5.00pm 18 Apr 2013

2.30pm 18 Apr 2013	Come to Ecobuild India and visit the Experience Zone

1.30pm 18 Apr 2013	Orivaldo Barros Interview Head of BRE International BRE

12.00am 18 Apr 2013

Taming the sun The essence of architecture came alive on day two of Ecobuild India when UK based architect Ken Shuttleworth opened the session with his keynote address. With sun as the source of all energy, Shuttleworth righlty pointed out that architecture is all about balancing the elements of light and wind. He said, “The sun gives us the life, the growth and the whole ecosystem of the planet comes from the sun. Architecture is all about taming the sun and working around it to our advantage. The way an architect perceives and applies the concept of light in an environment can have a huge impact.”   Architecture indeed plays a vital role in creating the right atmosphere by balancing the elements of nature. The Indian historic architecture has been replete with techniques that make the best use of sun and create the right kind of light and ventilation. “Be it the arches, the devices to create ventilation, profound open spaces and I have always enjoyed the concept of water going through the building, which also works to cool the place, India has a rich tapestry of culture and history and it is important to hang on to it rather than aping the west, which would only bring wrong aesthetics in the Indian environment. We have to decide what is right in the current cultural context and we as architects have a responsible role to play. We have to preserve what we have for the benefit of the future generation.”   Shuttleworth also revealed that in spite of the growing population in India, the country contributes only 5% of CO2 emissions, which is very low compared to the emissions in UK and USA. He said, “The challenge is to leap into the future and build more energy efficient buildings. Sustainability should become the way of life and must lie at the heart of everything that is done. India has knowledge all around and one just needs to learn from that.”   Giving a sneak peek into his idea of combining sustainability and aesthetics, Shuttleworth took the audience through a fascinating journey across his repertoire of projects and the extraordinary approach to build them that takes inspiration from the culture of the place and insists on making use of the local material, two of the important factors that contribute to sustainability. Every design was unique, aesthetic and sustainable, which also reiterated the fact that a design must have its own identity and work in tandem with the social fabric of the place. Shuttleworth has experimented with some out of the box ideas like using copper, brass, terracotta and stainless steel for cladding instead of the highly energy consuming glass, and also motifs and patterns weaved in to bring an artistic value to the project along with interesting building orientation. He says, “We have a freedom to make a good choice or a bad choice and I feel the death of the glass box is a good choice.”

11.00am 18 Apr 2013	Ken Shuttleworth Interview, Founder, Make Architects

10.00am 18 Apr 2013

Chandrashekar Hariharan Blog Part 3 Executive Chairman Biodiversity Conservation India Limited   A challenge before India and its architects often makes it to the centre of expert discussions: Should professionals in India delve deep into the rich reservoirs of design and architecture of our rich cultural past to find solutions for the future?   How does 21st Century India straddle commerce and conservation while it crests the economic ride into becoming an economic superpower in the next two decades?   “The concept of sustainability is entrenched within our culture,” says a preview note from Ecobuild India. Hotels in India can take to cutting-edge technology that adds to the luxury that deluxe rooms offer. Or they can appeal to the customer’s sense of responsibility that combines his need for luxury. You could say the same of homes, our hospitals, or offices.   Effectively, present-day urban challenges and lifestyles bring us to the inevitable question on whether Government policies need to recognize the value of traditional knowledge, materials, processes and make them a part of the National Building Code and other regulatory frameworks? Or can lessons be learned from timeless technologies like rainwater harvesting, micro-climate architecture, energy-efficient water management systems, and zero energy settlements planning that India's different sub-cultures have spawned over 2,000 years.   Post-independent India took to creating energy infrastructure with the ‘temples of modern India’ that Nehru created with the extra-large hydro-electric dams and the thermal plants that India created in the 50s and 1960s to meet power needs. About the turn of the 1970s marked the decimation of the architecture of water in India with large projects that chose to bring water from long-distance water sources. There is a reversing of such policy action that needs to be quickly, and urgently, put into place across our top 20 cities. With a simple set of low-tech, cost-effective solutions this is possible if only we bring focus on a few such grid-free solutions in areas of energy, water and waste. On the face of it, it is well nigh impossible in a country that has over a billion people and over 3.3 million sq km of geographic spread. But in reality, a well-founded urban administration system across India that ensures governance touches every single building that is created anywhere, all it takes is one stroke of a central diktat to get such legislation in motion in over 3,000 towns and cities.   The appalling lack of understanding among elected members and among officials of the bureaucracy in the Central and State governments is about the only thing that is stopping us from achieving such balance and harmony. Plus the fact that there is a groundswell of support that professional water and energy managers need to bring as part of the drastic sanity-check that Indian industry needs pretty desperately if it has to survive the disaster on water and energy fronts that awaits India in this decade and the next.   Babylon, it is said, undertook very serious initiatives to promote water managers at the height of its civilization. Part of Hammurabi Code of 13 was decapitation as punishment for felling a tree! It was this civilization with its heightened sense of the environment that disappeared without a trace in less than 100 years after 2500 years of flourishing. Are there portents that we are not paying heed to?

