Indian architecture studio Morphogenesis – founded by Sonali and Manit Rastogi in 1996 – has unveiled the Surat Diamond Bourse. Located in the business district of the city of Surat, Gujarat, the 660,000-square-meter building surpasses the Pentagon and now is the world’s largest office building.
The building houses the world’s largest community of diamond traders and consists of nine 15-story wings arranged around a central corridor, oriented north-south to reduce the impact of the harsh western sun and hosting 4,717 completely day-lit for 67,000 diamond professionals – including cutters and polishers. Set between the wings are courtyards largely shaded by the building itself and are intended to be used as informal gathering places.
The spaces for workers range in size from 28 square meters to over 10,500. Furthermore, any office can be reached from any of the site’s entrances within seven minutes.