Surat Diamond Bourse consolidates India’s 70,000-strong diamond community within the world’s largest office building. SDB is a seed for the Diamond Research and Mercantile (DREAM) City, an upcoming business district on the outskirts of Surat in the western state of Gujarat. The brief called for a single office for one the largest communities of diamond traders, the Saurashtra Patels of Gujarat.
However, Surat, where over 92% of the world’s diamond pieces are cut and which contributes to roughly 80% of India’s annual diamond export, lacked modern, affordable office space. Many small-scale merchants trade in open courts and corridors within the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai, India’s only other diamond trading hub. Moreover, thousands of workers spend up to 10 hours commuting 500 km daily in overcrowded trains from Surat to Mumbai and back for business.
Many merchants can be seen trading in the open courts and corridors within the BDB. The new bourse directly benefits this population by uniting buyers, makers, and sellers under one roof, with independent, consolidated functioning for 4717 offices ranging from 28 m2 to 7,000 m2. The design draws from the highly efficient fishbone system—with users moving from a central circulation spine into the nine office blocks in a time-efficient manner. The spine flares out at both ends, funnelling in prevailing winds through the Venturi effect.
The morphology maximises mutual shading, creating courts that support the way of life of the traders, including recreational activities and open trading like in a traditional bazaar. The N-S orientation of the towers and narrow floor plates ensure 75% day-lit offices. The spine becomes an interactive hub comprising break-out spaces. Gardens distributed along the entire volume work as natural air filters, enhancing indoor air quality. A combination of thermal mass and porosity in relevant areas results in low external heat gains and therefore, lower cooling loads. 100% of community and circulation spaces, covering 30% of the building’s area, rely on passive cooling for ventilation.
Moreover, over 40% of the built-up volume is cooled by one of the largest installations of radiant cooling—an energy-efficient system that uses chilled circulated water on the floors and ceilings. This has resulted in 15% savings in Cap-ex, 50% savings in Op-ex, and a 50% reduction in energy consumption, with a performance of approximately 45 kWh/sq.m./yr compared to the Energy Conservation Building Code’s benchmark of 110 kWh/sq.m./yr.
By employing a combination of low-tech passive design strategies and modern technology, the project consumes 50% less energy than a typical green building. Facilitating easy and efficient daily movement for 67,000 people through the high-security premises was a primary design challenge. The design addresses this by providing walkable corridors across all floors and optimising travel time for all users under 4 minutes from the entry point by determining functional proximities. The design actively incorporated locally sourced materials with a minimal waste-to-landfill approach and engaged local stone-working communities at all stages, from quarrying to dressing and application.
Lakha red granite and Gwalior white sandstone used in the construction were procured within a 300 km radius. Besides the bourse generating employment in the area, manufacturing units were established to support its construction, engaging the local community and providing sustainable livelihoods to thousands of workers. SDB was built entirely by the diamond community for the community as a cooperative. The community ensured that the building catered to the needs of all traders, with large, designated office spaces as well as informal courtyards that traders could use flexibly. In addition, the diamond traders and facility managers responsible for the upkeep of the premises formed an integral part of the process, ensuring that all requirements were factored in. The building is thus a testament to shared vision and collective agency.
Category:ArchitectureYear:2024Location: Surat, IndiaArchitects:Morphogenesis Architecture Studio Pvt. Ltd.Client:Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB)Photographers:Edmund Sumner