4.45pm 17 Apr 2013	Discover for yourself in the Experience Zone

4.30pm 17 Apr 2013

Improving Urban Planning   In a session talking about improving urban planning design, Architect Vishwanath of Vishwanath & Associates spoke on the need to have one common agency to streamline the process. Aamer Azeemi from CISCO explained how technology can be leveraged to create seamless urban infrastructure. Giving an example of Paris, he said that the citizens spend almost six years of their lifetime in finding a space for parking whereas through technology this can be simplified enormously where people can book a parking slot online. Having an integrated city centre to monitor the working of the city like the one in Sao Paulo or even Crowdsurfing can go a long way as the next wave of self governance where the citizens can directly get involved in making an impact. Offering a 3D walk into the city, MK Sunil of Autodesk Architecture spoke on the concept of 3D modeling that can be done to create a blueprint of the urban plan of a city that can help us plan cities better said. There is a need to rewrite urban design rules according to JP Rao of Shapoorji Pallonji and substitute the existing with green material and introduce things like rain water harvesting, green technology plaster, farming on rooftop terraces and so on.

4.15pm 17 Apr 2013

Low Carbon Cities   To build low carbon cities, it is important to ascertain the impact at every stage. Mili Majumdar from TERI talked about making cities resilient, especially while dealing with issues of urban heat island and flooding, by changing the mindset of the city planners who can then influence a change. This can be achieved by maintaining water availability, green cover and reduction in CO2 emissions.

4pm 17 Apr 2013

Water   Water has become a pressing issue in today’s time in the context of reaching the goal of sustainability. NK Rangathan of Grunfos India feel that ownership of water must be decentralized and the need of the hour is to stop the run off water from going into the sea and conserve it through water efficient devices. Putting numbers to the subject, Roshni Udyavar of Rachna Sansad spoke on the importance of taking into account the water used for irrigation, which contributes to 80% of the water use. “Water leakage and theft is the primary reason for water loss in the city that needs to be addressed. Also, to create value for water, it needs to be priced exponentially and the access should not be limited to bring about the equity of distribution. We need better regulation of water at hand. We need to re-vitalise our water bodies to improve our quality of life. All this needs more awareness.”

3.45pm 17 Apr 2013

3.45pm 17 Apr 2013	The Entrance of Ecobuild India designed with recycled materials by Rachna Sansad College

3.30pm 17 Apr 2013	Ashtech Stand Number: B38   Ecobuild India is a fantastic opportunity for Ashtech to connect with the sustainable industry and top architects both local and international.  It also attracts a high quality audience including the decision makers and policy  makers in the sustainability.

