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Embassy Taurus TechZone, the two-million-sq ft SEZ office space being jointly developed by Taurus Investment Holdings India and the Embassy Group as part of the Taurus Downtown Trivandrum project here, has launched Keystone, a 62,500-sq ft prefabricated incubation facility.
The 800-seat incubation facility, the first functional office space building inside the TechZone, is designed to assist businesses with beginning work and getting up to speed prior to their office spaces becoming operational, a spokesman for the developers said here.
‘Landmark project of Govt’
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the facility here on Wednesday in the presence of Shashi Tharoor MP,; Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism; Arya Rajendran, Mayor, Thiruvananthapuram; Mohammed Safirulla, IT Secretary, Kerala; Sasi P Meethal, CEO, Technopark; Ajay Prasad; Managing Director, Taurus India; and Aditya Virwani, Chief Operating Officer, Embassy Group.
The Chief Minister said that Taurus Downtown Trivandrum is a landmark project of the State government. Keystone is a one-of-its-kind office facility in Kerala. It’s great that companies can start operations in Keystone even before their office spaces in Embassy Taurus TechZone turn functional.
With 800 seats spread across two floors, the incubation facility has centrally air-conditioned plug-and-play office spaces. Spaces are equipped with meeting rooms, conference rooms, cafeteria, fire alarm and fire protection systems, full power back-up and a Building Management System for efficient operations. Most of it will be occupied by companies signing up for leased space in Embassy Taurus TechZone currently under construction.
WeWork, Cineplex to have presence
The Downtown Trivandrum project consists of Embassy Taurus TechZone, a two-million-sq ft SEZ office space for IT/ITeS units; 3.8-lakh-sq ft non-SEZ space for office building; Taurus Zentrum, a seven-lakh-sq ft facility for retail and entertainment; a 120-key business class hotel; and Asset Taurus Identity, a serviced residential complex of 301 units.
Co-working service provider major WeWork will be setting up a facility at the TechZone and Mexico-based Cineplex would set up Kerala’s largest 15-screen multiplex in Taurus Zentrum, which also includes the state’s first IMAX screen. The project on completion is expected to generate over 30,000 direct jobs.
EarthCam monitoring system
The spokesman claimed that the EarthCam monitoring system launched by Taurus Downtown Trivandrum will enable live tracking and closer monitoring of the construction activities on-site for all concerned stakeholders and was being introduced for the first time in the country.
Shashi Tharoor said that he genuinely believed that the completion of Taurus Downtown project will bring a number of companies into this part of Technopark, enhancing Thiruvananthapuram’s reputation as the ideal location for technology companies and for their employees and families.
To be nucleus of Technopark
Ajay Prasad, MD, Taurus Investment Holdings India, said that Keystone will transit office space for tenants who will be occupying space in the 1.5-million-sq ft Niagara office building. Niagara will open its doors to over 10,000 technology professionals next year. This marks the beginning of a phased restart of work across the first phase of the whole project. It will act as the nucleus of Technopark and a new city centre for Thiruvananthapuram.
Aditya Virwani, COO, Embassy Group, said that the group is committed to be a part of significant growth of Thiruvananthapuram as a destination for IT/ITeS companies and facilitate employees returning to formal office spaces, post the pandemic. The pre-fabricated Keystone office space was set up in record time of eight months and is now ready for immediate occupation, he added.