We expect the market for tall buildings to expand rapidly

01 Feb 2015 CW Staff

- Rahul Katyal, Managing Director, Capacit´e Infraprojects Ltd

Capacit´e Infraprojects Ltd is an ISO-9001:2008, ISO-14001:2004 and OHSAS-18001:2007 certified company. Rahul Katyal, Managing Director, Capacit´e Infraprojects Ltd, shares his view on the tall building scenario in the country.

How do you view the current market for tall buildings in India? How do you see Capacit´e Infraprojects contributing as a significant player in this space?
We find that the market for tall buildings is rapidly expanding, as clearances from authorities are coming through fast now. The redevelopment opportunities, particularly in Mumbai, are exciting driven by the constraints for horizontal development. Capacit´e has been able to gain foothold in the tall building construction segment, executing multiple residential towers of more than 50 floors each now. The huge investment made by us in system formwork, critical machinery and human capital will enable us to scale up to meet the expected increase in new projects.

According to The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat´s (CTBUH) recently released annual report, globally 97 buildings of 200 m height or greater were completed in 2014. But, no Indian project made to the list. What are the challenges India faces in the execution of tall buildings?
With the de-bottlenecking of policies and clearances, we expect the market for tall buildings to expand rapidly.

A number of projects exceeding 200 m height are under construction and we should see the score increasing every year with effect from 2015. The technological challenges in execution of tall buildings require coordinated efforts by the developer, designer, architect, contractor, formwork system supplier, ready mix concrete supplier and the supervision consultant, for timely actions on ground. Progress of work is quick where the interests of the parties are aligned and the project cash flow is smooth.

To what extent do you think developers/builders in India are geared to adopt latest technology and materials? Are these easily available and are they cost effective?
In all the tall buildings under construction, international construction practice is adopted, entailing deployment of state-of-the-art formwork and equipment. Speed of construction is no less in comparison to established practice. As much of the formwork and equipment is imported, lead times do matter. We find that the cost of construction considering such technology and resource content is indeed cost effective considering the beneficial gains to the developers.

Introduce us to some technologies, materials and construction equipment that you are using in your projects along with its benefits?
As is the international practice, we are using doka automatic climbing system formwork in our tall buildings, besides having deployed tower cranes including luffing cranes and concrete placer booms and high speed passenger/material hoists. These enable quick construction without compromising on product quality.

(Communication by the management of the company)

- Rahul Katyal, Managing Director, Capacit´e Infraprojects Ltd Capacit´e Infraprojects Ltd is an ISO-9001:2008, ISO-14001:2004 and OHSAS-18001:2007 certified company. Rahul Katyal, Managing Director, Capacit´e Infraprojects Ltd, shares his view on the tall building scenario in the country. How do you view the current market for tall buildings in India? How do you see Capacit´e Infraprojects contributing as a significant player in this space? We find that the market for tall buildings is rapidly expanding, as clearances from authorities are coming through fast now. The redevelopment opportunities, particularly in Mumbai, are exciting driven by the constraints for horizontal development. Capacit´e has been able to gain foothold in the tall building construction segment, executing multiple residential towers of more than 50 floors each now. The huge investment made by us in system formwork, critical machinery and human capital will enable us to scale up to meet the expected increase in new projects. According to The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat´s (CTBUH) recently released annual report, globally 97 buildings of 200 m height or greater were completed in 2014. But, no Indian project made to the list. What are the challenges India faces in the execution of tall buildings? With the de-bottlenecking of policies and clearances, we expect the market for tall buildings to expand rapidly. A number of projects exceeding 200 m height are under construction and we should see the score increasing every year with effect from 2015. The technological challenges in execution of tall buildings require coordinated efforts by the developer, designer, architect, contractor, formwork system supplier, ready mix concrete supplier and the supervision consultant, for timely actions on ground. Progress of work is quick where the interests of the parties are aligned and the project cash flow is smooth. To what extent do you think developers/builders in India are geared to adopt latest technology and materials? Are these easily available and are they cost effective? In all the tall buildings under construction, international construction practice is adopted, entailing deployment of state-of-the-art formwork and equipment. Speed of construction is no less in comparison to established practice. As much of the formwork and equipment is imported, lead times do matter. We find that the cost of construction considering such technology and resource content is indeed cost effective considering the beneficial gains to the developers. Introduce us to some technologies, materials and construction equipment that you are using in your projects along with its benefits? As is the international practice, we are using doka automatic climbing system formwork in our tall buildings, besides having deployed tower cranes including luffing cranes and concrete placer booms and high speed passenger/material hoists. These enable quick construction without compromising on product quality. (Communication by the management of the company)