Manish Mehta: Nouveau Design Group

Design professionals are increasingly exploring strategies to conserve resources, cut costs, and reduce environmental impact, starting early in the design process.
Manish Mehta - Principal Architect

A building’s usable life can be extended and waste minimized by designing it to facilitate adaptation, disassembly, and reuse. This approach benefits both the environment and the economy, supporting sustainable communities and reducing costs for occupants. Instead of complete demolition, buildings can be easily, quickly, and cost-effectively disassembled, allowing materials to be repurposed.

Technologies like BIM enable precise material estimations and enhanced logistics, improving project planning and reducing waste. The use of smart waste tracking systems, powered by the Internet of Things (IoT), has revolutionized how construction waste is managed. These systems collect and analyze real-time data, helping businesses monitor recycling rates, assess waste generation, and identify areas for improvement, leading to more efficient and sustainable construction practices.

Our Tolstoy project was designed with a core objective of minimizing construction waste. Due to its conscious, sustainable design, it is a pre-certified IGBC gold-rated building, rooted in the principle of biophilic design. Every material was carefully selected to reduce environmental impact and waste. Standardized products such as glass and aluminium sheets were used strategically in a modular approach. The project also incorporates reusable salvaged materials from the existing structure into the design, and all excavated earth from the site was reused.