SICI 2013 addresses misconceptions of ‘going green’ cost

SICI 2013 addresses misconceptions of ‘going green’ costThe 4th Annual Sustainability in Design & Construction India Summit 2013 was successfully held on August 01 and 02, 2013 at Matthan Hotel, Bengaluru. The inauguration of the summit was convened by Shiv Kumar, President, FKCCI; M. Selvarasu, Director, LEAD Consultancy & Engineering Services (India) and Karan Grover, Principal, Karan Grover & Associates. This was followed by the opening speech from the chairperson M. Selvarasu.Dr Rajendra K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI and Chairperson, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), graced the summit and emphasised the need for stringent focus on sustainability and conservation of resources.The event was duly endorsed and supported by the Ministry of Urban Development Department, the Government of Karnataka, BWSSB, FKCCI, TERI and leading associations such as ISHRAE, Builders Association of India, Glazing Society of India, SESI and ICCTAS. The theme of this event was “envisioning a sustainable future based on best practices which would emphasise on long-term affordability, quality and efficiency”. The conference had an average attendance of 170 high-level delegates on both days, comprising of leading architects, developers, consultants, contractors, corporate houses, relevant government entities and research agencies.The two-day summit gave an insight into the pertinent environmental issues faced by India and the influence the building sector has on it. The much debated and discussed topics included reduction of urban carbon footprint, addressing misconceptions of the cost of “going green” and discovering the benefits, cost-effective innovative technologies in formwork, lighting and porotherm, ingraining sustainability into architectural education, energy efficiency in the residential building sector, integrating green and conventional construction for mass adoption in India to take the green building movement to a greater height in India.Extending support to the summit, some of the key stakeholders from the Government of Karnataka agreed on the importance of SICI 2013. Upon extensive dialogue at the forum, it was decided that there was a need for a green initiative to be implemented across the state. This sustainability initiative is called “I CARE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY” and the focus will be energy and resource conservation.SICI 2013 was conceptualised and solely organised by leading business intelligence firm Nispana, based out of Indiranagar, Bengaluru.

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