New Thal Sena Bhawan to complement overall Central Vista redevelopment project: Officials

Work has started on construction of the upcoming Thal Sena Bhawan -- the Army headquarter's new building -- whose eight-storey state-of-the-art structure will ''complement'' the overall Central Vista redevelopment project, and its architectural design draws inspiration from the official emblem of the Army, senior officials said on Wednesday.

The work started in January this year and is due to finish in 27 months at an approx cost of Rs 760 crore, a top Army official said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in February 2020 had laid the foundation stone for construction of the Army headquarter's new building in Delhi Cantonment.

The starting of the construction work got delayed after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, sources said, adding the building will be a green structure and fully quake-resistant and ''will be built to last 100 years''. However, the design of the building, coming up in the vicinity of the Manekshaw Centre, has ''evolved considerably'' over time, and the current design is one that has has inspired from the official emblem of the Army, Chief Engineer of the project Brigadier S Gopikrishnan told PTI.

A large model of the Thal Sena Bhawan was displayed in a hall of the Manekshaw Centre on the sideline of the ongoing Army Commander's Conference here.

''The Indian Army is aligned to the vision of 'New India' and has set course for its transformation into a future ready, technology driven, lethal and agile force, to be able to meet future challenges more effectively. In sync with this initiative, the idea of a new Thal Sena Bhawan was conceived,'' another senior Army official said.

The Bhawan will be an iconic modern building, and it will house various Army headquarters offices, which are currently spread across different pockets of Delhi.

''The new Thal Sena Bhawan will complement the overall Central Vista project of the Government of India to meet the needs and aspirations of a new India,'' the senior official said.

The architecture will incorporate use of Dholpur and red sandstones as used in the Central Vista area, apart from structural glazing. It will have a double-screen facade to provide heat resistance, he added.

''The two wings of the building will be connected with bridge area, christened 'Dharm Chhatrachaya' which will be topped by a 'Ashoka Chakra'. This top structure will be seen from flights taking off or landing at Delhi airport,'' the project's chief engineer said.

It will house 5,600 personnel, including officers and subordinate personnel, he said.

The project spread over nearly 40 acres will include a G+7 building, a basement parking for 300 vehicles and open parking for 2,500 vehicles, beside a three-storey building that will house 300 security personnel who will be deployed round-the clock, Brigadier Gopikrishnan said.

The actual groundwork started last month and the project is likely to be ready before June 2025, he said.

As part of the project, 579 trees will get affected, among them 103 will be cut and 476 trees will be transplanted, scope for which have already been included in the project, the officer added.

The complex will have four entries -- three from Parade Road side and fourth one from a National Highway.

The new building will also comprise a facility zone, an infrastructure complex, single men living accommodation, vehicle parking, engineering services area and green landscaping, the other official said.

Thal Sena Bhawan will be a functionally robust GRIHA compliant, earthquake- resistant building with dedicated spaces for various directorates and departments spread around an approximate area of 1.5 lakh sqm, he said.

Centrally air-conditioned, the main office complex will have adequate number of conference halls with digital interface, briefing rooms, waiting areas for visitors and drivers, common areas with all amenities apart from various offices for the directorates and departments.

Central Control Room and integrated building management system will be provided to ensure the desired level of security of the complex. Optimised spaces, efficient circulation area, and a common library, ''A dedicated area in the form of a facility zone is also catered which will have facilities like food court, creche, gym, wet canteen and a MI Room with requisite medical facilities. The facility zone also has a family welfare complex,'' he said.

Other highlights of the Thal Sena Bhawan Complex include wide corridors, escalators, art work, artistic landscaping, standby power back up, UPS back up, solar PV panels, fire-fighting system, boundary walls and adequate parking for four wheelers, two wheelers and buses.

''Contemporary specifications like external structural glass glazing, stone cladding, wall panelling flooring with granite and double charged vitrified tiles, designer false ceiling and superior sanitary fittings and fixtures have also been catered for. The eco-friendly building with self-sustaining gardens has a dharam chatrachaya with inter connecting bridges in the central atrium is also disabled-friendly,'' he said.

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