TIDCO Invites Bids to Build ‘Knowledge Tower’ in Tiruvallur

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has kicked off the bidding process for consultancy services to design and manage the construction of a flagship “Knowledge Tower” the anchor project for the state’s ambitious Tamil Nadu Knowledge City.

Planned over 12.65 acres in Tiruvallur district, just north of Chennai, the Knowledge Tower is aimed at housing high-value knowledge industries including research institutions, tech firms, and innovation-driven enterprises. The development forms part of Phase 1 of the broader Knowledge City initiative.

TIDCO, which is spearheading the project, will oversee everything from planning to execution, including the development of supporting infrastructure. The tower will have an initial built-up area of at least one lakh square feet, with expansion planned in the future as per demand and strategic considerations.

The project will be guided by a master plan and Techno-Economic Feasibility Report (TEFR) done by CBRE South Asia. Bid-inviting consultants will need to get their designs validated against these reports to achieve architectural coordination and coherence with the overall vision of the site.

The state government, as per officials, is also in negotiations with several Indian and international universities to open campuses at Knowledge City — marking it as its goal to transform the location into a site of global education and innovation.

The chosen consultant will be engaged in architectural design, engineering, project management, tender preparation, procurement assistance, and construction supervision in the first phase. Public plazas, ramps, open spaces, bus shelters, common parking areas, and drop-off points for vehicles are the major design focus areas.

The pre-bid conference is on June 11 and the final date for proposal submission is July 4.

Knowledge Tower is likely to act as a catalyst for the creation of new-economy jobs and put Tamil Nadu firmly in the knowledge and innovation map.