3.15pm 17 Apr 2013

Highlights from 'What is the future for water? conference session   Giving a striking presentation on making rainwater harvesting a reality in Bangalor, AK Shivakumar explained how they arranged training programmes, installe a helpdesk, held more awareness programs and offered cash prizes to spread the awareness and execution. Referring to waste water as wealth, Professor Vinod Tare informed that it is not a costly affair to treat waste water and put it to use to make the optimum use of resources at hand. He also highlighted the need to understand the water budget of the city and ensure the sources are replenished.

3.00 pm 17 Apr 2013	Andre Dulka Regional Director for ME/Africa/India Desso Stand Number: B38 Desso is very excited to be exhibiting at EcoBuild 2013, we feel it’s an excellent vehicle to highlight the latest Desso innovations in Indoor Air Quality, and Acoustic, carpet solutions, and offers the perfect synergy to our Cradle to Cradle sustainability ethic.

2.00 pm 17 Apr 2013

One of India’s leading names in the field of sustainable architecture in India, architect Karan Grover opened the keynote address of Ecobuild India on day one. Passionately advocating the cause of green architecture, Grover started his presentation drawing words from Charlie Chaplin when he said that ‘more than machinery, we need humanity’. As an architect, Grover has pioneered the cause of green construction and won several accolades. Champaner has been one of his historic victories where after 30 years of intensive effort, the project today stands as a UNESCO world heritage site.   Grover says, “The knowledge has been with us for ages, we simply need to re-imagine and realign our approach. Even today people construct with mud in Bhuj, stone at Jaisalmer and bamboo in the north-east. Using local material is another way to add to the sustainability. Responsible construction must create a viable environment for the generations coming up. The time for a master architect is gone. We have to work in a community to create livable community spaces.”

2.00 pm 17 Apr 2013	Architect Karan Grover highlights at Ecobuild India 2013

1.45 pm 16 Apr 2013

Highlights from 'Embracing India’s Heritage in Sustainable Planning and Design' Conference session   With Heritage as the focus, a panel discussion involving Durganand Balsavar, Principal Architect, Artes – Human Settlement, Ashok Lall, Founder, Ashok Lall Associates and Yatin Pandya, Founder, Footprints Earth discussed on embracing India’s heritage in sustainable planning and design, also touching upon the confluence of culture, climate and construction. ‘Timelessness is an important quality of design to keep it engaging and there is a lot to learn from time tested architecture,” said Yatin Pandya. Citing a link between local and global, Pandya explained that traditional ideas are ingrained in our DNA. They need to be adopted in the current local situation.   In the age of hybrid construction, innovation is the key to create a life of comfort and grace according to Ashok Lall. The panel discussion concluded that while there is a lot to learn from the repository of the past, it needs to be re-visited time and again to innovate and bring a change especially at the institutional level.

1.30 pm 17 Apr 2013

Mahesh Kumar Soni Country Business Manager- Large Format Printers HP India Sales Pvt Ltd Stand number: F12 Ecobuild India is a CORE (AEC) Architects, Engineering and Construction Platform where we have Strategist & Implementers in one place and it’s just great to be with Ecobuild and align with the current & Future strategy in the Building of AEC Infrastructure.   Why is conducting business in India important for your business? For HP in India AEC (Architects, Engineering & Construction) is a segment where the HP design Portfolio is endorsed by more than 80% of the target users, we wish & strive to ensure our End users find working with HP simple and we Offer them the cutting edge technology solutions to Boost their Productivity. AEC Segment propels the Infrastructure Growth of the country. At HP we believe in listening to our Customers & Supporting them Drive Business excellence & Increased productivity by associating with HP & working with range of devices.

1.00 pm 10 Apr 2013	Yatin Pandya, Founder, Footprints E.A.R.T.H. (Environment Architecture Research Technology Housing) discussing Leadership Towards achieving a low carbon Society.

