Sustainability in the Built Environment

May 8-9, 2019

The Sustainable Habitat team conducted a training programme titled ‘Sustainability in the Built Environment’ on May 8-9, 2019 at the School of Planning and Architecture, University of Mysore. Over 160 students and faculty participated in the programme. The event commenced with a welcome address from Chidambra Swamy, director, School of Planning and Architecture (UoM) and a keynote speech by Rajneesh Sareen, programme director, Sustainable Habitat Programme, CSE. Lingaraja Gandhi, registrar, UoM delivered the presidential address. 

Rajneesh Sareen began the technical deliberations with sensitization of the participants on prevalent urban issues such as rising temperatures, erratic weather and increasing vulnerability to disaster, water scarcity, energy price shock, solid waste, proliferation of slums, and the overall deteriorating quality of life. The sessions that followed focused on issues such as how to plan and design an energy-, land- and water-prudent campus by using alternative building materials, passive architecture, rainwater harvesting, and a nature-based decentralized wastewater treatment system (among others features); solid waste management and how proper design and planning can help in overcoming its challenges; affordable housing and the Pradhan MantriAwasYojana (PMAY); the Eco-NiwasSamhita that regulates the housing sector in the country; material technologies being used in the affordable housing sector and their potential to provide thermal comfort to users; and daylighting simulation software and how such tools and techniques can be applied to reduce the energy consumed due to active lighting inside buildings.

KM Mahadevan, registrar (evaluation), UoM delivered the Valedictory Address and marked the closing of the two-day training programme.