Pre-Event Press Note
16th GRIHA Summit 2024, 4-5 December 2024, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
Energy demand and emissions from the building and construction sector represent over a fifth of global emissions. The time to embark on transformative efforts is now. The 16th GRIHA Summit aims to set the discourse to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change by Accelerating Climate Action in the Built Environment
29 November 2024, New Delhi: The much-anticipated event of the year centred on Sustainable Development, organised by GRIHA Council – the 16th GRIHA Summit – is scheduled on 4-5 December 2024 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Climate action is a race against time, raising alarm and clarion for an urgent need to accelerate climate action. The time is now to embark on transformative efforts. The GRIHA Summit centred on the theme of “Accelerating Climate Action in the Built Environment” aims to set the discourse to revolutionize our design processes, construction practices, and management of urban spaces. Aligning with the vision of becoming Viksit Bharat @2047 encompassing various aspects of development, including economic growth, social progress, environmental sustainability, and good governance, it serves as a platform to deliberate on various ways to accelerate climate action.
Over 2-days, 10 Panel Discussions are designed to collectively explore vital strategies for implementing sustainable development by emphasizing the essential aspects of policy advocacy, united stakeholder action, energy transition and promoting a smart & resilient infrastructure development. This year key deliberations will be around managing urban heat, exploring biophilic designs & innovative construction materials, incentivising for propelling a low-carbon development, role of communities and transformation of existing infrastructure. Together, these discussions will weave the interconnectedness of environmental, social, and economic factors in shaping a sustainable urban future.
During the Summit, two exhibitions will be held – one showcasing advancements in industry trends that are driving a paradigm shift in sustainable materials and technologies; while the other will feature live models from an architectural design competition that traverse through the evolution of architectural features over time. A display of Carbon Negative Wall Tiles that offsets 220 gm of CO2 eq. per sqm. will be set up exhibiting how these carbon tiles function as carbon sinks absorbing the atmospheric carbon. A Side Event on “Scaling Up Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) technologies in Buildings in India”, is also planned as part of the Summit on 5 December 2024, organised in collaboration with GIZ India, Ornate Solar and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). As a prelude to the Summit, a Green Building Tour to Gujarat Sadan, New Delhi is scheduled on 3 December 2024. During the Summit a diverse range of publications will be released- GRIHA V.6, GRIHA Infrastructure for Highways and GRIHA for Ports rating variants and GRIHA Council’s annual magazine “Shashwat – Let
Nature Be” in the presence of eminent dignitaries. Building new partnerships, Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and GRIHA Council to further the vision of making the educational institutions sustainable whilst engaging the young generation in the process. The 16th GRIHA Summit is supported by Government Partners- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India; State Partners- Government of Uttar Pradesh, Government of Telangana, Government of Assam and Government of Rajasthan; Premier/Star Partners- Knauff, AIS Glass, ARS Steel, Union Bank of India and many more.
This year as prelude to the 16th annual GRIHA Summit, GRIHA Council has also introduced GRIHA Regional Conclaves. These conclaves have been conceived with the idea to augment the development of sustainable habitats and resilient communities at regional levels in the country. Until now three GRIHA Regional Conclaves have been hosted in Lucknow, Jaipur and Hyderabad with the support of the Government of Uttar Pradesh, Government of Rajasthan and Government of Telangana respectively. The conclaves witnessed active participation from a diverse stakeholder group viz. policymakers, architects, engineers, builders, developers, industry experts, academicians and end users who deliberated on various aspects of climate action and sustainable transition across building and construction industry. The upcoming regional conclaves are proposed to be organized in Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh and Guwahati.
As part of the prelude, GRIHA Council organized ‘Green Carnival’ under its Paryavaran Rakshak Programme 3.0 on 14 November 2024. The carnival comprised of many competitions- drama carnival, musical parody, reel competition, model making exhibition in which more than 50 schools located across India participated. Along with this, GRIHA Council organized a community-driven Plogging Event held at the Central Market, Lajpat Nagar on November 12, 2024 in association with community partners- Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Shopkeeper’s Welfare Association and Lajpat Nagar Central Market Shopkeeper’s Association. The event aimed to encourage citizens to participate in the combination of jogging and litter collection to keep the streets clean and the city green. Over 200 participants, including local shopkeepers and students from various schools and colleges, took part in the event. Additionally, more than 70 sanitation workers joined the event, contributing their valuable support to the initiative.
Both the 16th GRIHA Summit and the GRIHA Regional Conclaves are intended to serve as platforms to deliberate on the interdependence between various stakeholders in creating inclusive and climate-resilient infrastructure in our drive towards decarbonizing the built environment by 2050 and achieving the target of becoming a ‘Net Zero’ nation by 2070.
A diverse group of government and industry leaders, and subject matter experts will come together to share their insights and initiate discussions on these multi-faceted aspects towards a low carbon development. Whether you’re looking to learn, network, or explore new ideas, this event promises to be both inspiring and thought-provoking. Inviting all stakeholders, including policymakers, industry leaders, architects, urban planners, product manufacturers, researchers, financial institutes, and civil society to participate in the Summit; and come together and share insights, knowledge, and experiences in our drive towards advancing sustainability in the built environment.
For more information on 16th GRIHA Summit please visit: https://www.grihaindia.org/grihasummit/