Finally, renderings have been released for the redevelopment of
Elphinstone Mills, Mumbai (Bombay) by developers Indiabulls Real Estate.
One of the first projects announced in a series of redevelopments of former textile mill lands in South Mumbai, the tower will be Mumbai's first purely commercial skyscraper to break ground -- all other skyscrapers being purely residential or mixed residential/hotel. Not only does it herald the next phase of high-quality but infrastructure-intensive commercial skyscraper development in Mumbai, but it is also an indication of what the redevelopment of the massive mill lands and slums in the next 5 years will mean for Mumbai and her booming skyline.
Initially reported to only be 40 stories tall, the height has since been increased to 60 stories. Designed by Chicago based firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, is the latest in environmentally friendly signature towers planned for Mumbai.
According to the architect's website:
Quote:
The 60-story Elphinstone Mills complex in downtown Mumbai includes Class A office space and a pedestrian friendly retail podium. The building is designed to a LEED Platinum standard and will create a new icon in the skyline of Mumbai.
Every floor of the office tower features outdoor terraces and multi-story garden atria, fully integrating the interior workspace with natural elements of the exterior environment. These garden spaces provide tenants with a shaded area for relaxation and socialization; natural light is abundant, while the overhangs simultaneously shade the units below. The building is also oriented to minimize solar gain, decreasing the heating effect of direct sunlight and increasing comfort levels for building tenants.
Each atrium space is connected to a central atrium within the building’s core. Air flows from the exterior environment into this central space, accelerating as it travels down the atrium toward a series of wind turbines, which generate power for the building.
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One of the major hurdles facing the construction of major commercial towers in Mumbai, that of uninterrupted power, has been solved with on-site generation and a design that minimizes power consumption and loss. Going totally green may be the way for major skyscraper projects to go in Mumbai, which is yet another boon for the city. The second major hurdle, that of infrastructure, is to be remedied by having the developer offset the cost of infrastructure development adjacent to the site, a requirement of mill land redevelopment. The development of the Mumbai metro and other mass transit projects that will service the mill land region will also contribute to sustainability.
According to Indiabulls, construction of the tower has already started from March 2007, with a completion date of Sept, 2008, but SSC India members cannot independently verify if it has, due to the inaccessible nature of the site. However, it's worth noting that construction Indiabulls's commercial development at its related project at nearby Jupiter Mills is well underway:
^ Jupiter Mills
Note in the above image all the towers coming up at other mill lands. And these are just the very beginning of the huge mill land redevelopments in store for India's financial capital
Props to spyguy for originally finding and posting the renderings at SSC India
Cheers,
Jai
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