Chandrababu Naidu lays stone for secretariat towers

Amaravati: The first signs of world class capital Amaravati were visible on Thursday when Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation for prestigious Andhra Pradesh secretariat towers raft at Kondamarajupalem in Rayapudi village in Guntur district.

It was a big moment for the state and the people to learn that entire volume of 11,000 cubic metres of concrete per raft was poured in a single stretch of 72 hours, which become a record in the country.

The visibly happy Chief Minister said that the secretariat and HOD building complex will be a very tall towers affair. Each tower will be of a height of 225 metres with 40 storeys in four towers and 50 storeys in the fifth tower. He said the complex was designed for 16,000 employees and 10,000 visitors with world class corporate office amenities.

The Chief Minister said that the secretariat complex would come up in an area of 41 acres to accommodate 145 departments. This would enable efficiency in work flow and interaction among different departments.

The built-in area is around 56 lakh sq ft and 1.3 lakh sq ft with parking facility for 4000 cars. He said world renowned architects Foster Partners, UK and consortium have been engaged as consultants for providing comprehensive architectural services for the project. The structural design is being developed by world class structural designers Buro Happold, London and peer review by Thornton Tomasetti, USA.

The Chief Minister said that for the first time in India, the structure is designed on the unique structural system called diagrid without the conventional columns to provide column- free interior space.

He said that the building is connected with district cooling system grid for enhanced HVAC systems to lower maintenance costs. The cooling system will provide 20,000 tonnes of refrigeration for the overall govt complex giving scope for 35 per cent power saving.

The chief minister said priority would be given to greenery to neutralise CO2 emission and electrical vehicles will be used to prevent pollution. He said Shapoorji Pallonji contractors have been executing the construction of the secretariat complex. He said that priority would be given for accommodating the poor in the capital city. For this purpose, 500 acres was reserved and G+4 buildings will be constructed.