings in Chennai”

“Parking norms of development regulations inadequate”
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CHENNAI: The CMDA will take appropriate action on the main recommendations of the seminar on the second master plan with the approval of the Chief Minister, said Information Minister and CMDA Chairperson Parithi Illamvazhuthi.

Speaking at the valedictory session of the seminar on ‘Second master plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area 2026 - avenues and opportunities’ on Saturday, he said, “The second master plan will be implemented in the city taking into consideration the recommendations of the two-day seminar.”

However, earlier in the day, Susan Mathew, vice-chairman, CMDA, had said that the second master plan will not be modified further as the plan was already studied and scrutinised by experts and government.

The recommendations included the priority for making of the Zonal Development Plans or Detailed Development Plans for city areas and rapidly growing corridors and immediate notification and protection of government buildings already identified as heritage buildings.

Decentralised water treatment plants, execution of a canal to discharge water from Pallikaranai marsh to the Bay of Bengal during flood, conversion of the existing landfill sites at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur to pollution-free sites, preparation of a macro drainage network by the PWD and the CMDA and modern biotech systems of garbage digestion were also recommended.

Considering the importance of the Red Hills catchment area in the supply of water to the city, the need for prohibition of further development in the catchment area was advocated. In addition, a benchmark indicating affordability of housing and a detailed study on the shelter problems of platform dwellers were also advocated.

Earlier in the technical sessions of the seminar, Sunil Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said that the parking norms of development regulations in the second mater plan were inadequate. He recommended that parking norms be regulated.

An independent regulatory authority to regulate land price and help get land at an affordable price to facilitate housing for the weaker sections was suggested by T.N. Ramanathan, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Housing Board.

Addressing a question on Metro Rail project, T.V. Somanathan, Managing Director, Chennai Metro Rail ,clarified that though Tiruvottiyur was not part of the current Metro Rail corridor, it would be considered in the next phase of the project.

P.T. Krishnan of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Tamil Nadu chapter, analysing the second mater plan, found that the measures proposed in the plan is not adequate to protect heritage buildings in Chennai and urged the CMDA to extend the conservation proposals to include natural features and sensitive ecosystems.

M.G. Devasahayam, Managing Trustee of Sustain, pointed out the need for a change in the sub-optimal utilisation of public land towards making affordable housing a reality and asked if there existed any policy on survey and inventory of public land for use in pursuing the goals of inclusive housing.

Chennai Mayor M. Subramanian suggested that a flying squad be formed in collaboration with the CMDA to check deviations in new constructions in the city.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/02/stories/2008110259250300.htm

Cross Post from IT Corridor Project, Chennai(Madras) (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=28065096#post28065096) thread.


I got from one of my sources, the following input about the access roads not alone to the complex but also to the large areas surrounding the complex:

The new Master Plan takes care of such situations. It has made it compulsory for the developer to provide for the link roads. Under the earlier Master Plan itself, the CMDA had already insisited in one such case and successfully gone upto Highcourt to ensure and confirm this right. So henceforth, having done in one case, it can not waive the requirement to other developers, as it will amount to show of favouritism to such other developers. Thus, now it has become necessary for the CMDA, to insisit on such provision for link roads in case of all deveopements.

The relevant provision in the Developement Control Rules are as follows:

"In the interest of the public for better circulation in the area and also to ensure that the proposed development does not block access to the properties around, in cases of large developments where link roads have to be provided for connectivity to the adjoining lands/areas, through the site applied for development, the Authority reserves the right to insist the applicant to set apart such road spaces within the site and the applicant shall hand over the same free of cost through a registered gift deed to the authority or Local body designated by it for declaring it as public road. In such cases set back from these roads to the buildings proposed shall be provided as prescribed in these regulations."

CHENNAI: The Government will shortly decide on premium FSI (Floor Space Index) in Chennai that allows for additional built-up area over and above what is permitted by the development regulations for a fee. The CMDA had earlier sent its recommendation to the State government suggesting that the premium FSI should not be allowed within the city, but can be permitted outside the city limits.

What is holding up the finalisation is the discussion to override the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s recommendation and permit the FSI within the city. The charge that needs to be paid to avail the premium FSI is also being debated, according to State government sources.

The reasons put forth by the CMDA are that the city is already dense and congested and cannot take further densification that will be caused by allowing the premium FSI. The suburbs on the other hand, the CMDA has argued, could take more FSI provided the infrastructure there is improved.

