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Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar Cityscapes

835K views 3K replies 186 participants last post by  gsouza 
#1 ·
An IIT report on earthquakestated Ahmedabad alone has about 25,000 five-storey. buildings and about 1,500 eleven-storey buildings ...I don't know if there is an extra zero but it can be true. Now that's a lot of eleven storey buildings.

Sampatti



Suryarath



Saffron



Sarjan



Samrajya



Shatrunjay



Spring Valley



Samudra



Samudra Annexe



Samedh



Shitratna



Shiromani I & II



Shilalekh



Shantanu

 
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14
#1,633 ·
Yes completely agreed.
 
#10 ·
what have we here?

India's tallest building to tower over Gujarat?

It seems Chief Minister Narendra Modi wants to stand tall. And fuelling his towering dream is a building, which if built, will be the tallest in the country.

On Thursday, Modi took the first step towards his dream building when a consortium of seven international organisations specialising in urban development unveiled the lofty plan to reach for the skies. Members of the consortium met the CM at the Vibrant Gujarat summit with a tentative plan of the building that could be a business centre, leased out to the private sector.

The building would come up in Gandhinagar, but the cost and the economic feasibility of the project is not known. The plan — presently very sketchy — was drawn up after Modi's visit to Hong Kong last month, where he met representatives of the Hong Kong-based consortium. "He was impressed with the buildings we have built in Suzhou in China and in Hong Kong. We specialise in tall buildings and are interested in seeing if we can take the vision forward in Gujarat," said Grant Robertson, director, Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong Limited, one of the partners of the consortium.

"It is at a nascent stage. Once we get the green signal, the next step involves scouting for a suitable location so that the foundation is strong. Then we need to work on the finance part," said Robertson.

The existing tall buildings in the country are Shreepati Arcade (45 floors) and Belvedere Court (40 floors) at Nana Chowk and Kalpataru Heights (39 floors) at Agripada, all in Mumbai.
 
#11 · (Edited)
kronik said:
So now we get a Hongkong too?

One (in)famous minister in WB was wanting to convert Kolkata into Kuala Lumpur after returning impressed from an official KL tour. He wanted to build 90 storey towers in Kolkata when his enthusiasm was at its peak. Now he is back to mundane things like trade unionism.

:runaway:
 
#13 ·
Suncity said:
So now we get a Hongkong too?

One (in)famous minister in WB was wanting to convert Kolkata into Kuala Lumpur after returning impressed from an official KL tour. He wanted to build 90 storey towers in Kolkata when his enthusiasm was at its peak. Now he is back to mundane things like trade unionism.

:runaway:
When last heard of, wasn't a 50 storey tower supposed to be his latest plan? And I thought Manmohan had banned foreign tours and all.....:bash: Well, if this isn't another pipedream, it sounds good. Maybe they shold put it in Surat instead of Gandhinagar though.......
 
G
#14 ·
Unforntuately it seems as though the politicains and planners in India have a lot of bark but no bite. Its inevitable that that this proposal in Gujarat is just another pipe dream. Just like all the ambitious projects that might actual contribute towards giving our cities global recognition. It seems the wheels have also come off the National Texitle Corporation's plans to sell its mills in Dadar to build a 420m tall WTC. Well thats India for you
 
#15 ·
Liquid said:
Unforntuately it seems as though the politicains and planners in India have a lot of bark but no bite. Its inevitable that that this proposal in Gujarat is just another pipe dream. Just like all the ambitious projects that might actual contribute towards giving our cities global recognition. It seems the wheels have also come off the National Texitle Corporation's plans to sell its mills in Dadar to build a 420m tall WTC. Well thats India for you
Hey how do you know that the WTC proposal was 420m? :eek: I am still positive about it, looking at the way the mill lands are now developing. So many big talls, SD twins, 51F Godrej tower etc. And also now that Santa Shinde is gone and VD is serious about Mumbai's development........IT WILL HAPPEN! :D
 
G
#16 ·
Well i hope you are right

Well the 420m figure was just the most opptomistic figure touted around, which could only materialise if there was enough demand for office space. As for construction getting under way, i wasnt aware of that, as im in London most of the year. Its just i heard that the project was in doubt due to the fact it was on the site of some guys memorial. I hope your right, but i guess im just more pessamistic than most.
 
