One of the renowned Real Estate Leaders and have created a strong foothold in the industry, with its dynamic IT Projects, and, with the belief that steel will create a revolution in the near future.
To share in depth more of Rupa’s future and strategies we have with us the face of Rupa Renaissance who believes in the importance of steel and implementing the same to its fullest potential.
The Man of the Hour, ROUNAK DESAI, DIRECTOR, RUPA RENAISSANCE LTD. Read on to know more…
Being one of the leaders in the field, what is your take on the growth of the Real Estate Sector in the country
In my opinion, real estate is going to do very well in the long run and after the recent budget there are quite a few positives for the real estate sector. As much as the residential, commercial, IT/ITES sector is concerned they too will catch up space soon…though It is a bit dull now in some parts of the country, but I think it will take its own stride. The right quality is what finally matters and the project with such qualities and standards will not face any kind of hurdles eventually.
What strategic measures are taken by Rupa Group to be one step ahead of its competitors? How are you different from the rest?
Irrespective of the competition or competitors our company policies and values are very clear. Our mission statement and our vision statement is to achieve the standard of spaces, where people feel homely while working in an environment which provides them with all sorts of facilities & amenities.
The mission is to become the most customer centric real estate firm & maintain a no-compromise standard on quality & technology to achieve immersive success. So, the primary focus being customer centric there is a personalized touch to all our deals, to every client we deal with, and, that is what finally sustains in today’s world. To incorporate the right technology, and, looking forward to technologies that are going to be available in the future and applying them to their best potential in the present is what makes us stand out from the rest.
Having made a mark in commercial and IT/ITES sector with 100% customer satisfaction. What is your take on IT Parks/Office Spaces in steel in India?
I believe steel structures and steel construction as much as it could work for residential sector, has much more potential in IT Parks/Office Spaces. As it can be more evidently used to design a much efficient column to column grid which makes the space look grand and attains the comfort zone where an individual is working heavy hours
When, you talk about the commercial & IT sector there are a few high-rise structures, and, When we go higher, it becomes more feasible for steel structures as the number’s kind of fit in. It’s going to bring in a revolution of sorts 5-6 years down the line as developers would be looking to explore steel construction more aggressively.
Can you highlight some steel or composite structures that Rupa Group has constructed or are going to construct in the near future?
We have boarded into steel construction with our most ambitious project-Rupa Renaissance, Navi Mumbai. An IT Park with 1.8 million sq. ft. of development at Turbhe/Juinagar in Navi Mumbai consists of more than a 1.5 million sq. ft. of IT/ITES/Fin. space. One of the largest commercial projects in steel composite construction in Navi Mumbai, the project aims to set a benchmark in the industry who is considering steel technology. The project also aims to be sustainable with the aim to achieve platinum rating green building status.
In all our future development we are definitely going to explore steel construction to its best potential. We will explore steel in detail by doing comparison analysis, like we had done for Rupa renaissance. As, everything worked out well with steel construction, owing to the analysis done, irrespective of the slight risk involved as not many developers opt for steel construction, and we definitely do not regret the decision.
What are the key challenges faced by the developers in our country?
Lately, there has been an ease of doing business across different sectors in India. In Real estate after instating RERA there is a lot of clarity on the buyers as well as the builders’ side. So, everyone including the buyers, clients and the builders are now working together perpetually with no discrepancy and full clarity.
There are no major challenges as such, but we might face few challenges down the line because of scarcity of construction materials. So, scarcity of raw material is a challenge, but, i think that is pretty much addressable with the new technology and the kind of R&D that is happening.
What are the main advantages of steel structures when compared to the conventional structures?
When we carried out our analysis with Rupa Renaissance the major advantage was the time behind the project completion – The time R.C.C construction would take to complete and the time Steel Construction would take. If everything is planned well, without any major modifications or alterations in the due course of construction saves a lot of time and in turn is a luxury in today’s world. As for any developer time saved is money saved.
I think time is a major advantage and the other advantage is the kind of value, with the technology like steel construction which is two-fold. We have an excellent floor plate in steel construction with a very efficient column-to-column grid. It also enables a very clean construction practice as there is no scaffolding used for the support of slab. Steel hence offers clean construction, so, these are the few advantages though there are a lot more but these are the few highlights of steel structures.
How is technology changing the construction industry and the way we execute buildings?
It is definitely changing and the prime technology which is creating a buzz in the industry is composite steel construction. Lately, there have been many developments in high rise, residential and commercial buildings. The mindset is changing about steel construction that it is only limited to factories, warehouses and industrial centres. So that notion is now changing and the builders are exploring and executing buildings which are completely in steel or in composite steel. There is a high-rise residence building on Altamount Road in steel, and, we are doing a steel building in navi mumbai which is a relatively huge development.
People are going that road so that is something that has changed and apparently there is a lot of buzz in the IT and software industry because of artificial intelligence taking pace. A lot of marketing strategies are going to change in the near future which means wherever you are wearing a VR Gear you will able to walk around your entire project, entire office and entire residence and will be able to get a complete look and feel about how your end product will look like. So, such advancements are welcomed, and we have gracefully accepted the same. It is very interesing and engaging to the customers and clients.
Do you believe we have the right kind of structural steel supply to cater various demands of clients?
In India there are only very few major players who can execute large-scale steel construction around 3-4 good big players that can cater to huge steel demands. However, I feel you need to have right steel contractor, design team and structural consultant who would enable an efficient steel design, moreover to get the best value it is very necessary that the design is being developed the way it is envisioned. Also to have the right contractor is the key in steel construction.
In our case we believe in were in the right hands from the word go, Access Architects, the principal architect for the project had an immense role in making us believe in this technology and realizing the perks of the same, through Access Architects we were introduced to Eversendai our Structural Steel & Design Contractor, & LERA our design peer review consultant, & eventually after awarding the project to them its been a smooth journey until now! This team comprising of Access, Eversendai & LERA has put in immense efforts and worked to their best and prime potential to achieve the grandeur this project holds.
How does Rupa Group plan to contribute to bring in a change in the Real Estate Sector in the coming 5 years?
We at Rupa group are very customer centric and have been constantly working round the clock to fulfill our customer and client demands and by exploring new technologies we now want to showcase and encase what good technology and its right implementation can do to a project in terms of the value of space that is created for the end user. We want to set a standard which is difficult to replicate and at the same time very efficient and affordable. We are in pursuit of foraying into different real estate verticals and are geared bring in a revolution of sorts wherever we go.
What message do you have to give to our readers?
We as an industry must strive to get the best out of the technology and explore more and more into the steel construction industry.