Architectural Brilliance: Top 10 Buildings in India

Since the earliest of ages, India has been known for its wonderful architectures. Even in the recent days, different buildings in the country reflect world-class architectural skills.

  Designed by James Law Cybertecture International, the 13-storied egg office in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex is 13 storied and covers 33,000 square meters.

v  The Airtel Office located just outside the Indian capital of Delhi is a feast for the eyes, as it is a perfect amalgamation of shapes and colors.

v  Infosys’s semi-spherical building in Bangalore is one of the most fabulous office buildings present in India. It covers an area of   1.44 million square feet and is the largest training centre in the world.

v  Built by the Unitec Group, the Signature Towers in Gurgaon is one of India’s the most outstanding office complexes.

v  The Lulu International Shopping Mall in Kochi is India’s largest and probably the best designed shopping malls. Covering an area of 17,00,000 square feet, this mall has five floors.

v  How about a building that seems to be curved and tilted towards a side? That is just what the Wipro Office in Noida looks like.

v  The Oracle Office in Bangalore is well known not only for its outstanding architecture, but also because it has one of the best energy-saving structures in the country.

v  With its circular structure, the Mantri Square Mall in Bangalore is one of the most outstanding in the country.

v  The circular structure of the Statesman House in Delhi might not be significantly modern, yet its majestic circular structure makes it one of the most engaging architectural structures in India.

v  Pune’s Gigaspace IT Park has intelligent buildings, which not only conserve energy, but are also great to look at.

With more offices and shopping malls coming up in India every day, the country is                    sure to experience a few more architectural brilliance soon.

Merlin Paradise, the Eden of tomorrow

Merlin Paradise is the most prestigious project in Nagerbazaar. The mesmerizing architecture is encompassed within 75% open space to create an environmental extravaganza.  To bring Paradise to earth is the novel interpretation of Merlin Group. Merlin Paradise brings life closer to nature; full of water bodies and greenery, luxury personified.

Welcome to Merlin, Welcome to Paradise

Air conditioned apartments| B+ Gr + 11 storied, 4 towers| Awe inspiring elevation| Most apartments facing landscaped water bodies and garden| State of the art club facility | Hi- street retail| Adequate car parking in basement and at ground level

Relaxation beckons in Paradise

·         Air- conditioned indoor games room

+Table Tennis + Billiards + Carom

·         State- of- the- art Air conditioned Gym

·         Badminton Court

·         Air conditioned crèche

·         Air conditioned community hall

·         Spa

+Steam +Sauna + Swimming pool

·         Balcony with every apartment

·         Roof with planters, gazebo and usable areas

Specifications

·         Air condition apartments- Split air conditioning in bedrooms and split air conditioning in the drawing room

·         Water Supply 24x7

·         Electrical- Provision for adequate light points, geyser point in bathrooms. Modular switches of reputed brand

·         Flooring- wooden flooring in master bedroom. Designer vitrified tiles  in Living Dining and all other rooms.

Real Estate scenario in 2014

Outlook Time to match demand with relevant supply:  India’s gripping urbanization growth story has been fascinating global investors so far, an underlying truth gradually emerged in 2013 - economic growth, the consumption story and property prices may not rise consistently, and there could be intermittent hurdles or growth risks. The presently cautious market sentiment is likely to continue, as headwinds to growth will prevail till the first half of 2014. However, the second half is likely to witness gradual revival in absorption. Residential real estate capital values will increase in a subdued range of 10-12% year-on-year pan-India for the whole year. Affordability will drive growth in 2014. An emerging economy is never short of opportunities, and it is time that the Indian residential real estate industry realizes where the opportunity lies. To date, the shortage of homes in India stands at around 19 million units, and 95% of this housing shortage is in the economically-weaker section (EWS) and low-income group (LIG) categories. In India, housing for EWS is defined by the Technical Group on Estimation of Housing Shortage as having a carpet area of 21-27 square meters; LIG housing includes units of 28-60 square meter carpet area. By the government's definition, EWS housing falls in the range of INR 4-10 lakh. This means that development of affordable housing will have to penetrate into the deeper suburbs of our cities, where such price points are feasible. The TATA Shubh Griha project (popularly known as Nano homes; completed in 2011) in Boisar near Mumbai was a splendid example of successful identification and auctioning of such opportunities. The project had 1,300 units, which received applications from 3,500 households. A recommendation to the government by the technical group to incentivize such projects by subsidized land, tax rebates, grants per supply of dwellings, etc. could help developers in improving the feasibility of such projects. Redevelopment activity to increase With scarce availability of land in the urban agglomeration, redevelopment will emerge as another growth driver in a scenario the cost-and-time-intensive complexities with regards to land acquisition brought forth by the LARR 2013 amendments. Indian cities present an exceptional opportunity for developers in this respect -- as per the latest available census data on households, only 50% of the residential units are in good condition, while the remaining are either merely livable or in dilapidated condition.