#17 ·
No construction hasn't started. I'm just positive it will ;) NTC are very serious about building it, and there's been a lot more than just whispers about this project. I think Vilasrao Deshmukh won't have any problems with it, I guess "NGOs" are the only ones probably holding it up. But no one is sure of the height, initially it was 75 storeys, then Suncity posted an article claiming 104 storeys! At that height it could be over 500m!
 
#18 ·
So now we have one more big mystery project. First Mumbai's textiles WTC, then Kolkata's landmark tower, and now Gandhinagar's own landmark tower. Not to mention Hyderabad's 60F residential, Bangalore's 550m sky tower etc. etc. all big plans but then suddenly nothing more is heard. At least the plans are flowing, hopefully one should come off...;) BTW if politics is a hurdle for the mumbai wtc, hope the "examples" of Narendra Modi and Kolkata dude rub off....:lol:
 
#19 ·
It's stupid to say the least - politicians have no business dictating or pre-setting building heights and widths. IMO, they neither have the competence, nor the mandate to do so. Typical third world mentality - "suffering from ***** envy"! :bash:

ps: let the free market decide what it wants and what it wants to reject.
 
#20 ·
kshatriya said:
No construction hasn't started. I'm just positive it will ;) NTC are very serious about building it, and there's been a lot more than just whispers about this project. I think Vilasrao Deshmukh won't have any problems with it, I guess "NGOs" are the only ones probably holding it up. But no one is sure of the height, initially it was 75 storeys, then Suncity posted an article claiming 104 storeys! At that height it could be over 500m!
I just read that the NTC mill land auction have been put off due to "public controversy" about their proposed usage by "activists". I think I posted something in the Mumbai thread. Don't know if that affects this project.
 
#21 ·
Suncity said:
I just read that the NTC mill land auction have been put off due to "public controversy" about their proposed usage by "activists". I think I posted something in the Mumbai thread. Don't know if that affects this project.
Yes I have read that too, hope it gets resolved. It seems like a never ending barrage of opposition, like everyone wants this project shelved, which is so not true. The activists "think they speak for everyone", OTOH if they provide proper solutions to the govt. instead of just continuosly opposing they will be doing a great job for Mumbai....
 
#23 ·
Suncity said:
I just read that the NTC mill land auction have been put off due to "public controversy" about their proposed usage by "activists". I think I posted something in the Mumbai thread. Don't know if that affects this project.
Here's some news about the NTC mill redevlopment in Mumbai:

Panel set up to oversee mill land development
GURBIR SINGH

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2005 07:27:23 AM]

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has decided to set up a high power committee to examine the development of the island city in the context of the sell-off and redevelopment of land belonging to National Textile Corporation (NTC) and other private mills.

However, a decision has been taken not to roll back the amended Section 58 of the Development Control Regulations (DCR) promulgated in ‘01 to redefine the area to be surrendered by mills for public purposes and open spaces.

Instead, the high power committee will examine implementation of various ‘midway’ proposals such as keeping one-third of the mill area for open spaces, while allowing developers to load on (transfer) the FSI (development rights) of the open space onto high rise buildings.

The committee will also look to provide a master plan for the development of central Mumbai and the mill area that will give a contiguous geographical precinct connecting the various mills, a senior Mantralaya official said.

Citing an example, the official said: “Between Bombay Dyeing Mills and Century Mills that share a common boundary, is 28 acres of land that require to be developed as part of one integrated plan.”

A public controversy was triggered after eminent architect Charles Correa, former municipal commissioner Jamshed Kanga and others recently approached Congress president Sonia Gandhi and wrote to Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh complaining that the mill development norms in the city were causing over-crowding, haphazard planning, and killing open spaces.

As a backlash of this controversy, the first phase of NTC’s auction of 5 mill lands seems to have ground to a halt. The files awaiting Union textile minister Shankar Sinh Vaghela’s final clearance continue to gather dust in New Delhi despite clearances from the state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Developers intending to enter the NTC auction process may also be wary of committing their money if the rules for redevelopment of mill lands are subject to constant review, a senior planner with the NTC told ET.

