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Today I learned that the new Surat Diamond Bourse in India is the biggest office building in the world in terms of square meters of floor space.

Until this was built in 2023, the Pentagon was the world’s biggest office building. More floor space than any skyscraper. Now this one is bigger.

But my first thought is, “why the hell does a diamond exchange have to be so big!?” Like, I can’t imagine what they need so much space for.

413❤️52🤙17👀4🤔3❤1❤️1

Money laundering takes up a lot of room..?

JMK ₿⚡️ · 77w

AndroVlad · 77w

Maybe place for meetings and negotiation 🤔

Diamond handed bitcoin miners?

Telluride · 77w

This is the outcome when you have the ability to take the 4th most common element in the universe and sell it as though its rare

You need room for all those chai wallahs.

n0>1 signals bip110 · 77w

El Guirri · 77w

Preparation for the improvements in efficiency and production of synthetic diamonds

What are they really exchanging in there?

I feel like we need a different view of this complex. Just looks like a mess from this angle. Is there some grand design that isn’t obvious?

They need all that space to hoard diamonds to create artificial scarcity.

ShakenBaken · 77w

This is the international diplomacy equivalent of Mines bigger than yours, simple as that.

Armaandeep Singh · 77w

Its big because the people who built this are extremely close to the money printer The offices are mostly empty The workers commit suicide on a regular basis. https://m.primal.net/KqLb.jpg

BrianFitzwater · 77w

That’s the Call Center for the Bourse.

Ever walked through the diamond district in NYC? An entire city avenue block long but it looks like this place dwarfs even it. The Pentagon is probably appropriately-sized for America's military-industrial complex and associated bureaucracy. The diamond industry I guess enjoys such huge margins o...

BitcoinStu · 77w

Likely it's a real estate investment and the lease out a lot of that office space.

Theory of Everything · 77w

Because they have a lot of employees. India is one of the most populous regions of the world and the diamond trade probably attracts a lot of professionals. Idk?

danielec87 · 77w

Diamonds are a scam.

The news is that the building is mostly empty.. it is far away from the main city of Surat.. Mumbai is the main Diamond Market. The new airport does not have export clearing facility for which they have to use Mumbai airport. The business who had shifted their offices to Surat diamond bourse have no...

Narwhal Tacos · 77w

As someone who’s been surrounded by dudes in the backroom of a gem shop in Jaipur, wondering if I can get my girlfriend out the door before they take me down….the world of gems is an un-thought-of anomaly to Westerners…but almost certainly little different (I suspect) than the world of drugs.

Sound to me like you don’t know Indians

Nostrnaut · 77w

It looks like an Etherium mining rig. So ugly.

You probably think that diamonds are rare too. Their value is essentially by fiat, and it takes a big powerful cartel to keep it that way.

It’s mostly empty.. https://www.cnbctv18.com/india/surat-diamond-bourse-world-largest-office-building-only-8-companies-19473423.htm/amp

₿rendan Lambe · 77w

Especially when 💎's are sooooo scarce. 🫠

Sjors Provoost · 77w

As the saying goes: diamonds are forever, atrocious architecture is just temporary! Anyway, my guess is they need a lot of sales and marketing folks to keep the prices up?

interesting, thanks

Diamonds might be the biggest scam of all human history

I’d imagine they’re going to do all precious and semi-precious stones there. I’d also imagine it’s just a great way to wash and move huge amounts of cash outside of the established and controlled system. It’s getting tougher to do that these days. At a cost of $380m, that’s not inconceiv...

I'm having trouble imagining an even uglier building than this.

They have SWIFT office, fintech offices and the variety of the international exchange offices there. It's not just one building for diamond trade. I mean come on you are a journalist this much you can figure out.

are we sure this isnt a picture of a PCB and some transformers?

nostrich · 77w

I read somewhere (or saw in a documentary) that almost every diamond sold in the world passes through Surat for polishing.