Making Magic Happen

Insights on collaborating and providing VT for FCS Complex

by Sachin More
construction and structure pictures courtesy of L&T

It is said magic happens when capable minds collaborate. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, IIT Roorkee and Johnson Lifts together made that magic happen recently at Bengaluru. This one-of-its-kind, dream project conceived by DRDO is a seven-story building constructed in Bengaluru. FCS Complex has been conceptualized as an R&D facility to develop indigenously the Fifth Generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The foundation stone for the building was laid on November 22, 2021, and construction began on February 1, 2022. The complex was completed on March 17, 2022. The inauguration took place on that date, with the chief guests being the Defense Minister of India Rajnath Singh and the Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai, in the presence of G Satheesh Reddy, the chief of DRDO.

To bring this marvel into existence, the technology for the building was developed by the DRDO with the assistance of L&T and the teams of IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee, which performed design checks and provided technical support. Johnson Lifts developed the vertical-transportation (VT) system.

In these highly ambitious projects of national importance, the project owners must identify and shortlist respective suppliers/vendors that are highly capable and have a proven track-record in the field. The project owners generally follow a criterion to shortlist a vendor/supplier, some of them being:

• Previous exposure and past performance
• Competence and reliability
• Business culture and values
• Financial stability
• Adhering to commitment and timelines
• Partnership approach
• Meeting regulatory requirements

Johnson Lifts was the right fit, as it inherently had all the above-mentioned elements of the criteria, in addition to having:

• World-class manufacturing infrastructure
• Exposure to a variety of projects across segments
• Largest production capacity in the industry with more than 55 years of experience
• R&D support and strength
• Highly qualified human resources across its organizational functions
• A strong operational presence across India, South Asia, East Africa and the Gulf countries
• A very well distributed after-sales support

The VT system for this seven-story complex needed to be completed in the shortest possible lead time, as the entire project itself was scheduled to be completed in 45 days.

Johnson Lifts planned a detailed roadmap for the various stages of the project and completed installation, testing and commissioning of all four elevators in a record time of 13 days by involving some of the most experienced hands of the company and by working around the clock, each day.

Handing over of the lifts was conducted before the deadline and, hence, was highly appreciated by the project owners and the contractors for having the VT systems completed in such a complex project in a very short span of time.

Also, this project will be remembered for years to come as it was made possible by a hybrid construction technology, wherein the column and the beam of the structural frame are built with steel plates and the columns are of hollow steel tubular sections. These columns are concrete-filled steel hollow cross-sections, and the slabs are partially pre-cast. These structural members are assembled on-site. In concrete-filled hollow sections, the steel provides a permanent framework for the concrete core, which reduces the time and effort drastically compared to conventional construction.

These are the key factors that contributed to the success of the VT system for this project:

Efficient ownership from our operations team — From the Head of Department (HOD) to the subcontractor working at the site, the team worked coherently with a single goal to make this a success; for them, failure was not an option.

Accuracy of material delivery by factory— The entire material delivery was completed on time without anything missing/damaged.

Excellent support from L&T — The L&T team went through the micro level activity plan and understood the overlapping activities like scaffolding and provided us with solutions, which saved time/duplication of works.

Material shifting support — We were allowed to use the site infrastructure like tower cranes to efficiently move our materials within the building at various floors. With this heavy lifting done, we had some comfort during installation.

Accommodation for the team on-site — Our team was allowed to stay at the site in a dormitory, which further reduced the time normally spent in commuting.

The entire work was carried out to the highest safety and quality standards.