It’s not just the consultants, funds and law firms that are coming to India. The booming real estate sector has attracted yet another important segment of the global industry—the architects. Celebrated British architect Lord Norman Foster, who shaped London’s 21st-century skyline with buildings such as the Gherkin, the new Wembley stadium, and has designed other structures like the Beijing airport and the Reichstag in Berlin, has entered India in tie-up with a Mumbai real estate firm, the Neptune group.
The Mahindra group’s real estate arm Mahindra City has roped in US-based architect and design firm HOK while Canadian firm Forrec, the lead architects behind Universal Studios, has tied up with Bombay Dyeing and Unitech. Lord Foster has tied up with the Neptune group to develop a 17-acre office complex called Evolution, near the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). Neptune Group has reportedly paid Foster and Partner, Lord Foster ‘s firm $8 million for design alone.
“A city that works as hard as Mumbai deserves the best working environment possible. We will deliver a world class facility so far unmatched in the regions’ office property market,” Lord Foster was quoted as saying in a statement. Evaluation will be a low-rise structure, spread over 2 million square feet, easily accessible from the airport, three railway stations, two metro stations and two highways, with facilities like food court and health club.
Neptune group managing director Nayan Bheda said, “In each of our projects, we have tried to create a balance between little details and the big picture. We also believe that every piece of land has its unique potential. Fortunately, Lord Foster shares our vision and has agreed to come on board to unleash the potential.”
Similarly, the real estate and infrastructure development arm of the Mahindra Group, Mahindra Lifespaces has teamed up with US based HOK, one of the leaders in the global architecture and planning segment to develop the residential and social amenities zone at the Mahindra World City in Chennai.
HOK, which has developed landmark buildings including the Dubai Marina (the world’s largest planned waterfront community with a mix of residential, retail, hotel, office and recreational uses), is understood be working on other Mahindra projects as well, sources said.
HOK planning Group VP Jeff Davis said that the key challenge was to envision a master plan that would translate the vision of the Mahindra team while ensuring that it blended seamlessly with the natural surroundings. Forrec, the Canadian architectural firm, is a consultant to Unitech, DLF and Bombay Dyeing. Shapoorji Pallonji group has also teamed up with Craig Nealy for its joint venture projects in Pune.