MUMBAI: By the end of 2026, as many as 220 married Navy officers will get accommodation keys to a 62-storey building to be constructed at Navy Nagar, Colaba. The high-rise will be the tallest defence building in the country, according to military engineering services (MES) for the armed forces). The foundation of the project will be laid in August or September, with an estimated cost of Rs 270 crore.
MES said the building will reduce shortage of accommodation for married Navy officers at Naval Station, Colaba, by 220. “The dwelling units will house officials from the rank of lieutenant commander to commodore of the Indian Navy. The new defence building will in one of India’s most expensive neighbourhoods,” said an official. TOI learned from defence officials that the high-rise project was planned due to scarcity of land in south Mumbai, and also by looking at the availability of officers at any point of time closer to the Naval platform.
The tender for construction was released online on April 1 by MES (under the defence ministry) and is expected to be accepted by the end of August. Construction, to be done at Naval Officers Residential Area (NOFRA), may begin the same month or in September, with a project completion deadline of four years. “A wind tunnel analysis test was carried out by engineering consultants RWDI, Trivandrum. Soil investigation of site and architectural and structural design using Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been carried out by Space Designers International, Noida (consultants). Latest design software has been used," said a source.
According to MES, the high-rise will have several facilities. The building plan shows four flats (each a 3BHK with a servant’s room) on each floor, with a total parking capacity of 252 cars. The facilities include high-speed lifts with enhanced safety features, a double-height entrance lobby with a waiting area, a structural health monitoring system, and firefighting system with pressurization system in staircase and lifts.
