Minerva – A Super High-Rise Model Slum Redevelopment Project – Mumbai

Shaping Identity Through Façades: Urban Landmarks

Project Minerva is one of Mumbai’s most successful slum redevelopment projects. The Shramik Ekta SRA Project is a complex 6.5-acre, 3 million sq ft redevelopment in the heart of Lower Parel, out of which 5 acres are used for the slum rehousing component and 1.5 acres is used for the free sale component, making this a model for future SRA projects in Mumbai.

The Shramik Ekta redevelopment houses around 1,900 slum tenants spread over 1 million sq ft, and the free sale project, spread over 1.5 acres of land, has a constructed area of nearly 2 million sq ft, rendering a built-up-to-land ratio of nearly 13.5.

Project Minerva, designed in 2009, took 15 years to complete, including the rehousing component, which played a major role in the developer’s ability to build out the free sale part. The project witnessed two major changes in Development Control Regulations (DCR) for the island city of Mumbai, as well as two major revisions in the structural codes of India, demonstrating our design team’s forward thinking, as the genesis of the design never changed despite the regulation changes forced upon the project.

The frequent changes and compliance with new regulations for tall buildings are also a testament that the originally envisaged design was always future-proof. Lastly, enduring and delivering this project over its 15-year time span serves as a reminder of our design team’s resilience in getting the job done!

Besides breaking many records, such as being India’s tallest building, it is the only building in India to have crossed 300 meters in height.

About the Building: Minerva is a unique and inspiring piece of architecture arranged on an impossibly narrow and linear site that overlooks the majestic Mumbai Racecourse and the Arabian Sea beyond. The design demanded a very high gross floor area, and under the pressure of area consumption, it became evident very early in the design evolution that a super high-rise would be the eventual outcome. It is designed with two joined towers having a total width of over 105 meters and a height above 300.6 meters.

The building hosts an impressive 91 stories, and as recorded on the Skyscraper Centre (CTBUH) website, it is India’s tallest skyscraper. The project had to undergo a major reshuffle of the design, 50% into construction, catering to a new set of changing local bylaws that came into effect during the lifecycle of the project. This is evident at the two-thirds height of the towers, where the building is divided into two arms. The design language of balconies continues to the top.

The result is a beautifully proportioned super high-rise with 100% forward-facing apartments taking full advantage of the views.

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