The Pentagon has just lost its title as the world’s largest office.
The headquarters of the United States Department of Defence held the title for 80 years.
But a brand new building in India has snatched it away.
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Many class the Belgian city of Antwerp as the world’s trading hub.
But, 15 miles north of Mumbia, India, lies a lesser-known gem capital, Surat.
Around 90 percent of the planet’s diamonds are cut there.
Therefore, it makes sense to construct a building to house its mammoth industry.
The newly-built Surat Diamond Bourse will be home to 65,000 diamond professionals.
From cutters to polishers and traders, the trading center is billed as a “one-stop destination”.
Built across more than 35 acres of land, the sprawling 15-story complex features a succession of nine rectangular structures.
These spill out from – and are interconnected via – a central “spine”.
Architects say it compromises over 7.1 square feet of floor space, which is why it’s surpassed the Pentagon as the world’s largest office building.
The floors are lined with marble and light-filled atriums connect more than 4,700 office spaces.
These are said to double as small workshops for cutting and polishing diamonds.
The 32-billion-rupee ($388 million) development also houses 131 elevators, as well as dining, retail, wellness and conference facilities for workers.
The building was masterminded by Indian architecture firm Morphogenesis following an international design competition.
And, believe it or not, surpassing the Pentagon wasn’t actually part of the brief.
Instead, the project’s size was dictated by demand, with all offices purchased by diamond companies prior to construction.
After four years of construction work, two of which were hampered by Covid-related delays, its new occupants are set to move in in November.
Apparently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially open Surat Diamond Bourse later this year.
