Real estate in Chennai

Buying an apartment, or building a house is a lifetime investment for most of us. So choose a builder who is reliable and can deliver the goods he promises on time. A builder should be able to give you real value for money. Be sure of the credentials of the builder.

• Before you hire a builder, look at some of his/her work.
• Inspect the site of his/her projects personally and take references from at least three former clients.
• Do not judge the builder by the fee charged, either high or low. Look for the quality of his work and the authenticity of the material he has used in his earlier projects.
• When the builder shows you the plans for a proposed project, ascertain that the project is legally sanctioned.
• The builder should be willing to make arrangements for maintenance, once the construction is complete.
• The builder should we willing to have all agreements in writing.
During construction ascertain details like:
• If the builder has promised plastic emulsions on the walls, has he really given that or has he just used ordinary distemper.
• The builder could have assured quality copper wiring, but since the wiring is concealed, he could have used cheaper quality wire.
• Has the builder delivered items like bathroom fixtures, wiring, tiles, doors and sanitary ware in accordance with the prices he has charged.
• If the builder has taken up more than one project at a time and you have paid him for completing a certain stage, beware, he may be using your money for an entirely different project.

An Intelligent Building provides a productive and cost-effective environment through the integration of Structure, Systems, Services, and Management.No 'completely intelligent buildings' exist. Only buildings with aspects of intelligence.

The major aspects of an intelligent building are:
• Security
• Safety
• Telecommunication Systems
• Comfort
• Energy Management

SECURITY

This includes controlling access, surveillance and communication (facilitation of response).
Access control: Regulates people going in and out and monitors who goes where and when, with an identification device, which identifies a person by his unique biometric traits or by reading a unique card associated with an individual. The archiving of data of who has gone where and when as a database, facilitates the emergency response. In case of a break-in, the access control should not allow even the authorised person to come in, till the concerned authority studies the situation, so that evidence is not tampered with.

Surveillance: Helps in monitoring movement within and outside a building and its periphery through camera (Closed-Circuit Television Camera) or perimeter devices like intrusion alarms. Also helps in alerting the security manager, in case of violation of pre-set norms.

SAFETY

The safety considerations could be of different natures - safety of human life, property etc. The main source of concern for a safety manager could be through the occurrences of fire which can happen by means of electrical short-circuit, kitchen and human carelessness.
Fire protection systems pump water to the areas where the fire occurs, so as to douse it automatically through sprinkler bulbs and also manually through the fire brigade.
Early warning systems like smoke detection systems, detect the fire at a very early stage and pinpoint to the caretaker where exactly it is occurring, so that the fire is extinguished locally through manual fire extinguishers. It's an audio-visual indication or through the PC.
You also need to have clinical facilities inside a big building, to provide first-aid.

TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

Telecommunication Systems and Office Automation Systems like the UPS, EPABX and the Public Address system should provide the required support in the event of security violation or fire. The telecommunication system should be designed such that, in case of a break-in, a signal is sent to the security manager. The Public Address System is also used in case of fire, to facilitate faster evacuation.

COMFORT

HVAC systems - Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning systems cool the place according to the occupancy or vary the temperature. The system should be intelligent enough to sense the number of occupants in a particular area to throw air accordingly, through the air-conditioning ducts.
Lighting controls light up the place optimally so that a person can work comfortably.
Elevator controls: High speed lifts, which can carry people to the tallest point in the building without the user feeling any fatigue.

Air-conditioning: The working of the cooling system is made intelligent to sense the number of occupants so as to the cool the place. For example, if two people are sitting in a fully air-conditioned hall designed for 50 people, the air-conditioning should adjust accordingly.

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

The biggest drain of energy in the building is in the form of electricity consumption, which is met through the captive power plant built within the compound. The high consumption of electricity is the result of air-conditioning, lighting and running other utilities such as safety and security systems. An effective energy management system functions by proper integration of all four parameters.
When it comes to the point of saving energy, it is also quite natural to use sun-light and accordingly adjust the internal lighting, so that adequate intensity of lighting is provided for maximum comfort.

INTEGRATION

A building becomes intelligent by making each of the 5 systems (Security, Safety, Telecommunication, Comfort and Energy Management) respond for a given contingency. In case of a fire, all the access control doors should be released automatically facilitating the occupants to evacuate in the shortest possible time. To minimise the chaos that takes place during an emergency, the early warning fire alarm system is integrated to the public address system which gives a pre-recorded location-specific evacuation direction. All elevators below the location of the fire will be automatically brought to the ground floor, and those above the location should be taken to the topmost floor, so that people can be evacuated from the top.

'Sedate' and 'steady' are the words that best describe the Commercial Real Estate scene in Chennai.
In the boom period of early 1994, when every builder jumped onto the bandwagon, Chennai's commercial market prices did not hit the roof, as it did in other metros. At the other extreme, when there was a slump across the country, this metro seemed the least affected. So the city has, in truth, weathered both sides of the real estate storm.
The current scenario in the Commercial sector in Chennai is proving conducive for the construction industry. Builders are going ahead at full steam to meet demand.
The IT sector is one of the most active buyer-segments in the market. And more demand is likely to be generated from Back office operations, Information Processing centres and Software development.
The hot and happening areas in the city in this sector are: Nungambakkam, Mount Road (1 km radius near Anna Fly Over) and Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai.


TRENDS IN COMMERCIAL PROPERTY PRICES

Approximate selling prices per square feet (In Rupees):
Area Price per Square feet
(In Rs.)
Adyar 1900
Alwarpet 2800
Anna Nagar 1750
Anna Salai 4200
Cathedral Road 4350
Egmore 3200
Greams Road 3000
Guindy 3000
Lloyds Road 2800
Nungambakkam 4500
Poonamallee High Road 2400
Purasawalkam/Kilpauk 2400
Radhakrishnan Salai 4650
T. Nagar 2600

Approximate Rental prices in select locations (In Rupees):

Location Rent per square feet

(In Rs.)

Adyar 17-26
Alwarpet 13-28
Anna Salai 22-50
Ashok Nagar 12-20
Cathedral Road 25-45
Egmore 25-35
Greams Road 25-30
Guindy 15-30
Nungambakkam 20-48
Poonamallee High Road 20-35
Purasawalkam High Road 15-20
Radhakrishnan Salai 30-50
T. Nagar 17-32