The Gujarat Institute of Civil Engineers and Architects, in association with the Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) organized a one-day seminar at the Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar in Ahmedabad on January 5th, 2023. The program included two keynote lectures followed by a panel discussion. Around 700-plus architects and engineers attended the seminar.
The first keynote presentation was made by the eminent architect and lead designer, Padmashri Bimal Patel, who spoke on the “Central Vista Redevelopment” in New Delhi. Ar. Patel said that one of the main objectives of the central vista redevelopment was to modernise the facilities of the Indian parliament. He shared the details of the upcoming new parliament house, the newly named Kartavya path and new additions to the central vista areas.
In the second keynote address, delivered by Er. Vijay Kulkarni, he initially explained the climate change and global warming phenomenon and how it has lead to extreme weather events in the world, including India. He said that India’s historical contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is merely 4%, despite sustaining around 17% of the world’s population. Er Kulkarni emphasised that India needs to be adequately compensated by the western world for its carbon credit from the pre-2020 period. He also touched upon the certain noteworthy efforts made by the government agencies to increase the renewable energy potential of the country.
Er Kulkarni however remarked that unfortunately the awareness to reduce the carbon footprints of building and construction is lacking. He suggested a variety of ways through which this could be achieved. He underlined that the current practice of design and construction of buildings and infrastructure needs to undergo drastic changes to achieve sweeping reduction in both the operational and embodied carbon.
The lecture was followed by a lively question and answer session.
Expert talk on Low Carbon Construction at VJTI, Mumbai
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), in collaboration with Indian Concrete Institute (ICI) established a student chapter on January 24th, 2023.
The topic of low carbon construction happened to be one of the first programmes organized by the ICI Students chapter on January 24th, 2023. Er. Vijay Kulkarni was invited to deliver a lecture on “Climate Change and Role of Civil Engineers” at VJTI’s Seminar hall. The lecture was attended mainly by the post-graduate students from the civil engineering department of VJTI.
After introductory remarks by the faculty members, Prof. Sumedh Mhaske and Prof Abhaykumar Wayal, Er. Kulkarni presented a broad overview on climate change and its adverse effects. India’s long-term low-carbon development strategy as enshrined in the central government’s recent publication was described in brief. He then explained how the building and construction industries can help in reducing carbon footprints, highlighting the role of civil and structural engineers.
A group photograph of VJTI Students with Er Kulkarni and Prof Mhaske
The lecture was followed by a lively session of question and answers. Er Kulkarni answered different questions and clarified the doubts raised by students. Prof Mhaske summed up the session and shared some of his thoughts on carbon reduction.
Two Events held at IIT Madras
We are including below reports of two sustainability-centric events held recently at IITM. We are thankful to Prof Manu Santhanam and Mr. Murali Menon, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras for their permission to reproduce the reports.
SPARC Workshop on Sustainability & Durability of Reinforced Concrete Systems
The Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) aims to improve the research ecosystem of India's Higher Educational Institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world from 28 selected nations to solve problems or national and international relevance. The half-day SPARC workshop presented the major insights gained from the following projects:
- Sustainability of Novel Cementitious Binders Derived from Industrial By-Products (P758)
- Towards Durability Specifications with Recycled Aggregate Concrete (P844)
- Enhancing the Durability and Sustainability of Concrete Structures in Emerging Economies (P834)
Prof David Trejo, Oregon State University, USA delivering his lecture during the SPARC workshop
Roundtable on Construction & Demolition Waste – Challenges & Opportunities
IIT Madras in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Centre for Innovation (TCIS) India conducted a round table conference on Effective Management of Construction & Demolition (C&D) Waste.
The aim of the roundtable was to bring under one roof all the relevant stakeholders for an open discussion on identifying barriers in India with respect to the use of recycled aggregates and the ways to overcome these barriers effectively. The key topics of this conference were C&D waste value chain logistics, usage of C& D waste in construction and other sectors, and policy, incentives, and taxation.
Prof Manu Santhanam delivering lecture during the TLC2 workshop
Prof Ravindra Gettu delivering his lecture during the workshop
The round table was well represented from the members across the C&D value chain ranging from academia, Government, policy makers, industry, and start-ups. This roundtable aims to result in a policy note on the construction & demolition waste, which will be shared with the concerned authorities in India.