Housing Board’s Eco City Project at Marine Drive gains momentum

The Kerala State Housing Board’s ambitious Eco City Mega Project at Marine Drive is gaining momentum, with the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) inviting bids for the first phase of construction. The project will feature shopping malls, office spaces, and residential complexes

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project was signed between the Housing Board and NBCC in September 2023. The project will come up near the BPCL housing complex at Marine Drive.

The Housing Board had made plans to leverage the prime property at Marine Drive around 10 years ago with a public-private partnership (PPP) model housing complex project. Later, the Board had also drawn up plans to build an international convention centre.

The present project, with eco-friendly features, will come up on 17.9 acres belonging to the Housing Board. The project will cost approximately ₹ 2,000 crore and will have commercial and residential complexes, a hotel, and a convention centre.

Along with commercial and residential complexes, there will also be sufficient parking facilities. The Board had claimed that the upcoming building complex will strive to get a GRIHA green building rating, which will also prompt other builders to go in for the green rating.

GRIHA-Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment is a rating that helps assess the performance of buildings against nationally acceptable benchmarks. The buildings are evaluated based on their environmental performance holistically over the entire life cycle. GRIHA rating provides a standard for a ‘green building’.

The Kerala State Housing Board was launched in 1971 to address a shortage of affordable houses and was instrumental in successfully implementing the MN Govindan One Lakh Housing Project in 1972. The Board has since carried out several housing projects and is an expert agency for housing solutions in the State.