Chennai, Mar 14 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K Stalin today laid the foundation stone for Standard Chartered Global Business Services’ (SCGBS) largest global office campus in DLF Downtown in the city, involving an investment of Rs 5,000 crore. DLF is building an office campus for Standard Chartered Global Business Services for about one million sqft which will be a first of its kind futuristic workspace with open, experiential offices in the post-pandemic era. DLF Downtown is spread over 27 acres as a multi-block campus of new age buildings and is being built in phases with an investment of over Rs.5,000 crores and will provide jobs to more than 70,000 IT professionals and help state achieving the USD one trillion SGDP by 2030. DLF has entrusted the globally renowned architectural firm Gensler from the US to design this, sustainable and green campus spread that will feature world-class office buildings with amenities that will be unmatched in Chennai. The Phase-1 will constitute new age office buildings of about 3.3 mn sqft with an immersive employee experience and host of amenities including a food district, restaurants, cafes, wellness center, gym, creche, and a medical center. “The new Standard Chartered office building in DLF Downtown is set to change the way we work and will set a new benchmark for future workspaces in the country by offering a que office building design, a first of its kind in the country in a safe and sustainable ecosystem.” Sriram Khattar, Managing Director, DLF Rental Business, told reporters. Tamil Nadu is set to become India’s innovation hub and knowledge capital as it has a highly qualified, skilled and disciplined resource pool. Tamil Nadu ranks first among all states in terms of governance. It has the maximum number of factories and industrial workers and is emerging as a key destination for IT investments in India. The state introduced the ‘Industrial Policy 2021’ to achieve an annual growth rate of 15% in the manufacturing sector, while attracting investments worth Rs. 10 lakh crore (USD 137.8 billion) it aims at creating employment opport ties for over 20 lakh people by 2025. Tamil Nadu is now set to become one of the top three preferred investment destinations in India and Asia. Sriram Khattar said ‘once DLF Downtown is completed and operational, DLF will have a footprint of about 14 million sqft of commercial workspaces in the city, making it the second largest market after Gurugram. “We are optimistic about our investment in the state as Tamil Nadu is fast emerging as a leading global hub for IT/ ITES, manufacturing, and R&D. We are delighted that tenant partners have expressed interest in taking space here showcasing the strength of the location, DLF’s quality assets and customer centricity”, he said. GV 1255