Title - German firm zeros in on Sabarmati riverfront

AHMEDABAD: The Sarbarmati riverfront project which promises to dramatically change evenings in Ahmedabad — has now caught the fancy of a German architecture major. Kling Consult, a Germany-headquartered architectural consultancy and design firm, wants to build iconic towers on the Sabarmati riverbank.Managing director, Kling Consult, Gerhard Reichert, said "The towers will become the face of modern Ahmedabad. However, floor space index (FSI) is an issue and we are talking to government officials about how the project can be taken forward. We have even got a Dubai-based financer for the project." Reichert's company has built football stadiums and hi-end business parks for several governments and private firms in Germany, Dubai and other countries in the MiddleEast. Reichert and his team member Bhavik Dandanayak have met officials from Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and senior state government officials about their plan. The company even wants to set up its first office in India at Ahmedabad.Recently, global advisory firm KPMG included Sabarmati Riverfront Development project in the 100 most innovative projects towards urban regeneration that make cities livable and sustainable. It was one of the six urban infrastructure projects in the country selected by KPMG.

"The aim is to transform the stretch of river from a geographical divider in the city, to a focal point for leisure," the firm said.

"After Germany's sluggish market we expanded and set up an office in Dubai. From there, in the last eight years, we have undertaken several billion-dollar projects in the Middle East. Like many other global architecture firms coming to India, we too decided to expand here and zeroed in on Ahmedabad," said Reichert.

"The city needs a modern icon, which we want a 25-storey building along the Sabarmati bank to be. Most modern cities across the world have riverfront projects and the social life revolves around the landscape. It will be the same with Ahmedabad," said Reichert.

Along with the riverfront, the metro rail project has also attracted the firm. Metrolink Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (Mega) Co Ltd, which is executing the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro project, has received proposals from 28 national and international construction giants from Turkey, China, Malaysia, Spain and Russia.