World One

World One is a 76-floor skyscraper in the Lower Parel area of Mumbai, India. It rises about 280 metres, and it is the second tallest completed building in India. It stands on a 7.1-hectare site where an old textile mill called Shrinivas Mill once stood, and it is part of a complex with two other towers, World View and World Crest.

The Lodha Group developed it, and the design came from the architects Pei Cobb Freed and Partners. Work began in 2011, and the tower was first planned to be 442 metres tall. The developer could not get approval for that height from the Airports Authority of India, so the project stalled, was redesigned shorter, and was completed in 2020. The building is mainly for apartments, and it cost over 321 million US dollars.

Why is it shorter than planned?

World One was first announced with a very tall design of 442 metres, which would have made it one of the tallest buildings anywhere. But tall buildings near airports must follow flight safety rules. The developer did not get the needed approval for that height from the Airports Authority of India. The work paused for a few years, and the plan changed to the 280-metre tower we see now.

What was here before?

The site once belonged to Shrinivas Mill, a cotton mill that had closed. The Lodha Group bought the land from Shrinivas Cotton in 2005 and, in 2010, announced three towers for it. Money for the project came from funds in Singapore and an Indian property fund, and the contractors included Arabian Construction Co. and Simplex. The structural engineer was Leslie E. Robertson Associates, and BuroHappold Engineering handled building systems.

On the globe

The model shows a 76-storey tower of three rounded lobes banded with white balconies that end at different heights, so the top steps up like a crown.