12.00 am 17 Apr 2013

Dipankar Dey Ph.D Blog Dean IBS Business School, Kolkata   The concept of ‘development’, the way we understand it now, barely existed in Western discourse prior to 20th century. A conscious emphasis on economic growth, as the precondition of development, has turned it into an exploitative, colonial, and non inclusive model. Though the basic human requirements of food and shelter, for millions of people across the world, could not be met as yet, over exploitation of natural resources, to maximize economic gains, has already destroyed the global eco- system. To maintain an economic and ecological balance there is an urgent need for a new vision combining traditional oriental wisdom, which teaches the value of conservation of nature and preaches for harmonious coexistence of all living elements of the earth, with modern technology. ‘Ecobuild India2013’, is an appropriate forum to deliberate on this key challenge of linking poverty and ecology with human capability to manage natural resources for an equitable and greener future.   Dipankar Dey Ph.D Conference sessions include: Tuesday 16 April, Stream I: Beyond the Built Environment: Achieving India’s Sustainable Future 12.30-13.30: Tackling Climate Change – What’s the best strategy for India? Wednesday 17 April, Stream I 12.20-13.20: Sustainable development through an inclusive approach. A myth or fallacy? Thursday 18 April, Stream I 11.00-12.00 : The Food Security Dilemma? How do we tackle it?

11.30 am 17 Apr 2013	Top sustainability experts share their knowledge at Ecobuild India Conference       Karan Grover, Architect and Founder, Karan Grover & Associates Ken Shuttleworth, Founder, Make Architects

1.00pm 16 Apr 2013

Vimal Soni Corvi LED Stand Number: B2 Energy has become a pressing issue globally. The changing geo political scenarios, ever increasing demand and depleting resources demand a paradigm shift. We at Corvi believe that beyond producing energy through non-conventional processes, developing technologies that increase efficiency resulting in less consumption shall lead the way. With 90% saving efficiency, our led lights achieve the afore mentioned. We look at UBM not only as an exhibition rather a forum that allows like minded individuals to share, collaborate and exchange ideas that may lead to such paradigm shifts, lead to a better, safer, greener world.

12.00 pm 16 Apr 2013

Bill Dunster OBE, Blog Principal Zed Factory Stand Number: F2 India has everything to play for. It really doesn’t have to become addicted to fossil fuels, and it doesn’t have to build out of date energy guzzling buildings laid out around car culture like so many developing economies.  Ecobuild India is the chance to showcase and debate how we can all achieve a higher quality of life at the same time as achieving a step change reduction in carbon footprint and achieve an overall increase in sales value.  ZEDfactory has been doing this for years, applying similar principles for many different cultures and responding to many different climatic zones. Save yourself fifteen years of learning to plan and build the hard way and come and talk to Lalit and Bill at EcoBuild India.

10.30 am 16 Apr 2013

Dr. Jeroen van der Heijden Assistant Professor of Environmental Governance Australian National University & University of Amsterdam   When asked if I could share my thoughts in Ecobuild India’s opening-panel “Tackling Climate Change –What’s the best strategy for India ?”, I thought: where to begin? Well, that starting point is, of course, not all too complicated. India’s current growth path is far from being sustainable – not in terms of environmental sustainability, not in terms of equality, and most likely not in terms of economic sustainability. Besides, India is both a major contributor to global carbon emissions and will be subject to the harmful consequences of climate change. Action therefore is necessary.   But where to begin? There are so many complexities: the historical responsibility with India being but a minor player versus the future responsibility with India being a key-player. There is a conflict of a narrow vision on a green economy versus a holistic vision on sustainable growth – the latter being most likely less appealing to those interested in the financial benefits of tackling climate change. There is a wait and see attitude building on a feeling of being a victim versus a leading by example, which can only flourish if the victim narrative will be left behind.   I will talk about these items and will conclude that collaboration between state, industry and civil society is key in a future best strategy for India. Yet, in preparing my presentation I realized that through Ecobuild India that strategy has been started. By bringing together policy makers, practitioners, businesses, and civil society important first steps towards collaboration are set. I am honoured to be part of it.

