Chennai is located in Southeast India on the Bay of Bengal. With its 8.6 million inhabitants it is not the largest city in India, however, it does have the second highest population density after Ahmedabad. There’s approximately 27,000 inhabitants per square kilometre. As a point of reference, in Munich, Germany’s most densely populated city, there are 4500 inhabitants per square kilometre. To put it bluntly, space is tight in Chennai. Project developers for the real estate company House of Hiranandani therefore decided to venture about 30 kilometres south of the city centre, where they would construct a whole new district: Hiranandani Upscale. It is currently being constructed in Egattur on Old Mahabalipuram Road, which runs parallel to the coast and connects a long string of high-tech companies. Hence its popular name, the IT corridor. At the centre of this industrial sector is SIPCOT IT Park, the Silicon Valley of India, located directly across from the new construction project. This is also Hiranandani’s primary target group: high-income residents with high living standards. The buildings are tailormade for this demographic.

Currently, there are 15 high-rise buildings planned, each over 100 metres high. Others will follow. At this point, the neighbourhood is still a construction site, even though over three quarters of the buildings have been completed and occupied. The high-rise towers are casually grouped around a central space called the podium. Here, landscaped areas with fountains and playgrounds provide for a relaxing atmosphere. Each of these groups of buildings also has a club house. These club houses offer a wide array of spas and sporting activities. In the evening, residents can meet up for a drink at a bar. The required infrastructure has also been provided. Schools, hospitals, and stores are in the area or in the immediate vicinity. A business centre is planned where residents can rent “plug and work” spaces. The architecture is neoclassical and thus contains many decorative elements such as tympana, cornices, capitals, and columns. The three-to-five-room flats ranging from 120 to 325 square metres feature more modern designs.