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Through history and even post-independence, Indian buildings have always adhered to a low Floor Space Index policy. This has resulted in a very small number of skyscrapers (which can be defined as buildings of over 24m in height) with the majority of them being located in downtown Mumbai.

The History of Skyscrapers in India

Till date Mumbai boasts of the tallest structure in India, the Mumbai Television Tower at Worli, which stands tall at 300 meters or 985 feet and is the property of the state broadcasting organization Doordarshan. Its red and white open latticework structure is a landmark that is visible from most parts of South Mumbai. Shreepati Arcade constructed in 2002 by the Shreepati Group of companies is the other tall building in the city at 45 floors and stands at 153 meters or 500 feet. It is a residential building and has been designed by the builders’ architects with help from soil and structural engineers of the VJTI Institute.

The Pitampura TV Tower at the Netaji Subhash Place Metro Station at New Delhi was built in 1988; is a part of the country’s list of tall buildings at 235 meters and boasts of an observation deck too.

A major factor contributing to the lack of tall buildings in India is that we have severe restrictions on building heights to limit the spread of tall buildings. This needs to change and so do local bylaws.

Tall claims – Future developments

Of the newer constructions, the APIIC Tower (Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Tower) being built at Hyderabad is slated to rise to a 100 storey height at 450 meters. This tower is a part of a 100 acre business district in Manchirevula suburb of Hyderabad, will house office complexes, hotels and other institutions; and will take three years to complete. The state government has set up this special trade development project which has a minimum building constuction limit of 30 floors to promote the city as the business hub of south India. This super tall trade tower is to have another 10-12 high-rises of 30 floors or more as neighbors.

Lanco Hills, at Hyderabad has been planned as a 100 acre project of sustained knowledge ecosystem that will rank among the best townships in the world. The most eye-catching feature of the project is definitely the signature tower which stands tall at over 90 storeys. Designed to create a city of the future, Lanco Hills integrates all the functions and facilities required for modern day living. The Technology Park in this project has been notified as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) by the Union Ministry of Commerce with effect from April 10, 2007. The complex is to also include fifteen majestic residential towers each of which will comprise of living spaces that are the ultimate word in luxury, comfort and convenience. The proposed office complex in the project will be equipped with rejuvenating facilities, unwinding areas and its own retail spaces, making it a very pleasant space to work. Last but not the least are a premier 5 Star Hotel with 400 guest rooms and suites, international banqueting facilities along with a large shopping mall spread over 2.5 million. The recreation zone, one of the largest in the world, will have a 12 lane bowling alley, an ice-skating rink, go-karting, rodeo drives and theme restaurants.

Another tall building worthy of mention is the Park Hyatt Tower or India Tower being built by Neelkamal realtors and Hyatt Hotels as a part of their three –hotel project at Marine Lines, Mumbai. At 301 meters consisting of 85 floors, this skyscraper just might be one of the tallest Indian buildings and has been designed by international architectural firm Fox and Fowle. With a distinct rotated architecture, the mixed-use structure will house retail, five-star hotels and serviced apartments and long lease duplex penthouse condominium apartments within a sustainable network of green roofs and hanging gardens. This feature especially will give it the enviable reputation of being one of the greenest buildings in Mumbai.

Bureaucracy has also played a role in discouraging investors and builders alike from investing in such large scale projects.

Super tall structures in North India

A case in point is the Noida Tower proposed by architect Hafeez Contractor, which when built will be second in height to no other structure in the world except the Burj – Dubai. The 710 meters tall building will contain a 50-floor five-star hotel, a 40-story glass atrium and 370,000 sq meters of shopping space. The architect cites the imposing Himalayas as his inspiration for the proposed architectural marvel, but as of now construction seems to be mired in political red tape.

2010 has been earmarked as the year for the completion of the three 140-storey building complex the Golden Triangle City Centre at Gurgaon. The City Centre is to comprise of gardens, hotel complexes, commercial projects and IT parks with over 80 acres of its area being devoted to greenery. The designing of this project has been done jointly by East China Architecture and Design Institute and India-based Fairwood Consultants. Gurgaon falls under the high-risk Seismic zone IV making it susceptible to earthquakes and experts warn that a structure this big right in the middle of a Seismic zone could mean courting danger. Expert advice by geology and seismology experts, especially from countries like Japan (another country that is highly susceptible to earthquakes but has some pretty impressive skyscrapers nonetheless), might just be the solution to this problem. To tackle the parking and transportation problems that are a sure feature when such huge structures come up the state government has made elaborate plans for multi-level parking structures, and both monorail and metro connectivity to ease traffic congestion.

These are a few examples of the continually increasing number of high-rises being planned for our cities which will permanently alter the city’s skyline.

The skyscraper seems to have finally “arrived” in India and is here to stay. The numerous smaller constructions in metros are slowly but surely giving way to structures which have their feet firmly planted on the ground but soar gracefully heavenwards.

The only note of discord that is disturbing is the huge amount of infrastructural improvements that are required to support such development. Plans are afoot for these but whether they will translate into reality or create more problems for the congested suburbs remains to be seen.