10.00 am 16 Apr 2013

Official Opening Ceremony of Ecobuild India 2013   Short description and photo Vijay Adhikari,Group Director, UBM India Yatin Pandya, Founder & Principal Architect FOOTPRINTS E.A.R.T.H Hanuman Prasad Mandhania, Chairman, Ashtech India Karan Grover, Founder & Principal Architect, Karan Grover & Associates Eliane Van Doorn, International Director, UBM Built Environment Mr J P Soni, Chairman President, Corvi LED Vimal Soni, Managing Director, Corvi LED

10.00 am 16 Apr 2013

Hello and welcome to Ecobuild India 2013, one of the largest sustainability exhibition and conferences in the built environment at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai from Tuesday 16-Thursday 18 April 2013.   Be at the heart of cutting edge debates, get informed and educated on sustainable materials and technologies and meet old and new contacts in the sustainable built environment.   Over the course of the next three days we’re going to be bringing you rolling coverage from the show floor as it happens, so stay with us for all the latest news, views, blogs, photos and videos.  If you like what you see why not come and visit the show and experience for Ecobuild India for yourself.   Look forward to seeing you at the show, The Ecobuild India Team

6.00 pm 15 Apr 2013

Chandrashekar Hariharan Blog Part 2 Executive Chairman Biodiversity Conservation India Limited   Beyond the fig leaf of CSR for your business We have had an overload of conventions, conferences, workshops and seminars that revolve around green and climate change. Most of them host veritable wars of words that, alas, stop at actual doing. And if they are graced by men from the government, well, there are platitudes and pontifications.   I have sat, stifling yawns, through many such gatherings that have corporate leaders, who talk of CSR initiatives of their companies. How do you move away from mere protection of natural resources with a few CSR initiatives for environment protection, and move towards active reduction of abuse of natural resources in every single item of purchase that you indulge in every day -- as an individual, a corporate manager, or as a Business leader? How do you move from these market-led central solutions for energy, water, and waste and move towards federal and local solutions within your home, neighborhood or office block? In your grandfather’s time, as late as the 1950s, your dependence on such central solutions was not even 10 per cent of what it has today become. You did not use bore-wells to draw groundwater with power that needed long/distance power; you used the shallow, energy-free open wells for cultivation water. You used water that was harvested from the rains by your village tanks and you did not depend on long-distance supplies.   You ensured until the 1970s that most of the waste that you produced (and that was minuscule by today’s terms), was locally treated and used as compost for the farms nearby. We did not have plastic and glass that is not degradable for many million years. We had not invented many of the chemical compositions that make for these creature comforts and urban convenience that have been designed in the last 50 years. How do you move today from central infrastructure to self-reliance with freedom from government agencies for energy,  water and waste? How do we go back to understanding the very basic principles of life at Tolstoy Farm that Gandhi created or the many examples that Alvin Toffler talks about in his “The Third Wave”. How do you understand the anguish of a Prof Madhav Gadgil when he writes of those heart-rending stories that he documents in Ecology and Equity?   How do you move away from the fig-leaf of CSR to a profit-making enterprise that does not hold maximizing financial gain as its only objective? If making money was the only activity for a company, it would be the most meaningless, as Paul Hawken wrote in that seminal work of his, The Ecology of Commerce.   How do you make CSR not merely a Sunday ritual and absolution of the sins of the rest of the week? How do you ensure that you spend money on brand and public relations in a way that you make your customer a responsible citizen while being, of course, the consumer that s/he has to be in order to support your company’s business?   How do you consciously look at your not being merely a benefactor offering a certain benefit to targeted beneficiaries for meeting their wants? How do you morph this into a strategy that meets the customer need while reducing your company's ecological footprint? How do you position your communications with smart management that ensures every single strand of thinking in your organization is embedded with this relentless logic of public responsibility? Chandrashekar Hariharan's conference sessions at Ecobuild India: Tuesday 16 April, Stream II: Making Sustainable Design and Construction Happen 12:30-13:30: Embracing India’s Heritage in Sustainable Planning and Design A nostalgic past or rosy future? Do these principles apply to modern times? Tuesday 16 April, Stream I: Beyond the Built Environment: Achieving India’s Sustainable Future 14.00-15.00: What are the key challenges before the government in balancing environment and development?

