Buildings

Advocating for policy reform and conducting cutting-edge research to develop innovative, integrated, and cost-effective solutions for mainstreaming sustainability principles in the building construction industry. Our comprehensive services range from environmental consultancy and project management to training and capacity building. We place a strong emphasis on resource efficiency with optimization at every stage and component of the building's lifecycle, from design to demolition. Leveraging our world-class modelling and simulation expertise at the Mahindra Center of Excellence, we envision a path toward achieving low-carbon & net-zero buildings of the future.

buildings

NEW IN BUILDINGS

  • Sustainable buildings

     

    Project

    Manuals for Energy Efficient Retrofit of Existing Buildings in Different Climatic Zones of India

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  • Affordable Housing

     

    Newsletter- Sustainable Buildings

    Newsletter & Resources

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  • sparsh sustainable building

    Event

    Roundtable on ‘Towards the Development of a National Guiding Framework on Sustainable Cooling and Thermal Comfort’

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  • sparsh sustainable building 

    Press Release

    TERI-SGRI Meeting at Saint Gobain Research Institute, Chennai

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    city planning

    Service

    Water Positive Certification - Consulting, Audit and Certification Services

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Projects

Articles

WSDS2024: Launch of MTCoE’s Daylight Plugin Tool at the thematic session "Advancing Sustainable Building Practices: Role of Laboratories and State-of-the-art Infrastructure to Enhance Energy Efficiency & Thermal Comfort."

Ms Shiren Pandita

The session was conducted as a part of the World Sustainable Development Summit 2024, the only leading sustainable development summit in the Global South. Held on February 8th, 2024, at the India Habitat Centre, it focused on exploring the potential of smart technologies and data analytics in managing energy and optimizing building performance, emphasizing the significance of human-centric design for improving occupant comfort.

TERI inaugurates the Model Demo Habitat at its Gwal Pahari Campus

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) recently inaugurated the ‘Model Demo Habitat’ developed under the “Habitat Model for Efficiency and Comfort” project supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India at its Gwal Pahari campus.

Green Home to Fight Environmental Degradation: To Achieve Sustainable Development Goals

'Buildings' are the most pronounced elements in the fabric of any city. The housing sector in India is growing at a rapid pace and contributing immensely to the growth of the economy. The simultaneous increase in the demand for homes has caused a significantly high pressure on natural resources causing ecological imbalances such as loss of resilience to fight climate change, loss of biodiversity, and pollution. In this article, Pratiksha Baruah discusses about the tangible and intangible benefits of green buildings.

जलवायु परिवर्तन: बढ़ती गर्मी में कूलिंग ऐशोआराम नहीं बल्कि एक ज़रूरत

Mr Amit Kumar

आने वाले वक़्त में तापमान बढ़ेगा। बढ़ती हुई गर्मी के साथ देश में कूलिंग की ज़रूरत कई गुना बढ़ जाएगी। कूलिंग की आवश्यकताओं को नियंत्रित करने के लिए हमें एनर्जी कंज़र्वेशन बिल्डिंग कोड्स और ग्रीन बिल्डिंग रेटिंग को बड़े पैमाने पर अपनाने की ज़रूरत है। "कूलिंग इंडिया" को एक अभियान की तरह आगे बढ़ाना होगा।

Let fresh air flow in: Solar Passive Architecture can make buildings resilient to Covid 19

Dr G R Narsimha Rao

The Covid 19 pandemic conditions pose challenges for air-conditioned buildings and their occupants. One solution is to look at passive architecture office buildings that maintain indoor temperature through the right mix of fresh air and recirculation, daylighting and artificial lighting etc.

COVID-19: A strategic opportunity for sustainable development

Mr Siddharth Jain

The sector-specific allocations for health, education, and infrastructure the Union Budget 2020-21 collectively make up only a fraction of India's GDP. Our rapidly developing economy is threatened in the wake of a new global pandemic, COVID-19.

