Ashok Singh Jaunapuria, MD & CEO, SS GROUP
Good infrastructure, homes, workspaces, safe roads to commute, and other facets are regarded as the hallmarks of a healthy, growing economy - squarely pointing at the construction industry. While infrastructure is developing at breakneck speed, modern homes, highly modern office spaces, and sky-high structures dot India’s landscape. But the fact that the sector accounts for over 22% of all emissions is deeply concerning.
Designing sustainable buildings and reducing waste starts at the design phase: new-age technologies like AI, ML, when harnessed appropriately, can make a world of difference.
Leading the way
The real estate industry must take the lead ‘now’ and show the way in implementing sustainable design and construction practices.. With the construction industry being the larger emitter of carbon, the scope of emission reduction is also the largest - warranting collective efforts by developers to take a hard look at materials and processes used in construction. The Leaf by SS GROUP at Gurugram, is an example of how a project can enable healthy breathing by creating ample green spaces in the vicinity of the project.Making the paradigm shift towards green construction
The construction sector is at an inflection point of change – change for a greener tomorrow. Moving from time-tested construction materials to more environment-friendly materials that induce less carbon emissions, is the need of the hour. But the shift requires a fundamental mind change to transition to new-age materials which starts from the drawing board stage. Cost implications have to be factored in.The construction sector has a critical role to play in carbon footprint/emissions. The answer to this goes back to the drawing board stage, viz, planning/design stage, aka stage One. Key decisions like choosing AAC blocks over red bricks, using environment-friendly building materials, jettisoning towards renewable energy, can make a huge impact. One of the visible incentives for people to embrace LCCR (low carbon climate resilient) construction may be in the form of bank rebates, reduced interest rates, government subsidies, and reduced taxation. Such a move can quash perceptions of an increase in the cost of such constructions, for both the builder and the buyer.
Waste to wealth
It goes without saying that building a new home generates tons of waste – of resources, materials, and energy. It is estimated that around 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions can be traced to building materials and construction. According to the Building Material Promotion Council, India generates approximately 150 MT of construction waste - translating to 35-40% of global construction and demolition waste annually. But only 1% of it is recycled.The need of the hour is to “measure waste” as a starting point in the journey to reduce waste and in turn reduce the quantum of waste in landfills. Developing sustainable construction materials reinforced using natural fibres, recycling and reusing existing materials can go a long way in reducing waste and in turn reducing emissions.