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TECHPARK AT SEAPORT AIRPORT ROAD

Location: Kakkanad, Kochi
Site area: 9 Acres
Square feet: 700000
Category: Architecture
Sub Category: It infrastructure
Status: Ongoing

The client is an IT entrepreneur who wanted to set up a private "innovation park" that would attract both established firms and startups, with a bias towards R&D. He is also keen on fostering business development between companies, and the only building he wanted to own in the project was "The Club" at the far end of the site. This was to be an "invitation-only" club facility where well-known individuals from various professions could interact. As the client is a person with an extremely open mind, we suggested that this should be designed as a "mixed-use" complex with shopping, movies, and restaurants on the two street-level floors, and a limited number of luxury apartments on two upper levels with terrace access. The idea was to create a lively and vibrant complex that would be the antithesis of the lifeless IT parks we presently have here in Cochin. It would be a "place for people" to hang out, socialize, and have fun while in their workspace. And in keeping with our bias towards being as environmentally friendly as possible, we proposed vast arrays of solar panels at the roof level, which would also act as shading devices for the promenade on the ground level, given the high heat environment of Cochin. We also proposed a structural system that was to be designed entirely in laminated and compressed structural wood.