Review of the NBCC commercial Office Space development in Narouji Nagar, Delhi

Real Estate developer and EPC Company “NBCC” is developing a 25 Acre land parcel at Nauroji Nagar for grade A office space in South Delhi. With this, Delhi is in the midst of its biggest ongoing commercial office construction in over 4 decades now. The last wave of such series of developments was seen in late 1960 and early 70’s when most district centers and high rises in Connaught place had come up on Delhi commercial real estate development landscape. Though there were sporadic developments that came about in far out areas like Jasola, Netaji Subhash place later in early 2000’s however, the main land Delhi was beginning to feel obsolete and short of supply with the kind of economic boom that our country is about to see in coming years. By mainland area we mean locations that are within 10-15 Km from the airport and main CBD Connaught place. Most recent such development at Aerocity is now a raging success and almost all its inventory has been lapped up by top corporates within 1 year of its completion. We feel the NBCC Narouji Nagar project has all the potential of taking this story further and becoming the highest yield earning commercial development in India yet! There are many reasons for which we feel so strongly about the project but here are the top 6 reasons why one should look at this property for long term investment purpose or end/self-use.

Location:

Surrounded by some of the most posh residential colonies like Safdarjung enclave, Munirka, Katwaria, Hauz Khas, Green Park, Chanakyapuri, Sarojini Nagar etc which will provide excellent options for employees that will fill up the commercial office development. The 25 Acre site is project at Narouji Nagar is located on the main ring road close to Safdarjang Hospital and adjoining the district centre of Bhikaji Cama Place. Strategic location, on main ring road of Delhi, which provides excellent connectivity from all parts of Delhi via roads and metro. No area in Delhi is more than 45 minutes from Narouji Nagar. Distance of only about 7 km from international airport, Connaught place CBD again around 7 Km, North Block and south block only at about 5 KM make it an excellent location from a business point of view.

Space Efficiency:

Unlike most modern commercial office buildings, NBCC is claiming to provide over 75% efficient floor plates. This is a straight saving of over 15 – 20 percent compared to other similar modern buildings. More usable area means more value for your money on each square foot that your pay for.

Project Scale:

Commercial complex at Narouji Nagar is spread an impressive 25 Acre land parcel with over a staggering 3 million sq ft of built up space. This size makes it in the top 10 projects across the globe in terms of total sq ft offered in a single project. Bigger, undivided floor plates of approx. 30,000 sq ft will ensure building occupants will be big companies with significantly deep pockets.

Energy Efficiency:

The entire project itself is being developed as energy efficient system that draws from and conserves nature to save operating cost. From recycled environment friendly building material and equipment to efficient use of water, natural light, use of solar for partial electricity generation, water heating/cooling, motors and pumps equipped with variable frequency and speed drives, roof insulation to prevent heat gain into building and many more such features naturally make it a low overhead cost building.

Price and rental yield:

The project is currently priced at around 37000/sq ft and based on our study of current comparable assets as well as some of the future development which will come about in 2020, we are certain that the property will be able to harness at least Rs 225-250/sq ft, which could go as high as 400/sq ft as the inventory dries up and we approach the project completion date. So even if we do the math on the lower side, a 235 rupee per sq ft rental at 37000/sq ft cost means an annualized return upwards of 7.5% for the investor.  market. Property is freehold and thus there is good scope for capital appreciation too.

WTCA certification:

Last but not the least the project has been successful in acquiring a world trade tower certification from the prestigious WTCA body, which is the hall mark of quality when it comes to top quality office space development across the globe.

Only caution that we foresee in the project is that NBCC properties attract a lot of PSU’s, which are not very demanding in terms of overall maintenance of the asset and often times the upkeep of NBCC properties is less than perfect. Having said that, this project having acquired the seal of WTC plus the project is also seen as an extension of Prime Minister Modi’s smart city development plan. NBCC being a prime government PSU would like to showcase this project as the centerpiece of smart city development plan.

3 million sq ft of grade A commercial space in the heart of south Delhi means a lot not only for corporate’s that were finding it hard to find good quality space, but also for the state of Delhi over the long run as it is beginning to lose a lot of revenue to its neighboring states.  Any states economic growth really depends on its ability to attract new industries and provide emerging companies with the dynamic types of spaces that enable them to attract talent and expand within the city’s limits. Nauroji Nagar World Trade Centre by NBCC looks a small but significant step to this gap and provide a unique and highly desirable location for businesses to compete in an increasingly competitive global business environment.