With economics sorted out (somewhat), Indians are now turning to fix their ergonomics
Ceiling fan languidly rearranging the stuffy air, tiffin box in a corner, large, shiny, black rotary dial telephone, call bell to summon an orderly to dust the photograph of Mahatma Gandhi. This pretty much sums up the office room of the top Indian executives of about half a century ago. Today’s CEOs work in far swankier surrounds, with state-of-the-art communication facilities, expensive art on the walls, plush carpets and flat panel television screens.
The structure is being developed by Mumbai builder Vijay Wadhwa, who has been recently focussing his attention on creating classic buildings with expensive European technology and design elements. It will go on stream in 2012 and house eight to ten large companies. If rules allow, more floors could be added. Wadhwa has already sold 250,000 sq.ft out of seven lakh sq.ft. of planned space and is close to tying up another 300,000 sq.ft. with two banks.
Urban Landmarks
Inaugural year: 1990
Architects: I.M. Pei
Controversy marked the building from the start as the then government of Hong Kong was charged with selling the piece of land on which the tower was built at a cheap price. Bank of China paid $1 billion for the plot, half the price that was paid for a similar sized plot just days ago. The 72 storied building was the tallest in Asia until 1992 and the first building outside the US to break the 1000 feet market. The building also created controversy as it bypassed the convention of consulting with feng shui masters on matters of design prior to construction (they objected to the many edges in the building). When created, the architect wanted to create a structure that would represent the aspirations of the Chinese people yet also symbolise goodwill toward the British Colony.
Inaugural year: April 2004
Architects: Lord Foster and his partner Ken Shuttleworth
The Swiss Re building (popularly known as The Gherkin for its unique design) is located in the heart of London’s financial district. Several constraints from the city building authorities and conservationists saw several architectural plans for the building being modified before the city council passed the radical shape.
(This story appears in the 04 December, 2009 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)