Pressure from mill owners eager to exploit surplus mill land led to DCR 58(1)(b) of the Maharashtra Regional & Town Planning Act being amended.

In the format before ‘01, mills wanting to exploit their land commercially had to surrender one-third to the public housing body, MHADA, while another one-third came to the BMC for developing gardens and open spaces.

This left only one-third for real estate exploitation by the mill owners.

With only one mill — Matulya Mills — coming forward under this development route, the government relaxed the provision and amended DCR 58 (1)(b) to exclude ‘existing structures’ (even if they were demolished as part of the development) from the land calculations. Therefore, the portions that are allotted for public housing and open spaces is calculated only after deducting the land occupied by existing buildings and structures.

This method of calculating what goes to the BMC and for public housing often left only 20% or even less of the total mill land area, making a mockery of the provision, point out those spearheading the demand for a rollback of DCR 58. The change was also made surreptitiously to benefit mill owners and developers, it is argued.

On the other hand, a mill owners’ representative pointed out that the amendment to the mill land sale provision was made only after inviting objections and giving a public hearing. As many as 44 objections were raised and heard before the amendment was made, the representative said.

The mill official also opposed changes in DCR 58 at this stage as developers had raised debt and entered into third party agreements based on existing provisions.

“As many as 14 mills have been allowed to develop under the amended DCR 58. It will be discriminatory to the others if we pull back now,” a senior government official said.

Speaking to ET, Charles Correa clarified that his target was not DCR 58, but the way the development of mill lands was taking place. “Land was required for hospitals, schools, transit housing and for slum clearance. If mill development does not give back to the city in equal measure, the city will suffer,” he said.

He also supported comprehensive and integrated development that will pool mill lands along with surplus railway and port land.

While Mr Correa seemed amenable to settle for something short of a total repeal of the DCR amendments, other activists seem to be girding their loins for another round of PILs on the issue.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/988965.cms
--------------

My take on this: the govt should once and for all define the rules and then stop contantly reviewing and changing them. They should leave enough land for infrastructure development, development of green zones, develop land use regulation, and then sell it off. This constant reviewing and changing is just going to scare investors off, and everytime a commitee comes out with recommendations, either the "activists" or the real estate developers are unhappy and file PILs and stop the process again. The freeing up of all this land in Mumbai is a huge chance for the city to go in for planned development that will really set Mumbai up for future growth, and they shouldn't let this go. I like the idea of one big master plan for the re-development of the entire mills land in Mumbai that takes into account all variables like infrastructure, environment, etc, istead of the bits-and-pieces development thats happening right now.
 
G
#24 ·
I agree totally with you. This project reminds me of the Docklands re-development that took place in London's East End about 10 years ago. Like this part of Mumbai, the Docklands, prior to 1991, where full of exhausted derelict manufacturing industries that were taking up vast acres of space right beside the CBD. So the govt. with help from private firms transformed this area, by building the 250m+ Canary Wharf in the area (currently the UK's tallest skyscraper) which involved the demolision of ex-factories. However the character of the area was maintained to some degree by retainning some pre-victorian buildings, which although where low rise, where charming (of which are prevelant in Mumbai too) and where converted into luxury apartments with a view into the River Thames. This project had a lot of opposition at the time, from local 'activists', saying such re-development only benefited the rich. However more than a decade on, the answer to whether the project was a success or not is beyond doubt, with the Canary Wharf now being surrounded by a cluster of other skyscrapers which has transformed London's skyline. Also those appartments filled the market for demand for high class housing in London with good access to the city, with the avergae price of a two bedroom falt well in excess of £500,000. One thing London didnt do was waste valuable space on creating greenland, if you like grass go and live in a farm!!!
 
#25 ·
Looks like there are too many ifs and buts but at least there is some news..
However not sure whether the building would be the tallest in India as claimed by the article.


More on the "tallest" building:

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Torrent Group and the Gandhinagar Urban Development Authority (GUDA) for the Rs 100 crore building project at the just-concluded Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit to build a 51 storey tower in Gandhinagar.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=114544
 
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