Top experts to speak at The Weekend Leader’s ‘Green Buildings’ workshop

TWL Bureau

02-April-2012

Vol 3 | Issue 13

As part of its social initiative, The Weekend Leader is organizing a workshop on ‘Trends in Green Buildings’ at The Raintree Hotel in Chennai on 25 July 2012 with The New Indian Express as Print Partner, Exnora International as Green Partner, and Big FM as Radio Partner.

The workshop will bring to the fore some of the practical, in-vogue, green alternatives/ techniques that have been implemented in building projects across India in recent times with the aim of achieving energy efficiency, minimizing use of water, promoting renewable energy, conserving natural resources, reducing waste generation and popularizing eco-friendly building materials.

Green Buildings are becoming popular world over (Photo courtesy: En3)

The following experts will speak at the workshop.

Chitra Vishwanath

Chitra is a leading green architect from Bangalore, who heads Biome Environmental Solutions Private Limited which has created a number of talked-about mud homes and buildings in Karnataka and other parts of the country. She talks about ecological architecture in various institutes of Architecture, at IGBC and TERI meets on Green buildings.

C N Raghavendran

C N Raghavendran is a practicing architect and partner of M/s C R Narayana Rao (CRN), a family firm of architects and Engineers based in Chennai and one of India's largest and most successful firms today. An alumnus of IIT, Kharagpur, and University of California, he is the chairman of both LEED India, and the Chennai Chapter of CII-Indian Green Building Council.

Deepak Thakur

Deepak Thakur is the head of the Solar Energy business at Thermax India. He was the brain behind the implementation of the 100 kW technology demonstration project of solar thermal air-conditioning at the Solar Energy Centre, Gurgaon, in partnership with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India.

Deepa Satiyaram

Deepa Satiyaram is the founding director of En3, a noted leader in energy efficient and sustainable environmental design and consultancy. En3 has designed 80 million square feet of green buildings the world over so far with the distinction of being the largest LEED assessed green project consultant in the country.

M B Nirmal

M B Nirmal, the founder of Exnora International, has inspired many an apartment, individual homes and civic associations to adopt zero waste practices. His organization assists upon request, civic bodies across Tamil Nadu and a few other cities like Bangalore in zero solid waste management.

Suresh Krishn

Suresh Krishn is the Managing Director of Isha Homes, whose latest venture, Isha Mia Villas, is Chennai’s first pre-certified platinum-rated eco-friendly villa project, consisting of 106 independent luxury villas set across 9 acres. Harmonizing ultra-modern architecture with green building principles, the project is designed to visibly express a small carbon footprint.

Vikshut Mundkur

Vikshut Mundkur is Manager (Projects) of Bangalore based Solar Electric Light Company India (SELCO), a social enterprise that has been providing solar lighting in villages, schools, colleges, and other institutions. They are experts in integrating the eco-friendly solar technology in building projects.

Vineeta Badawe

Vineeta Badawe, has designed for several interesting clients from Vestas Wind Energy to SEW Eurodrive India Ltd to Max Mueller Bhavan. She has designed one of the highest rated green buildings in India, the Turbo Energy Ltd, which took 62 credits out of the available 69 credits, and India's first Gold rated building, the Grundfos Pumps.

The following experts will be the Resource Persons for the Workshop.

Ar. J. Subramanian

Executive Director of STUP group of companies, Prof. Ar. J. Subramanian, has had a career spanning four decades during which he has been involved in major projects both in India and abroad. He was responsible for the design and supervision of major public sector projects in South India. He was recently associated with the new International Airport project at Hyderabad, which has been accorded a silver rating by LEED. Another project for the Indian Oil Corporation in New Delhi is awaiting a gold rating by LEED.
 

G Dattatri

As Chief Urban Planner of Tamil Nadu and later as Chief Urban Planner of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, Dattatri was associated with the development of several planned inclusive residential neighbourhoods. He has held the position of Associate Professor, Town and Country Planning, School of Architecture and Planning, Madras University in its formative years and later worked as an UN-advisor abroad. He was formerly Advisor, UN Habitat, Chennai.

M G Devasahayam

M G Devasahayam, a retired IAS officer, is the founder of Citizen’s Alliance for Sustainable Living (SUSTAIN), a networking NGO advocating resource efficiency. He has been member, Environment & Energy Committee, CII (South), Chief Consultant, IIT Madras Research Park and Chairman, Infrastructure, Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He was associated with an energy efficiency pilot project in Tamil Nadu Electricity Board in collaboration with the Washington based Alliance to Save Energy and was also the National Consultant to Sustainable Chennai Project jointly sponsored by UNDP and UN-HABITAT.

M Thirumeni

Professor M Thirumeni heads the School of Architecture and Interior Design, at SRM University, Chennai. He teaches architectural design at the University and is a regular speaker at workshops and conferences on sustainable architecture and green buildings. He has published several papers on sustainable architecture with special focus on sustainable planning in hill stations and resorts. Under his leadership SRM University has been pushing for green building awareness. In 2008, the University held a national conference on ‘Sustainable Architecture and Green Buildings’.

For more details log on to www.greenbuildings.theweekendleader.com