"When the power goes down and the grid goes down, which is often, your building has to be able to continue to survive," Stevens explains.

In all, the developer has tried to counteract the unsustainable growth in Gurgaon with green features that will make the site less of a burden on the surrounding environment while attracting high-end tenants. "More and more tenants are being inquisitive about what a building has and what a building will provide them," Stevens says. "We've seen it in other markets. In Germany, when the wall came down, we saw sort of a similar progression."

For clients, though, being green isn't the only draw. "Tenants are getting more and more careful about their total cost of occupancy per square foot," says Krishna. "Even if your rent is X, you have a Y component, which will be lower in a LEED building." It is unusual for a speculative office building in India to obtain a LEED Gold rating, project executives add.

"Things that seem a little bit intuitive in the U.S. are almost revolutionary here—like complete drawings before you begin construction," Stevens says.

Next Moves

With One Horizon Center moving along on time and on budget, Hines already has teed up its next project in India: a 1.8-million-sq-ft, 21-acre commercial-and- retail development called Skyview Corporate Park.

Also located in Gurgaon, the project's first phase involves a $45-million, nine-story building with 450,000 sq ft of office space. Scheduled to open at the end of January, it promises to have many of the same features as One Horizon Center, including eco-glazing, efficient air-handling and a LEED rating.

As Gurgaon continues to build up, it shows no signs of slowing down. The global makeup of the people working, living and playing here has required buildings with international flavor. "Gurgaon will continue to grow for five, 10 or 15 years," notes Stevens, who says local road work planned for Gurgaon will help fuel projects. "Infrastructure and growth go hand in hand," he says. "As infrastructure grows, development will grow right alongside it."