Other alternatives

Though the recommendations suggest that the charges for availing premium FSI charges are to be calculated based on the value of land required to avail the additional FSI, the government is looking at other alternatives to arrive at the fee.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120550060100.htm

Eden Park - Integrated Township off OMR

The 22 km stretch of Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR, IT Corridor) which runs parallel to the East Coast Road is the hub of IT infrastructure facilities in Chennai and hence the demand for quality housing is on the boom. L&T South City Projects brings together a group of successful business people who have the experience, insights, competencies and technology to develop the Integrated Township coming up beside SIPCOT IT Park in Siruseri, off OMR, Chennai. The township is a gated residential paradise that will have apartments, villas, school, essential services, health care facilities and shopping spaces to make for a complete community.

The 1st phase of Eden Park in Siruseri, just beside SIPCOT IT Park off OMR, comprises of 14 acres of residential area with architectural beauty that stands tall with its majestically integrated apartment buildings with 656 apartment units. Aesthetically designed across 8 blocks with 14 levels, 2 basements, the Villapartments comprises of 2 and 3 bedroom dwellings with state-of-the-art amenities and a Vastu-complaint architecture.

Location Map:
http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/9291/newlocationmapoo5.jpg

Site Plan :
http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/8127/siteplannewpz1.jpg

CHENNAI: The Government of Tamil Nadu has returned the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority ‘s (CMDA) recommendation on premium Floor Space Index (FSI) for reconsideration. The CMDA had earlier recommended that the premium FSI should not be made available to buildings and plots within the Chennai city, but issued only to the existing and proposed buildings in the suburbs.

The CMDA’s expert view is that the city is already congested with 247 persons per hectare, as per 2001 figures, and cannot be burdened further. On the other hand, the suburbs with a low density of 66 persons per hectare can take additional built-up area subject to the availability of infrastructure.

Government sources say that this recommendation has been returned to the CMDA for review and to find out if premium FSI can be allowed in the city as well. The charges to be paid for availing premium FSI has not yet been decided.

The FSI determines the maximum permissible built-up area on a plot and it is a ratio between the total built-up area and the plot area. In Chennai, the permissible FSI is 1.5 for ordinary buildings and 2.5 for multistoried buildings. Premium FSI allows for additional built-up area over and above what is permitted by the development regulations for a fee. The second master plan permits a premium FSI of 0.5 for special buildings and 1.0 for multi-storied buildings.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/07/stories/2009010758270100.htm

local art in Nelson Manicam subway

Mosaic art to adorn subways
Chennai corpn has taken up the project and will feature folk art forms such as Therukoothu , Karagam, Poikal Kudirai
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: In a bid to popularise the traditional folk art of Tamil Nadu in the city, the Chennai corporation has planned to adorn the walls of subways with murals depicting art forms. Currently, work has been taken up on a subway on Nelson Manickam Road in Nungambakkam on an experimental basis.
The project costing Rs 34 lakh will feature art forms, such as Karagam and Poikkal Kudirai (dummy horse dance) on either side of the subway. Though the contract for the work was awarded before the general elections, the contractors could do very little in the past two months. “A lot of time was spent on plastering the walls and labourers have just begun fixing the finest Italian mosaic tiles. The project will be completed in a month’s time,” says a senior official.
Images of folk art such as Therukoothu (street play), Karagam and Poikal Kudirai were finalised after a consultant appointed by the local body supplied images last year. The scheme was not only aimed at colouring the walls, but also at making people desist from spitting betal juice or disfiguring the wall with advertisements.
Currently, contract labourers are fixing tiles with images of female dancers performing Karagam with bronze pots on their heads. The other side will have a male dancer doing the Poikal Kudirai. The local body has also proposed to use images of Therukoothu, an age-old storytelling art, through songs and dance in subsequent projects. “We will definitely not take controversial images, which could hurt the sentiments of people,” the official added.
There is at least 2,500 sq mt space available in subways, but only about 100 sq mt will be put to use for images and the remaining space for plain tiles. The local body maintains subways at Gengu Reddy Street in Egmore, Bazaar Road in Saidapet, Aranganathan subway in Saidapet, Madley Road and Duraisamy Road in T Nagar, Harrington Road in Chepet and the Reserve Bank of India subway on Rajaji Salai.


http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2009/05/20/4/Img/Pc0041200.jpg

TOI

http://i29.tinypic.com/117wmsm.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/16bhn9g.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/117wmsm.jpg

Looks great.....where is this coming up???

Looks great.....where is this coming up???

might be at Padapai or Padur (Kelambakkam)

http://i30.tinypic.com/10zobwo.jpg

^^where is it? Is that the lawn on top of floor balcony?

