The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Kerala Shri Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the UL International Conclave on Sustainable Construction at the Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction (IIIC) in Chavara, Kollam. He highlighted Kerala’s commitment to inclusive growth, environmental responsibility, and multifaceted measures to combat the challenges posed by climate change.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Kerala

The Conclave brought together a distinguished group of national and international experts to discuss sustainable construction practices and policies. Part of the Uralungal Society’s centenary celebrations, it aims to tackle Kerala’s unique climate challenges while shaping development strategies that are both eco-friendly and resilient to future environmental shifts.

Notable participants included Mark Goldman, Director of ESRI Denver Industries Solutions, USA; Prof. Narayanan Neithalath, University of Arizona, USA; Prof. Pat Rajeev, Chair, Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Swinburne University, Australia; Dr. Manoranjan Parida, Director of CSIR-CRRI; Dr. L. P. Singh, Director of NCCBM; and Prof. Koshy Varghese, IIT Madras, among others from prestigious academic institutions worldwide.

The Conclave featured experts from leading construction firms, including Joseph Martin, Senior Director of ESG Platform at PwC India; Amit Barde, Head of Precast at Larsen & Toubro; Kalyan Vaidyanathan, Business Development Director at Bentley Systems India; and Manoj Verman, Tunneling and Rock Engineering Expert from ISRM Commission on Hard Rock Excavation. Prominent Kerala figures such as Dr. Jayakumar, former MD and CEO of the Vizhinjam Port Project, will also contribute their insights.

There were panel discussions, technical sessions, and skill development workshops. Discussions were held on ‘Building Today with Tomorrow: Strategic Insights on Sustainable Infrastructure as the Pillar for a Developed and Resilient India and Kerala’, ‘Innovation in Low Carbon Materials and Design: Challenges and Opportunities’ etc.

The event was organised in collaboration with the Arizona State University, IIT Madras, NIT Calicut, and NICMAR University, and is part of a series of international conferences to mark the centenary celebrations of the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society, Asia’s largest labour co-operative and the second largest co-operative in the Industries and Utilities segment. As a Total Solution Provider (TSP) for infrastructure development and management projects, ULCCS has completed over 7500 projects in its illustrious history.