Events

SIDE EVENT AT GRIHA SUMMIT: Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Construction: Scaling Up Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Applications in India

December 5, 2024
to December 5, 2024

As part of the 16th GRIHA Summit, TERI and the GRIHA Council hosted a side event titled "Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Construction: Scaling Up Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Applications in India." The event, organised under GIZ India’s dPP project in partnership with Ornate Solar, convened critical stakeholders, including government representatives, architects, and developers, to deliberate on barriers, concerns, and opportunities for scaling BIPV technology in India.

Board of Directors of Tata Projects visit TERI Gwal Pahari Campus

November 27, 2024
to November 27, 2024

On November 27, 2024, TERI hosted the leadership team of Tata Projects, including its Board of Directors, CXOs, and MD and CEO, at its Gwal Pahari campus.

Tata Projects delegation visit at TERI Gwal Pahari Campus

August 9, 2024
to August 9, 2024

On August 9, 2024, TERI welcomed Tata Projects’ delegation to its Gwal Pahari Campus for a comprehensive overview of TERI’s research work and sustainable practices. The visit aimed to align with Tata Projects’ sustainability goals and Tata Group’s Aalingana initiative, which is the north star of Tata Group’s sustainability journey.

WSDS 2024: Sustainable Buildings Division conducts a track on "Sustainable Skylines: Enabling Tomorrow's Architecture with a Web-Based Knowledge Hub on Advanced Building Materials and Energy-Efficient Design”

March 5, 2024
to March 5, 2024

The event convened as a part of the World Sustainability Development Summit 2024, on February 8th, 2024, at India Habitat Centre's Jacaranda-1 Hall, from 1400 hrs to 1530 hrs (IST). WSDS is the only independently convened international Summit on sustainable development and environment, based in the Global South. The thematic track event brought together a consortium of visionaries and experts committed to shaping the future of architecture with sustainability at its core.

Book Release: TERI Energy & Environment Data Diary and Yearbook (TEDDY) 2022-23

January 23, 2024
to January 23, 2024

TERI Energy & Environment Data Diary and Yearbook (TEDDY) is an annual publication brought out by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) since 1986. TEDDY presents latest information on energy supply sectors (coal and lignite, petroleum and natural gas, power and renewable energy sources), energy demand sectors (agriculture, industry, transport, residential, and commercial sectors), and environment (local and global). It seeks to support policy research and decision-making by providing policymakers and researchers with the data which can be used to develop actionable solutions.

DSIR and TERI wrap up transformative stakeholder consultation event Transforming design by unlocking cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions for Advanced Building Efficiency

January 18, 2024
to January 18, 2024

In a ground-breaking collaboration, the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR) partnered with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) to drive transformative advancements in India's construction and wastewater treatment sector. It was an effort to align “Access to Knowledge for Technology Development and Dissemination (A2K+) Studies” Scheme of DSIR with India's Smart Cities Mission and its commitment to becoming a net-zero emitter by 2070.

News

Solar Skyscrapers: Transforming India’s Buildings with BIPV Innovation

December 4, 2024
| Dr. Pierluigi Bonomo, SUPSI; Mr. C K Varma, CPWD; Prof. Francesco Frontini, ISAAC; Ms Hemakshi Malik, TERI
| ET EnergyWorld

India's homegrown Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) system aligns with the nation's commitment to sustainable building standards with over 1700 GRIHA -rated projects. With the updated Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) is a natural fit within the evolving regulatory framework, enabling compliance while promoting RE adoption in urban environments, says Dr. Pierluigi Bonomo, SUPSI; Mr. C K Varma, CPWD; Prof. Francesco Frontini, ISAAC; Ms Hemakshi Malik, Research Associate, TERI.

Aluminium: Building smart, building green

October 18, 2024
| Ms Shabnam Bassi
| ET Edge Insights

Greener building practices are a key imperative for ushering in sustainability within the sector. Aluminium offers significant possibilities in this regard, says Ms Shabnam Bassi, Senior Fellow and Director, Sustainable Buildings Division, TERI.

GRIHA Council: Accelerating climate action in the built environment

September 1, 2024 |
September 1, 2024
The Sunday Guardian

GRIHA Council on 30 August 2024 held its second GRIHA Regional Conference in Hyderabad, Telangana on the theme 'Accelerating Climate Action in the Built Environment'. This was the second in a series of conferences held throughout the year, held simultaneously with the annual GRIHA Summit, all focused on the same theme. The event was graced by the presence of Shri Sridhar Babu Dudilla, Hon'ble Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications; Industries and Commerce and Legislative Affairs, Government of Telangana.