^^where is it? Is that the lawn on top of floor balcony?

http://www.hexaware.com/fileadd/Hexaware-Campus.pdf

^^Thanks..Looks huge and nice..Not sure if they completed phase 1 as stated in the press release..

^^Thanks..Looks huge and nice..Not sure if they completed phase 1 as stated in the press release..

I think ferarri fan might know the status of this project.

^Ok, I found that phase 1 would have been complete by end of 2008 and already operational (400 people working) from their 2008 Q2 financial report (under Infrastructure section on page 3).

http://www.hexaware.com/fileadd/q2-June08financials.pdf

http://i25.tinypic.com/15mn4ub.gif

http://i25.tinypic.com/15mn4ub.gif


Looks like some UFO:)

^^It looks different from the image of the building posted earlier.

I think ferarri fan might know the status of this project.

Yes, Phase 1 is completed and operational - the shell of the building is actually completed beyond Phase 1, but I think they haven't yet occupied it due to the slow down..

http://i25.tinypic.com/15mn4ub.gif

This certainly isn't being built.. The Sun TV HQ coming up in MRC Nagar is an ordinary multi-storeyed boxy structure..

^^Yes, I saw a redering of the proposed office which is totally different from this.

And can anyone let me know about what is happening to the dilapidated building near LIC in Mount Road?

^^It looks different from the image of the building posted earlier.

This certainly isn't being built.. The Sun TV HQ coming up in MRC Nagar is an ordinary multi-storeyed boxy structure..

Yup! This is what I meant. I think it's FerrariFan who posted the pic of the new SunTV HQ under construction at MRC Nagar. :)

might be at Padapai or Padur (Kelambakkam)

it is padur(that is where the univ campus is). not padappai.

CHENNAI: The recent government order permitting premium FSI in the area falling under Chennai Corporation, 16 municipalities, 20 town panchayats and 214 village panchayats in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts is expected to have a marginal impact on end users.

The gazette notification is expected shortly and the move would permit builders of new projects in CMA, excluding the Red Hills catchment area and areas adjoining water bodies maintained by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board for drinking water purpose, to construct extra floor space on payment of a premium.

“It is too early to forecast the impact of permitting premium FSI on prices of housing units in Chennai,” said Vikram Kapur, member secretary, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA).

There could be a marginal reduction in cost of housing units in new residential projects if the market value is higher than the guideline value, said R.Kumar, Managing Director of Navin’s.

But buyers of the residential projects making use of the provisions of premium FSI would have lesser undivided share of land when compared to the projects which did not seek premium FSI, he added. The premium paid does not bring anything tangible.

Mr.Kumar said in cases of the guideline value becoming higher than the market value of land, the premium FSI would be detrimental to the end user.

One of the advantages for developers would be the possibility of increasing the number of housing units in locations where land is in short supply, said Prakash Challa, president of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India-Tamil Nadu.

It would be tougher for the builders to convert the advantage of the premium FSI provisions into a reduced price of the housing units as they would have to pay the cost of the land before the planning permission is granted, said M.K.Sundaram, secretary of Construction Industry Development Council-Chennai.

Both government and the developer would get their share leaving the buyers without much benefit in terms of the selling price of the apartment. Rather the premium FSI indirectly benefits those who develop and retain for commercial purposes, he added.

A senior official of CMDA admitted that the premium FSI would not have a great impact on prices of residential projects but added “We do not want to encourage premium FSI on a large scale. We want to have it as a pressure valve in urban development of the CMA.”

The official said they just wanted premium FSI as a better mechanism to control compulsive violators who are particular about building at a particular location. The minimum width of roads for getting higher FSI at a premium is 30 feet and the permissible premium FSI increases with the width of the road.

Mr.Sundaram said premium FSI should have been permitted only in areas with wider roads, better drainage and water supply. But allowing in narrow roads will lead to traffic congestion, parking problems, drainage over flow, shortage of water and power. The density of the population will only increase without any improvement in the existing basic infrastructure available, he adds.

A CMDA official clarified that the premium FSI is only for extra floor area but the set back and parking norms have to be complied with.

Stakeholders say the premium FSI should have been permitted outside the city limits and the premium amount collected by the government for granting additional FSI should be spent on developing the same area without diverting the same for any other purpose.

