New Consulate Compound for US Consulate General in Hyderabad

The new compound for the US Consulate General in Hyderabad will break ground later this year, as part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary year of US-India bilateral relations. The compound is expected to be finished by 2021.

According to an official communique, the new compound will be a fitting symbol of the strong and growing US-India partnership. Designed in size and scope to better accommodate the rapid expansion of US business and cultural ties, the complex will occupy a 12.3 acre site at Nanakramguda in the Financial District. A combined workforce of over 1,000 American, Indian workers, along with others, is involved in the construction project.

“When we came to Hyderabad, nearly a decade ago, we recognized the boundless potential of this region,” Consul General Katherine Hadda said.

“Our new compound will allow us to better serve the many Americans living in the region, visa applicants looking to travel to the US, and the countless organizations we work with to deepen our commercial and cultural ties,” said Hadda.

The new consular facilities will have the capacity to accommodate 1,500 to 2,500 visa applicants on a daily basis. While the current consular section has 10 functioning interview windows, the new building will increase this to 52 and also feature comfortable, air-conditioned waiting areas for applicants.

The new consulate has been aesthetically designed to reflect the unique topography of Hyderabad while also being a world-class sustainable project employing passive and integrated energy-saving principles. Building features — including solar arrays, on-site wastewater treatment, and natural lighting — will reduce the compound’s environmental impact, optimize building performance, and enhance the self-sufficiency of the campus. The project is registered with the US Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) green building rating system and is expected to earn LEED® Silver certification.

The new Consulate will also feature a permanent art collection, curated by the US Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies, that will include a variety of media, including painting, photography, textile, and sculpture. Artists will be represented from both the United States and India.

US Consulate in Financial District by 2020

Award-winning Arizona-based architecture firm Richard&Bauer has designed a 12.3 acre New Consulate Compound (NCC) in Nanakramguda village in Serilingampally mandal for the new premises of the US Consulate General.

The NCC will feature a design that is reflective of the rocky topography of Hyderabad on a site with several boulders that showcase the region’s natural heritage. The new Consulate General will also provide visitors a recreational zone with walking and jogging trails, rock climbing, and quiet spaces with an open lawn.

The Consulate General will inaugurate the NCC in 2020 to better accommodate its diplomatic and consular functions. It will be the first newly constructed US Consulate in the world in over 25 years. The current premises, housed in Paigah Palace, will be returned to the Telangana government.

The construction site of the NCC will be finalised within this year with plans for the ground breaking ceremony set for August 2017. Current estimates aim for the completion of the NCC by October 2020 with a move-in date between October and November. 

US Consul General Michael C Mullins noted that funding for the NCC will be fixed by September 30, the last day of the present fiscal year. Mullins did not specify the cost of the NCC due to bids for investment starting in the coming week. 

“We look forward to providing a more comfortable consular experience for visa applicants coming to the Consulate General and truly believe that the new premises will be a great gift for the people of Hyderabad,” said Mullins.

The US Consulate General in Hyderabad is India’s second largest issuer of H-1 visas after Chennai. It is the fifth largest issuer of student visas in the world. Consul General Michael C Mullins announced on Friday that the new facility will be able to accommodate 1,500 to 2,000 visa applicants daily with 52 interview windows and air-conditioned interior waiting rooms. Current facilities handle between 800 and 900 applicants per day with 10 interview windows. The consular entry of the NCC will feature abundant shade and protection from the rain for visa applicants.

New Developments around Infiniti

Mayfair is coming right in front of Infiniti:

Vision's Urjith is coming up behind Infiniti:

Pristine Estates is coming up at the Gopanpally X Roads:

Rajpushpa's LifeStyle City, which is behind Infiniti:

Club house updates

Upstairs Lobby

 Upstairs lobby

 Library

 Squash Court

Infiniti Panorama

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Hyderabad 02 Concept wins awards (next door to Infiniti)

When the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards — celebrating the best across architecture, interiors, landscape and product design — were announced in New York, no one was surprised to see Chicago-based architecture and design firm Studio Gang on the winners’ list. Studio Gang’s work has been showcased at several prestigious venues, like the Venice Architecture Biennale, and their portfolio includes the Aqua Tower in Chicago — a stunning 82-storey structure with distinctive wave-like terraces. We gathered a few quotes from founder and principal Jeanne Gang, FAIA on the firm’s celebrated projects:

On receiving the National Design Award: “Architecture is a crucial factor today in the success of everything from business to communities to ecologically healthy environments. We are thrilled to be recognised for playing a leading role in the field.”

On Hyderabad 02: For TSI Ventures/Tellapur Techno-City Private Ltd, Studio Gang created a 25-storey residential cube “eroded with a system of ‘cracks’ to create cross ventilation”. Called Hyderabad 02, the project reimagined the traditional Indian “courtyard” house into a new porous building type. “In Hyderabad, which has a hot, semi-arid climate, we were working with the idea of natural stack ventilation of both indoor and outdoor spaces, as well as the idea of self-shading... these two strategies will create comfortable spaces with lower energy use. On the tower’s western side, where the harshest solar exposure is, we employ a screen that acts as a shade.”

On the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago: Through this project, the studio helped transform an urban pond into an ecological habitat. A boardwalk by the pond has provisions for educational zones where knowledge about the flora and fauna in that area could be shared. A pavilion inspired by a tortoise shell and built with interconnected fiberglass pods provides shelter for an open-air classroom. “The Boardwalk... is essentially a zoo without cages, where the animals display themselves voluntarily. They are attracted to the habitat while the public benefits from the proximity that the boardwalk and pavilion provides. At the same time, the pond is storing rainwater and acting as green infrastructure. For me, the larger picture for that project was designing a fun, interactive experience, while supporting biodiversity.”

On City Hyde Park: The project involves a mixed-use development in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighbourhood. “City Hyde Park’s most important feature is its urbanism. It positions many more residences within walking distance of public transportation and its architecture is oriented to the public spaces around it, reinforcing sidewalk use and encouraging walking over driving.”

- Jeanne Gang, founder and principal, studio gang

Deccan Chronicle DC | Rohini Nair | 26th May 2013

World Class Healthcare in 12 Minutes

Continental Hospitals opened recently in Financial District area and I visited them recently and found their facilities impressive at par with any hospital in the US, if not better than the ones in the western world.

The following eateries are on 1st Floor