Two new government office blocks to be ready by March, says CPWD

Shifting offices will make way for new home for PM, V-P

The CPWD is building government office blocks at Sarojini Nagar in New Delhi through a new construction technology, which is non-polluting, environment-friendly and four times faster than conventional building methods.

Two new government office complexes on Kasturba Gandhi Marg and Africa Avenue are scheduled to be ready by March to shift offices from the Central Vista to make way for a new residence and office for the Prime Minister, office of the Special Protection Group director and Vice-President’s residence, officials of the Central Public Works Department said on Monday.

CPWD Director-General Vinit Kumar Jayaswal said construction at the two sites had started in August and that pre-engineered building technology had been deployed, reducing the construction time from the usual 24 months for conventional buildings to eight months. He said the projects were environment-friendly as the steel structures were being manufactured in other locations and being assembled at the sites, making it “dust-free”.

Together the two sites would be able to accommodate 15,000 employees of various Defence agencies, who will be re-located from the hutments around North Block and South Block, an official said. The plots that would be cleared have been earmarked for the construction of a Prime Minister’s Office, PM’s residence, SPG Director’s office and Vice-President’s residence as a part of the Central Vista redevelopment project.

The buildings at KG Marg and Africa Avenue will cost ₹532 crore, an official said. Mr. Jayaswal said the initial cost was higher than that for constructing a concrete building. However, the pre-engineered buildings have the advantage of durability, reduced construction time and lower environmental impact. He added that the buildings would have a life-span of 100 years.

The buildings, which have a built-up area of 44,000 square metres over nine floors at KG Marg and 49,000 square metres over eight floors at Africa Avenue, have reinforced cement concrete foundations, according to a CPWD statement. Structural steel columns and beams are being pre-engineered and manufactured at industrial areas across India. The facade of the buildings will have terracotta tiles that will match the aesthetic of Lutyens’ Delhi, the official said. Another official associated with the project said the tiles are being procured from Vietnam, while the rest of the materials, including the wooden flooring from the Northeast, are from India.

No trees were cut or transplanted for the projects, which require less water for construction and once completed, the buildings would have 30% of the energy consumption of a conventional building, the official said.

As a part of the larger Central Vista redevelopment project, which includes construction of a new Parliament and revamping of Rajpath, 10 new office buildings for the Common Central Secretariat have been proposed. Construction on the Parliament project is set to start in December and the 10 office buildings are at a “planning stage”, Mr. Jayaswal said.