So, the 2013 may have been the year when both the developers as well as the lenders were waiting for policies like the REIT to roll out as well as other cost & benefit analysis. However, the direction in which the market is heading to, added with the new funding sources being cleared by the government, it seems the turnaround of the financial fortunes is just ahead in 2014.

Facts of Feng Shui (1)

Facts of Feng Shui (1)

·         According to Chinese tradition, there are 3 types of luck- which are they?

Heaven, earth, man. Heaven, earth, man are known as TIEN TI REN. If these are balanced they can bring enormous good fortune to you. Heaven luck is beyond our control, it's what was bestowed upon us at birth - where we were born, what colour our eyes are. Earth luck can be influenced by our trying to balance the natural forces of our environment. Feng Shui offers guidelines to help influence one's Earth Luck. Man luck is the luck you make for yourself - you will find it difficult to get a job if you don't look for one!

·         Which plant signifies prosperity and romance?

Peony:  In Feng Shui "enhancers" are used to help the flow of good Chi. One such enhancer are plants, as long as they are healthy! The Peony is excellent for enhancing marriage opportunities. Jade Plants are used to bring in prosperity and abundance. Yellow Chrysanthemum's are symbolic of a life of ease, happiness and joy. Narcissus symbolizes career luck, good fortune.

·         What color is considered to bring good fortune?

Red  colour is used to help with the Yin/Yang balance in homes and offices. Red is Yang energy (positive), it is considered to be very auspicious; the traditional Chinese bride dresses in red. At New Year, gifts of money in red envelopes are distributed by the matriarch of the family, to ensure a good financial year. 

The fall of rupee is attracting more NRIs to Indian realty market

The sharp dip of the rupees’ against the US dollar has increased the temptations of non-resident Indians (NRI) to buy property. Realtors are expecting an increase of 35% in business inquiries

from the expatriates this year, reveals the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) recent findings.

Releasing the Assocham paper on 'Falling rupee sparks property boom from NRIs', D S Rawat, secretary general Assocham said, "With the rupee riding low against the dollar, Indian residents are looking to accelerate investment plans back home". The rupee has fallen by about 34% against the US dollar since August 2011 and crossed 65 against the dollar.

According to a survey conducted by Assocham has upon nearly 1250 real estate developers in Delhi-NCR, Dera Basi, Mohali near Chandigarh, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune,Dehradun, Chennai etc. favorable exchange rates have facilitated the interest for buying property among NRIs.

Most of the real estate developer are saying that  the NRI traffic is primarily coming from the UAE/Gulf region, US, Singapore, Australia, UK, Canada, South-Africa etc. and the demand is more for high end properties and commercial buildings.

Latest in the World of Real Estate - Real Estate in a sluggish economy

In spite of the sluggish economy and the falling value of the rupee, the real estate sector has been surprisingly expanding its scope of operations. This is primarily due to the factor that over the last 10 years or so, the Indian realty sector has consistently channelized the FDI and the NRI investment pools. In the falling economy the Indian government has resorted to various reformative reforms for the stakeholders in the recent past.

Earlier this year, keeping in mind the needs of the residential real estate sector the RBI had reduced the rates for external commercial borrowing. Following the cue, the World bank has also recently sanctioned a fund of $100 million for affordable residential properties, that is to be implemented over the period of the next 5 years. The Indian government is also contemplating to relax the FDI norms aiming to attract large quantities of foreign investment in this falling economic situation, to keep the realty sector afloat.

Currently, with an increase in the demand for residential properties all over the country, coupled with relaxed norms, favorable regulatory policies and imminent avenues of funding the real estate sector has its hands full.  The sector looks to be maturing, consequently indicating growth and opportunities for all its sub sectors. However, the final outcome is still in question, though the major players in the sector are hopeful that the real estate market in India will benefit from the transparency and streamlining of the investments, due to be facilitated by the ratification of the regulatory bill by the Rajya Sabha. 

Creating Trusted Relationships

For the last three decades the Merlin Group has dedicated itself to creating value homes for people across the country. Transparency and honesty and two of the key philosophies propagated by the Merlin group which have helped them establish supremacy and trust not only among their peers in the real estate world, but also among their clients.

Mr. Suman Chattopadyay, a journalist with a leading publication in Kolkata describes coming back home to his apartment at Merlin Residency, as an invigorating experience after hard day’s work. A senior pilot, Captain Amit Tandon claims that Merlin Greens turned out exactly like he had seen in the brochure. Moreover a premium club membership within his complex was a bonus. Mr. Chin Tchai Yu in the Merchant Navy, was concerned about ensuring a secure home for his family, since he does not stay in the city for more than 6 months in a year. Merlin Greens came to his rescue! Mrs. Debjani Ghosh cannot stop gushing about her Merlin Riverview apartment with a spectacular view of the Ganges and open ventilated rooms, just what she had wanted in a dream home. Mr. Amiyo Kr. Paul, Joint Manager at the Bank of Baroda, on the other hand, raves about the splendid lifestyle features the complex has to offer. Ask any Merlin flat owner, and they will tell you how Merlin built them homes, as close to their dream homes as it could get!