10.45 am 15 Apr 2013

Yatin Pandya Blog Founder Footprints E.A.R.T.H. (Environment Architecture Research Technology Housing) While history may have been a dead tradition, tradition remains to be a living history. In India we have been lucky to inherit the accumulated wisdom of over seven millennia through our continuing traditions. having been evolved from the place by the people of the place and having matured and tested over time they become apt references for contemporary directions of development. Sustainability is not by products or gadgets it is about the way of life. Sustainability is also not only about resource management, it is about timeless aesthetics, socio-cultural appropriateness and environmental management. Built environment of yester years have ably demonstrated these nuances and if only we can acknowledge, analyse, appreciate and infer principles from them we will have a sound direction for sustainable development for future Yatin Pandya's conference sessions at Ecobuild India: Tuesday 16 April, Stream II: Making Sustainable Design and Construction Happen 12:30-13:30: Embracing India’s Heritage in Sustainable Planning and Design A nostalgic past or rosy future? Do these principles apply to modern times? Thursday 18 April, Stream I: Beyond the Built Environment: Achieving India’s Sustainable Future 12,30-13.30 : Leadership Towards achieving a low carbon Society Thursday 18 April, Stream II: Making Sustainable Design and Construction Happen 15.45-16.45: Solidwaste Management: The Way Forward Complete revamp /Attitude change required. Can it happen?

10.30 am 15 Apr 2013

Chandrashekar Hariharan Blog Part 1 Executive Chairman Biodiversity Conservation India Limited   Move from Consume to Prosume   Public concerns have to become private causes. This means effectively that we need to act as individuals [and companies] to mitigate some of these challenges of living in cities--of alarming deficits in managing energy, water and waste--without having to depend on our fast-depleting rivers, our forests and our mineral beds for life and living in cities.   Can you secure power in your home or office without destroying that forest or coal-bed in Odisha or Jharkhand? ZED homes have managed to achieve near 90% independence autonomy from the resource-destroying central electricity grid, at costs that are the same as that of any regular builder, and with the company's bottom line not hurt at all.   Can you secure water inside your home or office without your having to seek them as long-distance supply sources from rivers that are depleting, and without destroying fragile groundwater tables with borewells? Zero energy solutions have managed this for every single occupant family at ZED townships with no grid water supply, no borewells, no tankers importing water from elsewhere in the city.   Can you manage your waste at home in a way that you don’t have to dump them in millions of tons in human settlements just outside your city? The simple expedient of local waste management systems that convert wet waste to compost that feed Zed enclave landscapes, and digesters that convert such wet waste to producer gas that supplements kitchen energy needs, has made for zero waste export at every Zed township. The solutions are low-tech and very user-friendly.   In just the last decade, we have added a staggering billion tonnes of air-conditioning. It is shameful that a city like Bangalore, with its temperate and salubrious climate, has added as much as 150 million tonnes with the offices and hotels that mushroomed in the once-sleepy town.   There are things individuals cannot do, and need the larger governance needs and sensitivity of governments and policy makers. Take, for example, the extended levels of our consumption which require energy -- your PC and laptop need chips that are manufactured with water that comes from 3000 meters under the ground. That depletes very sensitive water strata of the earth. Buying a car means a few tonnes of iron ore that are depleted from our rich forests in order to make the sheet metal or the engines that use aluminum which in turn need bauxite from those beautiful forests that barely survive after the last 100 years of depletion and depredation.   If you look at India and the last 50 years, you will see that we brought the green revolution that poisons soils. Today there are only the hills that remain residual repositories of biodiversity. We brought upon ourselves a system of centralized energy generation. We did not realize in the 1950s when we introduced such central supply systems in post-independent India that we have to produce 10 units in some distant thermal or nuclear or hydel plant for us to consume one unit of energy in our homes, thanks to T&D losses, and the AC to DC conversion losses that account for nearly 90 per cent of every MW generated centrally. Today India has generating capacity of 200,000 megawatts, while actually all her cities, and industrial and farm energy need is no more than 30,000 MW at end-user levels.   Can you move from such supply-side thinking, which are insensitive to ecosystems and to our tribals, forests and rivers, and move firmly toward demand-side approaches where you tell yourself that the only solution for energy deficiency, is not energy generation, but is energy efficiency.   The key word is Prosumption. If we can produce and consume at the same location, we will have prosumed--and in the process, we will have dropped demand for fresh water and energy by as much as 70 to 80 per cent even in the current urban context in India. There is a lesson there: we need to go back to the past to devise solutions for the future.   Chandrashekar Hariharan's conference sessions at Ecobuild India: Tuesday 16 April, Stream II: Making Sustainable Design and Construction Happen 12:30-13:30: Embracing India’s Heritage in Sustainable Planning and Design A nostalgic past or rosy future? Do these principles apply to modern times? Tuesday 16 April, Stream I: Beyond the Built Environment: Achieving India’s Sustainable Future 14.00-15.00: What are the key challenges before the government in balancing environment and development?

