BWI: TERI and ADaRSH organize the ‘Regional Conference and Exhibition on Innovations in green buildings – the GRIHA approach’

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Friday, November 25, 2011 06:43 PM IST (01:13 PM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Environment; Business: Business services, Energy companies, Media & entertainment
--------------------------------------------------
TERI and ADaRSH organize the 'Regional Conference and Exhibition on Innovations in green buildings - the GRIHA approach'


Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Friday, November 25, 2011 -- (Business Wire India) -- The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in consonance with Association for Development and Research on Sustainable Habitats (ADaRSH) today organized the regional conference on green building design - Innovations in Green Buildings - The GRIHA Approach. Present on the occasion were Sh. S.V Ranganath, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, Dr. A Ramachandran, Former Under Secretary General, United Nations (Habitat) & Former Secretary to Government of India - Science & Technology, Director General, CSIR, and Chairman TERI, Dr. R K Pachauri, Director General-TERI & President ADaRSH, Dr. Michaell D Addington, Professor, Yale School of Architecture, Smt. Shamim Banu, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Energy, Govt of Karnataka, Mr Krishna Rao Jaisim, Principal Architect, Jaisim Fountainhead along with distinguished participants representing the government, civil society, architects, developers, city and town planners from India.

Addressing the gathering and lauding TERI for its work in the realm of sustainable development Sh. S.V Ranganath, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka said, "Cities are facing the challenges of urbanization. Energy and water are crucial issues to be tackled and TERI can play a major role in addressing these challenges in cities and help chart a sustainable way forward. Karnataka shall take a lead in promoting GRIHA in the state."

Committing TERI's expertise towards the development of the state of Karnataka Dr. R K Pachauri, Director General-TERI & President ADaRSH in his address said, "At present India is undergoing a massive development in all spheres due to rapid urbanization and lifestyle changes. With the high rates of economic growth that India is registering and is likely to achieve in the future, a major expansion in infrastructure is bound to take place in the coming years. To ensure efficient use of resources, including energy, lower levels of environmental impacts and meeting the challenge of climate change, it is essential that we carry out greening of India's infrastructure. To bring about a major change, ratings based on solid scientific principles, architectural techniques and methods that stand the test of times are essential. GRIHA rating is tailor-made to all conditions, which makes it suitable and practical to be used in India. I am happy that the government of Karnataka has always reiterated its commitment to achieve sustainable development in the state."

The objectives of the conference was to

-- Showcase advantages of an integrated design process and its impacts on building construction and operation
-- Generate awareness for benefits of designing energy efficient buildings,
-- Illustrate financial impacts and business strategies by adopting energy efficient building design.
-- Generate awareness on impact of government initiatives on achieving resource and energy efficiency across various sectors such as appliances, commercial buildings, and industry Showcase advantages of using low-energy materials and low-cost construction strategies for construction of green buildings.
-- Invite professionals across sectors to interact in a common platform
-- Showcase products, projects and manufacturers dealing with GRIHA compliant product

The conference also focused on green buildings - Innovation in Design with Integrated Approach focusing on integrated design process, benefits of designing energy efficient buildings, financial impacts of incorporating energy efficiency features, business case for adoption of energy and resource efficiency in building and construction projects.

There was also a panel discussion on policies and initiatives by local governments to achieve sustainable and resource efficient built environment focusing on various government initiatives to achieve energy efficiency in the building sector and highlight India's journey on the path towards sustainable development through various case studies. A special mention was given to the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation which has already set an example by announcing mandatory compliance of their future government projects with GRIHA.

The conference also delved into innovative technologies & building materials strategies being adopted in the construction industry which promote the use of low-energy materials and low cost construction techniques and innovative technologies and systems that are available in the market and are adopted in green buildings.

About ADARSH

ADARSH (Association for Development and Research on Sustainable Habitats) is an independent society, registered under the Societies Act, 1860, jointly formed by the MNRE and TERI to develop and implement GRIHA. It is responsible for registration of projects with GRIHA, advocacy and awareness generation on sustainable habitats in the Indian context.

About GRIHA

GRIHA is India's National Rating System for Green buildings, which has been developed by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) and is endorsed by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. It is based on nationally accepted energy and environmental principles and seeks to strike a balance between established practices and emerging concepts both national and international. GRIHA attempts to minimize a building's resource consumption, waste generation, and overall ecological/environmental impact by comparing them to certain nationally acceptable limits/benchmarks. GRIHA assess a building out of 34 criteria and awards points on a scale of 100. In order to qualify for GRIHA certification, a project must achieve at least 50 points.

About: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

From microbiology to global climate change, from smoke-filled rural kitchens to plush corporate boardrooms, from schoolchildren to heads of state-no sphere of human endeavor is unfamiliar to TERI. Headed by world-renowned economist and Head of the Nobel Prize winning UN Climate panel, Dr. R K Pachauri, TERI is best described as an independent, not-for-profit research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development and devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources.

A dynamic and flexible organization established in 1974, all activities in TERI move from formulating local and national level strategies to suggesting global solutions to critical energy and environment-related issues. Headquartered in New Delhi, TERI has established regional offices in Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Guwahati and Mukhteshwer in the Himalaya's and International centers in Japan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Washington DC, London and Utrecht, The Netherlands.


CONTACT DETAILS
Rajiv Chhibber, TERI, +91 9810426698, rajivc@teri.res.in
Debanjana Choudhuri De, TERI, +91 8447084563, debanjana.de@teri.res.in

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS SERVICES, ENERGY, MEDIA

If you wish to change your Business Wire India selection please click on this link http://www.businesswireindia.com/media/news.asp and use your personal username and password to login.

Submit your press release at http://www.businesswireindia.com