How GCCs are reshaping India’s Commercial Real Estate

by Kush Jawahar, Director, Featherlite Developers

Over the last few years, GCCs have moved from being just another occupier segment to quietly setting the direction for the office market. Not just in terms of how much space they take, but in how that space is being evaluated even before a lease is signed.

India today has over 1,500 GCCs, and that base continues to expand steadily. What’s more telling is their share in leasing activity. Across most major markets, GCCs account for roughly 35 to 45 percent of total office absorption, as highlighted in recent reports by Colliers. In cities like Bengaluru, that influence is even more pronounced. This is not just scale, it’s a certain consistency in how decisions are being made.
What GCCs have effectively done is raise the baseline expectation. Earlier, leasing decisions were largely driven by location, rental, and how efficiently a floor plate could be filled. That framework is no longer enough. Today, conversations begin much earlier in the lifecycle of a building. The question is no longer just where the asset is located, but whether it will continue to remain relevant over the next decade.

This is where design has started to play a far more central role. Not in the way it is typically understood, but in how the space functions over time. In many ways, the buildings that stand out today are the ones that carry a certain signature, not in how they are marketed, but in the small, almost invisible details of how the space actually works. Floor plate depth, natural light penetration, core placement, flexibility in layouts, and the ability to adapt without major structural changes are all being evaluated upfront. Many GCCs are aligning their India offices with global workplace standards, which leaves very little room for compromise at the base building level.

The shift becomes clearer when you look at how offices are being used today. Hybrid work has settled into a steady pattern, but it has changed the role of the office. It is no longer a place people come to by default. It has to justify its relevance. That has led to a visible reallocation of space, with more emphasis on collaboration areas, informal meeting zones, and layouts that support interaction rather than just occupancy. Buildings that were designed purely for density struggle to adapt to this.
There is also a direct link between workplace design and talent strategy. For GCCs, the office is not just an operational base. It plays a role in attracting and retaining teams. This brings in a different layer of decision-making, where factors like commute time, ease of access, and overall employee experience start influencing location choices. In a city like Bengaluru, where travel time can be unpredictable, this becomes a very real filter.

Infrastructure is beginning to play a sharper role in this shift. Metro expansion, improved road networks, and better connectivity are not just opening up new corridors, they are changing how existing locations are evaluated. Occupiers are willing to look beyond traditional business districts if access improves. At the same time, even within established corridors, buildings that offer smoother entry, exit, and visibility tend to get shortlisted faster.

This is also reflected in how assets are performing. There is a clear preference for well-designed Grade A buildings, which continue to see stronger occupancy and, in some cases, a rental premium. Industry data from JLL and Knight Frank has consistently pointed to this flight to quality, where better buildings command higher attention while older stock faces rising vacancy pressure. The gap between the two is becoming harder to ignore.

For developers, this shift leaves very little room for a standard approach. Delivering space is no longer enough. The real question is whether that space can stay relevant as occupier expectations continue to evolve. Design decisions that were once treated as secondary are now directly linked to leasing outcomes and long-term asset performance.

There is also a visible shift in the kind of developments that are finding traction. While large campuses continue to have their place, there is growing interest in mid-sized, more efficient buildings that are easier to occupy and manage. In key corridors of Bengaluru, this is already playing out, where developments that combine access, efficiency, and visibility are seeing steady interest.
Sustainability is another area where expectations have moved. This is no longer limited to certifications. There is more attention on how buildings perform on a daily basis, whether it is energy efficiency, indoor air quality, or overall environmental impact. These are decisions that need to be built into the design from the start, not added later.

What GCCs have done, in effect, is make the market more discerning. They have introduced a level of clarity in how space is evaluated, and that tends to influence the broader ecosystem as well. Over time, this raises the overall standard, not through regulation, but through expectation.
Looking ahead, this influence is only likely to grow. India continues to remain a key hub for global operations, and GCC expansion remains a strong driver of office demand. As this segment evolves, it will continue to shape how commercial real estate is planned, designed, and delivered.
The shift is already visible. The question is how quickly the rest of the market aligns with it.