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Govt eyes 62-storey high-rise for navy
The 190-metre residential high-rise, being built for the Indian Navy, will be the tallest defence building in the country, Hindustan Times has learnt.
A new defence building – a 62-storey skyscraper – is set to redefine the skyline of Colaba, one of India’s most expensive neighbourhoods, with the government inching closer to awarding a contract for the project, officials familiar with the development said on Friday.
The 190-metre residential high-rise, being built for the Indian Navy, will be the tallest defence building in the country, Hindustan Times has learnt.
It will come up on a 7,500-square-metre plot, and the construction cost is likely to be upwards of ₹270 crore, the officials said.
The building with 220 apartments is expected to be completed within 30 months of the contract being awarded.
Latest construction techniques and materials will be used by the developer in line with a new defence building code approved by defence minister Rajnath Singh earlier this month, with a focus on contemporary and sustainable living/workspaces with green building standards, including energy efficiency, water conservation and handling waste, improved structural design, maintenance and fire safety, smart metering and multi-level parking, the above-cited officials said.
The building code, or what the government calls “scales of accommodation - 2022”, was revised after 13 years.
The upcoming navy residential complex in Colaba, Mumbai, will have a built-up area of 72,200 square metres and will house officers of the rank of lieutenant commanders to commodores (equivalent to majors to brigadiers), said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named.
“The only choice was to go vertical as there’s no land in Mumbai, and the navy is facing a shortage of accommodation for officers. The new scales of accommodation (SoA) also focus on optimal use of land,” said a second official, who also asked not to be named.
The new building code, which seeks to promote multi-storey construction for optimisation of defence land, is in line with the government’s programmes like Swachh Bharat, Sugamya Bharat and Digital India, as well as the green building movement and initiatives for sustainable development, renewable energy and reduction of carbon footprint.
The single tower complex will have four dwelling units on each floor, excluding the eight mandatory fire refuge levels for a building of this height, the officials said. Each apartment will measure 147 square metres.
The skyscraper will also have multi-level parking (five floors) to accommodate 224 cars, the officials said.
Wind tunnel testing on the design of the high-rise, which will come up on a strip of land with sea on two sides, to check its structural integrity has already been done by a Thiruvananthapuram-based firm, said the third official.
The government is also finalising plans to construct a multi-storey residential complex for major generals and lieutenant generals in Delhi Cantt to tide over a shortage of accommodation for senior officers, the officials said.
“There is great scope for optimisation of defence land in the cantonment which has sprawling bungalows that are difficult to maintain,” said the first official.
The building code for the armed forces seeks to ensure contemporary specifications in future projects and better standards of living for personnel.
Its focus is on infrastructure development, the use of modern technology and users’ aspirations.
The government is also set to complete the construction of an aerospace museum in New Delhi by September 2023, the officials said.
The ₹235-crore museum, which will showcase the Indian Air Force’s history, is coming up on a 43-acre plot near the airport.
Currently, the IAF has a museum near the technical area of Air Force Station, Palam.
The Thal Sena Bhawan is another new multi-storey building coming up near the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantt. Spread over 39 acres, it will accommodate more than 6,000 personnel. The building complex is expected to be ready by 2024-25.
The government’s Military Engineer Services (MES), which is responsible for providing infrastructure to the defence services, has planned all these big-ticket projects. The construction and maintenance agency of the armed forces is an important part of the Corps of Engineers. MES recently underwent important internal reforms aimed at improving its efficiency and functioning.
