27-storey landmark takes shape at Central Square, to be ready in 2027

The 27-storey Central Tower, which is being constructed at the busy junction opposite the Chennai Central Railway Station, will be ready by mid-2027.

Coming up at Central Square — modelled on the lines of London’s Trafalgar Square, Moscow’s Red Square and New York’s Times Square — the ₹350-crore, 119-metre-tall building has been designed as one of the iconic landmarks, housing everything from a hotel and office space to a multiplex.

On-ground walkways

Dedicated on-ground walkways will link the tower to Park Town MRTS station and suburban railway station. The basement of the tower will be connected to the Chennai Central Metro Rail station.

After the Chennai Metro Rail’s architect designed the building, the elevation was presented to a high-level committee of the State government, which approved it after multiple meetings.

According to officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the Central Tower was designed in a way that blends it with the surrounding heritage structures such as the Chennai Central Railway Station, Victoria Public Hall, and the Ripon Buildings.

“While the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture is not adopted per se, we have captured some of its elements. We have also added a glass façade to provide a scenic view of the city and the sea. This building is situated at a vantage point, surrounded by other heritage structures, and hence, we tried to incorporate elements from these buildings. The bottom portion of the building is a public space; we used colonnades [an element of the Indo-Saracenic style] as part of the building design from here till the fifth floor,” said an official of C.R. Narayana Rao (Consultants) Private Limited, the architect.

“Above that comes the office space. We have used long columns and punched windows for a monumentality effect. The Tower will not have a dome on top as people may not perceive it at this height. Instead, we will elevate the middle of the building to give it a crown effect. This structure will stand tall, while reflecting the tone of the neighbouring heritage buildings. The glass façade will only accentuate the monumentality of the tower,” he said.

The CMRL officials said that nearly 20% of the work has been completed. “We have completed the basement parking and are working on the first floor. Thirty months from the award of the contract, the tower will be ready,” an official said.

After that, the interior work will be done, and subsequently, contracts for various firms — be it for setting up hotels, offices or other retail outlets — will be awarded.

“This area predominantly has black cotton soil, which is a clay-rich soil. Building a tower in such a location is quite challenging. The pile of the structure goes as deep as 25 m-30 m,” a source said.

Parking space

The structure has been designed with a sprawling underground parking space, which measures 24,154 sq.m and can accommodate 586 carsand 1,652 two-wheelers.

The CMRL proposes to set up a multiplex and retail outlets on the first four floors. Offices will come up till the 24^th floor. While the 25^th floor has been devoted to the service area, the top two floors will house a rooftop hotel, spanning an area of 6,403 sq.m.

The Central Square, which was announced in 2015, have seen a multitude of changes, before being opened in 2022.