Surat Diamond Bourse / Morphogenesis

Over 90% of the world's diamond pieces are cut in Surat, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, with the city playing host to the world's largest community of diamond workers. Most traders, however, have to commute over 250 kilometers daily by train to reach Mumbai to conduct their business, significantly impacting their cost of living and commuting as well as access to a healthy quality of life. The Surat Diamond Bourse brings this vast community together, uniting all activities of cutting, polishing, and trading under one roof. With a built-up area of 7.1 million sq. ft. occupying a 35.3-acre site, the design of the bourse redefines the conventional office building typology while establishing new sustainability benchmarks within the hot and humid climatic context of Surat.