The Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) in Gujarat is the world’s largest office building, surpassing the Pentagon with a built-up area of 7.1 million sq. ft. Spread across 36 acres, it houses 67,000 professionals and welcomes up to 70,000 daily users, consolidating the global hub of diamond cutting, polishing, and trading under one roof. Beyond its scale, SDB redefines designing for density by placing human experience, sustainability, and community at its core.

The design responds to the realities of Surat’s diamond community, many of whom once commuted over 250 kilometres to Mumbai. Circulation was reverse-engineered from the user journey—mapping movement from site entry to office desk. Decentralised vertical cores, shaded courtyards, and a linear circulation spine ensure no journey takes longer than seven minutes. Functioning as a city within a city, SDB offers 4,700 offices of varying scales, a 10,000 sq. m. food zone, wellness and retail facilities, and landscaped courts for community lunches, informal trading, and year-round recreation.

Challenging the conventional glass-box office, the design prioritises environmental comfort. The nine towers are oriented north–south, allowing 75% of workspaces to be naturally daylit. Thirty percent of the built area, including community and circulation spaces, is passively cooled through the stack effect and Venturi-induced airflow. At the heart of its environmental strategy is the world’s largest radiant cooling system, consuming 80% less energy than conventional HVAC and helping reduce overall energy use by 50% against industry benchmarks, earning an IGBC Platinum rating.

Built with locally sourced Lakha red granite and Gwalior white sandstone, the Bourse engaged regional stone-working communities and adopted a minimal waste-to-landfill approach. A cooperative endeavour, it stands as a benchmark for liveable scale—proving that even at 7 million sq. ft., workplaces can be walkable, daylit, and human-centred.