10.00 am 15 Apr 2013

Durganand Balsavar Blog Architect Artes   Embracing India’s Heritage in Sustainable Planning and Design A nostalgic past or rosy future? Do these principles apply to modern times?   History has always provided inspiration even as we have to constantly innovate to the new conditions and possibilities of our present times. Sustainability is also about creating new possibilities for the future to improve quality of life and discover new experiences.   The one principle that ancient settlements provide is the need to create a cyclical development, to recycle and reuse. Modern urban life through linear processes has created a consumerist predicament and consequent adverse impacts on the environment. The tremendous discoveries of new technologies enables us to explore a paradigm shift to regenerative environments rather than consumption and waste.   Thus even as we learn lessons from ancient ecological methodologies, the unique context in our time and place calls for new pragmatic and tangible processes.   In this context the eco-build conference could initiate and support this larger process of both dialogue and its tangible practice of sustainable development. Durganand Balsavar's conference sessions at Ecobuild India: Tuesday 16 April, Stream II: Making Sustainable Design and Construction Happen 12.30-13.30 Embracing India’s Heritage in Sustainable Planning and Design A nostalgic past or rosy future? Do these principles apply to modern times? 15:15-16:15: Low Carbon Construction and Progress towards Eco-towns Self Sustainable towns- a mirage or a possible reality?

1.45 pm 12 Apr 2013

Karan Grover Blog Founder & Principal Architect Karan Grover & Associates    India has a 5000 year old tradition of building and architecture. All traditional and vernacular architecture in the sub-continent was built with local material stone in Jaisalmer; adobe in Kutch; wood in the havelis and pols of Gujarat towns; and bamboo in the North-East.   There was a tradition of working with the climate.  A central courtyard or bhramastaan ensured that a low pressure area was created within the building and cooler air came in to create a micro climate.  Wind towers and wind catchers reduced the ambient temperatures by over 7°-9° C.  The use of evaporative cooling and jallis or screens to enhance the venture effect becomes architectural features of the façade. All these systems and architectural vocabulary become part of the CII Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad and were instrumental in the building being nominated as the first LEED Platinum building of the 2.0 LEED Programme and thereby the greenest building in the world in 2004. Our heritage and traditional building techniques hold the clue for all of India’s Green Buildings in the future.  This will be the major input which will catapult India to take a lead in the Green Movement worldwide.   Karan Grover's conference sessions at Ecobuild India: Tuesday 16 April, Stream II: Making Sustainable Design and Construction Happen 11.00-12.00: Keynote address by Architect Karan Grover, Founder Karan Grover Wednesday 17 April 16.30-17.30: The Future of Design and the Role of Architects. Designing Buildings for the Next Century