Green Home Loan: Concept, benefits, eligibility – Here’s everything you need to know

August 5, 2024 |
August 5, 2024
The Financial Express

A specialized type of mortgage called green home loans encourages environmentally- friendly housing choices. The growing environmental awareness is a primary catalyst for the surge in green home loans in India. Additionally, significant long-term savings on utility bills resulting from enhanced energy and water efficiency serve as a major incentive. According to The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), adopting green building practices in urban India could save an impressive 8,400 megawatts of electricity annually, enough to meet the lighting needs of 550,000 homes each year. 

Concrete Jungles Fuel India's Heatwave Crisis

July 29, 2024 |
July 29, 2024
Outlook Planet

With over 140 deaths and more than 40,000 hospitalisations for heatstroke, according to the Health Ministry's National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), summer 2024 has seen the most dramatic heatwave yet. It is no longer metaphorical. Cities, for example, often face the brunt of a heatwave. This can be squarely attributed to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) Effect, which is when urban areas have a significant temperature difference from surrounding rural areas due to a lack of green cover and addition of waste heat generated by energy usage into the urban environment.

Amid rising mercury, green constructions gain traction

June 3, 2024 |
June 3, 2024
Hindustan Times

When it comes to mandates, states have been slow to notify and mandate Union government guidelines such as Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC). For example, in Uttar Pradesh, buildings with a four-star rating from GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, a rating system developed by TERI) are given an additional floor area ratio of 25%. Similar incentives related to additional FSI (Floor Space Index or maximum permissible floor area relative to the plot size) are given by state governments in other states such as Delhi, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Rajasthan.

Policy

Services

Environmental design consultancy and advisory services

We have been actively involved in providing technical consultancy for the design and development of sustainable building complexes. The scope of work has been to review designs provided by architects so as to incorporate energy efficiency measures in the building envelope and systems design. We provide complete green design consultancy, including site planning inputs, full building performance analysis, evaluation of energy systems, renewable energy integration, water and waste management strategies, and achieving indoor air quality standards.

Training & Capacity Building

We conduct capacity building for architects, building developers and service engineers on issues such as Green & Resource Efficient Developments, Construction Site Planning and Management- A GRIHA Approach, Resource Efficiency (Energy & water) in Building Sector, Smart Cities/Urban Infrastructure, Green Construction, Developments in Construction Technology, Disaster Management & Mitigation, Energy Conservation in Buildings, Future trends in Construction Technology, Construction & Demolition Waste Management, Development of Zero Discharge Campus, Solid Waste Management - Bui

Resource conservation study/ energy audit/energy management programme

We undertake resource (energy and water) audit/resource conservation studies for existing buildings/complexes. We have conducted energy audits of around 200 buildings of various categories like hotels, commercial offices, hospitals, schools, universities, shopping malls and theatres. Resource audit and conservation studies are aimed at exploring energy and water conservation possibilities in built environment.

Research & development

We carry out research on energy efficient building envelopes including materials, energy efficient/low cooling technologies etc. A few important project includes UTC-TERI Centre of Excellence on Efficient Buildings, Mahindra-TERI Centre of Excellence on Energy Efficient Building Envelopes and Sustainable Water Use in Habitats, Thermal and Visual comfort studies on somfy roller blinds.

Policy intervention and analysis

We have successfully completed several policy initiatives at central and state government levels towards mainstreaming high performance buildings in India. Senior members of the group are members of the committee of experts for development of the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) of India (2007). The manual for environmental clearance of large construction for the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India has also been developed at CRSBS.

Water Positive Certification - Consulting, Audit and Certification Services

We undertake water audit of existing buildings/complexes to quantify the impact of water efficient solutions adopted and implemented by the project/organization to reduce their water footprint and also provide technical assistance for enhancing water efficiency of the projects in order to achieve the 'GRIHA Water Positive Certification'.

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Team

Senior Director, Sustainable Infrastructure
Director, Sustainable Buildings
Area Convenor, Sustainable Buildings