Chennai: City’s first musical supertree tower is set for inauguration at Kalaignar Centenary Park in the coming weeks. Citizens will soon get a new place to enjoy sunrises and sunsets, as the 30-metre supertree nears completion.The eight-storey structure will house a café on the seventh floor and two viewing decks—a glass gallery and an open terrace—offering sweeping views of city lights and the sealine.Modelled on Singapore’s Supertree Grove, the foliage-clad structure combines concrete and steel, with vertical greenery wrapping its stem and radiating steel branches spreading 24 metres wide. “The structure will be covered with live plants, and the branches will be illuminated. It will feature a light-and-sound show, making it a key attraction. It will be a gift to Chennai,” said Thousand Lights MLA N Ezhilan.The tower will have two lifts, stair access with landing spaces, and nearly 3,000sqft of indoor and outdoor viewing space. “The café will be inaugurated later. We are working out the details,” the official added. Kalaignar Centenary Park, developed on land reclaimed by the state in 2023 from Agri Horticultural Society, opened in 2024 and already draws around 500 visitors daily. “The tower is modelled on Singapore’s hanging garden,” said Ezhilan, adding that efforts have been made to endow the structure with “Dravidian ethos”.However, residents pointed out that parking has become a cause for concern.”On weekends, this space becomes crowded. A parking plan or a driveway for cabs to drop passengers has not been planned. This causes chaos on Cathedral Road. The situation is bound to worsen once the supertree is inaugurated,” said K Dakshinamoorthy, a regular visitor.
