Technopark to launch mega IT complex

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Technopark here, which boasts of being the country���s first technology park, has finalized plans to launch what park officials claim would be the single largest building complex in the country offering space for IT companies.

The 3-million sq ft building complex will come up on a 25-acre campus at the special economic zone plot adjacent to the existing Technopark campus near here. Technopark CEO Merwin Alexander said 18,000 IT professionals could operate from the complex.

Work on the building, to be completed in three phases, is scheduled to begin in September; and the first phase of construction involving 1 million sq ft is expected to be ready for occupation by July 2011. The first phase will also feature a car-parking facility that can accommodate 1,200 vehicles.

Technopark general manager K V Rajendran said the first phase had an outlay of Rs 240 crore and that talks were on with a consortium of banks to tie up funding for the project. He said Technopark would also go for green certification for the block of buildings.

Technopark officials said the building, conceived by architect Hafeez Contractor in association with its consortium partner Iyer & Mahesh based here, would be an iconic building for Technopark.

Technopark presently has an electricity sub-station for power supply to the new campus and for the adjacent campuses of Infosys and UST Global, while other infrastructure needs including water supply, waste treatment and approach road from the highway are being readied.

Officials said Technopark was also developing the remaining land in the newly-acquired 92-acre Phase-III campus, which could be offered on lease to private developers.