architectstasy: HITEC City: An overview of Hyderabad's Software Technology Park

(1) Hyderabad Today

Capital city of Andhra Pradesh
Pop. 6.2 million people
6th most populous metropolis in India
Known as the City of Pearls
16 sub-districts, or mandals: Amberpet, Ameerpet, Asifnagar, Bahadurpura, Bandlaguda, Charminar, Golconda, Himayathnayar, Khairtabad, Marredpally, Musheerabad, Nampally, Saidabad, Secunderabad, Shaikput, and Trimulgherry
Home of 23 SEZs, more than any other single city/mandal in the country, and Andhra Pradesh has more than any other province

The Government of Andhra Pradesh constituted the Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority to provide better civic amenities including water supply; drainage; communication; electricity; housing; hospitals; schools; banks; hotels; and education, recreation, and marketing facilities.

The various handicrafts of the district are ornaments made with Rice Pearls, lacquer bangles studded with stones, silverware, Jewellery, saris, nirmal and kalamkari paintings and artifacts, bidri handcrafted items, silk-ware, and handloom-based clothing.

The IT industry of Hyderabad is one of the main sources of revenue for the district and the state. At present more than 150 companies are registered with Hyderabad's Software Technology Park (STP) including Oracle, Microsoft, Dell, Motorola, Verizon, Accenture, Convergys, and Google. The district of Hyderabad is known for its IT and IT Enabled Services, Pharmaceuticals and Entertainment industries, call centers, BPO (business process outsourcing) firms, and other technological services.

(2) Hyderabad Historically

Golconda Fort, 13th century

Qutb Shahi Tombs, 1543-1672
Monuments to the kings of Golconda

Charminar, 1591
Four minarets built on four grand arches commemorating the end of the plague

Mecca Masjid, 1694
Based on the design of the mosque at Mecca
One of the largest mosques in India, it can accommodate 10,000 people at a time

Faluknama Palace, 1893
Name means "mirror in the sky". Designed by an Italian architect.

(3) HITEC (Hyderabad Information Technology Engineering Consultancy) City

20-minute drive from downtown Hyderabad
Comprised of built-to-suit as well as multi-tenanted corporate campuses
Phase I-II: Two towers, Cyber Gateway and Cyber Pearl
Cyber Pearl (phase I): 5 million square feet; intended to house 5,000 IT professionals and support staff
Cyber Gateway (phase II): almost 900,000 s.f. of office space; much of it tenanted by Indian companies
Hyderabad International Convention Center: 15 acres; 291,000 square feet; designed to accommodate 5,000-6,500 visitors at a time; combined with Novotel, a business hotel; India's most technologically advanced assembly space
HITEX (Hyderabad International Trade Expositions) Center: 100 acres; opened in 2003
L&T Infocity is the first layout that attracted major international corporations. It's spread over 151 acres, 5 million built square feet, and houses 45,000 employees