4.30pm 10 Apr 2013

Ken Shuttleworth Blog Founder Make Architects   I have visited India a number of times and always find it so culturally rich. Charles Correa’s work in particular is very inspiring and we could learn a lot from Jaipur. At EcoBuild India I will be talking about the creation of Make - how we were set up and how we have evolved into the practice we are today. We have never strayed from our original values, what we wanted the company to be and stand for. Now, as we are winning more work overseas, including India, we are translating these values to adapt to different cultures and climates.   I firmly believe that it’s no good designing a project in India from an office in Europe, without ever seeing the site and understanding its orientation, history and context. From our experience, working in India involves far more than producing a sketch of a building; it’s all about forming relationships - really understanding the client and their requirements and aspirations for the project. That is why working in India is so rewarding and why it suits Make - there are so many rich cultural layers for us to explore.   Ken Shuttleworth's conference sessions at Ecobuild India: Wednesday 17 April, Stream II: Making Sustainable Design and Construction Happen 10.30-11.30: Keynote address by Ken Shuttleworth, Founder Make Architects 16.30-17.30: The Future of Design and the Role of Architects. Designing Buildings for the Next Century

5.00 pm 09 Apr 2013

Thomas Lane Blog Group Technical Editor Building    The Climate Works Foundations’ prediction that India’s built environment will quadruple in size by 2030 is a fantastic opportunity for the construction industry. It is also an enormous environmental threat if those buildings aren’t as energy efficient as possible. The challenge is making this happen. Currently there is very little legislation to make sure new buildings have minimal environmental impact. Some of the bigger developers are responding to international corporate demand for LEED rated buildings. This is also trickling down to big Indian companies who can see the benefits of occupying energy efficient buildings. The big challenge will be ensuring the smaller commercial buildings and housing which will make up the bulk of India’s built environment is green. The most effective way of making this happen is to develop Indian specific solutions rather than importing Western ideas of comfort and architectural design. India has a long tradition of delivering low impact buildings. The Moguls knew that orientation, placing water bodies outside buildings and using perforated screens for shading helped keep buildings cool. The challenge now is is to blend this tradition with modern materials and techniques to deliver buildings that are low impact, energy efficient and durable. These ideas will be debated at the Ecobuild India conference in Mumbai, 16 – 18 April.

4.30 pm 09 Apr 2013

Ecobuild India 16-18 April 2013   Welcome to Ecobuild India 2013, one of the largest sustainability exhibition and conference in the built environment at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai from Tuesday 16-Thursday 18, April 2013. The event with global chapters happening across UK, China and Southeast Asia will be launching in India for the first time in April.   Featuring renowned speakers and architects, the thought provoking conference and debates covering everything from climate change to greening our cities to creating green homes and offices will be a source of inspiration, innovation and education for the built environment community. Eminent architects Karan Grover and UK sustainability architect Ken Shuttleworth of Make Architects will deliver the keynote address on April 16 and 17.   The Ecobuild arena featuring a host of sustainable building products and technologies including efficient lighting, water conservation systems, insulation products among others would demonstrate the power of sustainable materials and technologies.   The attractions include experience zones offering live demonstration and comparative evaluations of products and technologies , providing an enlivening and exhilarating constructive experience covering eco-friendly approaches in the areas of water conservation, waste treatment, lighting options, green landscaping, alternative building materials and technology.   Come, witness Ecobuild India 2013 hosted by UBM India. Be at the heart of cutting edge debates, get informed and educated on sustainable materials and technologies and meet old and new contacts and partners.