About the Conference
ADaRSH in association with TERI and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India conducted its fifth flagship event, The GRIHA Summit, last week. The GRIHA Summit 2014 was a three-day summit, attended by over 400 professionals from building and construction industry. The Summit was an excellent platform to share knowledge in different provinces of the green building industry.
Speaking at the occasion, Guest of Honor, Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of Assam said, "I am very happy to grace this occasion. As an ordinary citizen, I am also concerned about climate change, and we have been experiencing this in my state (Assam) as well. I am glad we are working with TERI for taking the green buildings movement ahead. We need to use our resources efficiently for a sustainable future".
Special Guest, Dr Satish Balram Agnihotri, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India said, "Today 425 buildings are registered with GRIHA. We need to get into this exercise of making certain amount of efficiency mandatory for those who are initially seeking support from Government, but eventually you need to get it as an enforcement system irrespective of whether they are receiving government support or not".
Dr R K Pachauri, Director General, TERI said "Given the growth in India's population and projected increases in income, it is estimated that a large share of the buildings that would be standing in 2030 are yet to be built. Buildings of various kinds consume huge quantities of energy, which could lock us into a pattern of energy and resource consumption extending several decades for the life of these buildings. Yet, we now know that with proper design, planning and construction, buildings can be made substantially more efficient in the use of energy, water and other resources than what we see today. TERI has been at the forefront of promoting green and efficient buildings in the country, and the GRIHA Summit is a unique event where experiences on successful green buildings are shared, and plans and policies developed for the future".
Meanwhile, the event was also marked by an award ceremony. Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation was felicitated for exemplary commitment to implementation of sustainable habitat through the GRIHA platform.
Award of plaques to the following GRIHA rated projects were also given:
1. Akshay Urja Bhawan (5 Star)
2. Gandhi Research Foundation (5 Star)
3. Govardhan Ecovillage (5 Star)
4. Indira Paryavaran Bhawan (5 Star)
5. Administration Building for GAIL Compressor Station Chainsa (4 Star)
6. Fortis Memorial Research Institute Gurgaon (4 Star)
7. SABIC Research and Technology Private Limited(4 Star)
8. CSOI Club Building Chanakyapuri (3 Star)
9. Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Center and Pratyaksha Kar Bhawan (2 Star)
Award of plaques to the following SVAGRIHA rated projects were also given:
1. Green One Delhi (5 Star)
2. IOCl Office Building, Indore (5 Star)
3. Panedas Residence Guatemala (4 Star)
Award of trophies to GRIHA registered projects that have demonstrated exemplary performance were given to the following:
1. Exemplary Site Management - Norwegian Embassy
2. Exemplary Construction Workers' Health & Safety - IIT Hyderabad
3. Exemplary Use of Sustainable Building Materials - Royal Orange County
4. Exemplary Integrated Water Management - Central University of Rajasthan
During this event, TERI and ADaRSH launched the GRIHA Prakriti rating for existing schools. This would aim in creating a more sustainable education system, by imparting environmentally ethical values among the students and the faculty.
Along with this, the summit also expedited multi-stakeholder partnerships and other networking opportunities to the government, academia, civil society organisations and professionals from diverse disciplines like engineering, architecture and construction management.
Good practices followed by government and private building projects across the country were also felicitated in the summit. A number of eminent speakers like Ms Mili Majumdar, Director-Sustainable Habitat Division, TERI and Secretary, ADaRSH; Mr S Sonigra, Director, Orange County Foundation; Ms Sonali Rastogi, Senior Partner, Morphogenesis; Mr B V Doshi, Principal, Vastu Shilpa Consultants; Mr Fumihiko Maki, Maki and Associates; Mr Rajeev Kathpalia, Partner, Vastu Shilpa Consultants; Shri R K Das, Country Head, Energy Efficiency & Clean Technology, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), among others addressed the key sessions around renewable energy, energy efficient materials, awareness building with students and media group.
ADaRSH also launched GRIHA Trophy at NASA (National Association of Students of Architecture) with the intent of spreading awareness about the concept of green buildings among the students through GRIHA. A special session, entitled, 'GRIHA Design Trophy at 56th Annual NASA Convention, 2014' was held at the GRIHA Summit which provided an interactive platform for undergraduate architecture students all over the country by holding conventions and competitions for various trophies which cover different aspects of architecture. This session also showcased the top 7 shortlisted entries.