The introduction of premium FSI should not contribute to unwarranted escalation of land prices as similar initiatives had earlier fuelled speculation, said Ramesh Nair, Managing Director-Chennai, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj. “If that happens it may affect buyers.” he said.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/22/stories/2009092258160300.htm

Location: Shashtri Nagar 1st Avenue, Adyar

15 floors

http://i33.tinypic.com/6hnxie.jpg

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/builders-see-large-room-for-growth-in-office-space/371486/

The commercial office market in India is likely to head towards a more balanced demand and supply situation in the next few years. The highest demand in the next five years is expected to be in Bangalore at 34 million sq ft, followed by Chennai at 27 million sq ft. Mumbai comes just after that. The growing corporate confidence is expected to turn things around in the office space market, the report says.

:wallbash:

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320 multi-storeyed buildings were asked to install under pilot project seven months ago

Special buildings, which have three floors, have been included
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CHENNAI: Chennai Metrowater is planning to make it mandatory for all multi-storeyed and special buildings to install sewer gratings, as a measure to prevent sewer blocks.

The gratings would filter the solid waste let out from the buildings.

Metrowater officials said about 320 multi-storeyed buildings were asked to install such iron gratings to prevent solid waste from entering the sewer mains under a pilot project about seven months ago.

Two large complexes were identified in each of the 160 depots of the water agency for the project.

Following a 20 per cent reduction in the complaints about sewer blocks after the project was launched, it has been decided to make the gratings mandatory in all other buildings.

The Metrowater depot engineers would meet representatives of large buildings in their limits regarding the project, an official said. Special buildings, which have three floors, have been included in the project. The process to identify such buildings is under way.

Metrowater also proposes to purchase three sewage suction machines to suck in silt and small particles from the sewer pipeline.

Each machine would cost Rs.25 lakh.

The water agency also plans to carry out periodical flushing of the sewer network to bring down incidence of sewer blocks or overflow, the official said.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/28/stories/2009112852430300.htm

Here's a link to some recent pics of DLF's u/c Garden City project (http://www.dlf.in/dlf/wcm/connect/dlf_home/Homes/Homes/Projects/New+Projects/Gardencity+DLF+OMR,+Chennai/):

http://picasaweb.google.com/cgoshtee/DLFChennai#

ABIBOO Architecture, international architecture office led by Alfredo Munoz, has been developing for months the Thandalam Project, a residential complex near Chennai, southern India, consisting of about 700 homes and studios, the latter of them intended for students of a nearby university

Images in this link...
http://www.arthitectural.com/abiboo-architecture-thandalam/

Lot of Chennai projects including ETA Signature towers.

http://www.architecturered.com/main.htm

Can someone post the pics as i cant do it from office.

Wow I didnt know such a thread existed :cheers:

Thanks for digging and finding this thread!! :cheers:

ABIBOO Architecture, international architecture office led by Alfredo Munoz, has been developing for months the Thandalam Project, a residential complex near Chennai, southern India, consisting of about 700 homes and studios, the latter of them intended for students of a nearby university

Images in this link...
http://www.arthitectural.com/abiboo-architecture-thandalam/

Pics from that site:

http://www.arthitectural.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/AbibooArchitecture_AlfredoMunoz_Thandalam-Con-1-640x360.jpg

http://www.arthitectural.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/AbibooArchitecture_AlfredoMunoz_Thandalam-Con-2-640x359.jpg

http://www.arthitectural.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/AbibooArchitecture_AlfredoMunoz_Thandalam-Con-3-640x385.jpg

http://www.arthitectural.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/AbibooArchitecture_AlfredoMunoz_Thandalam-Con-4-640x359.jpg

http://www.arthitectural.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/AbibooArchitecture_AlfredoMunoz_Thandalam-Con-6-640x360.jpg

http://www.arthitectural.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/AbibooArchitecture_AlfredoMunoz_Thandalam-Con-5.jpg

Lot of Chennai projects including ETA Signature towers.

http://www.architecturered.com/main.htm

Can someone post the pics as i cant do it from office.

Are all these really being done? Looks more like fantasy to me..

Are all these really being done? Looks more like fantasy to me..

If you choose the project from the list on the rightside..

and then keep your cursor on ">text", it gives the project description including the client, location and other project details.

thx for uploading the images.

^^

where is the location of this project??

I have seen similar 4+1 buildings near to Sholinganallur Jn.

It says Thandalam in that article.. The college must be Rajalakshmi Engg College. I think our Darkprinz studied there. He might be knowing something..

Murlee, I think you are right... Remember of seeing a construction about a kilometer from REC, Thandalam... It looked big - could be this abiboo...