Introduction

The building industry in India is booming again with 6% CAGR. With rapidly expanding population, increasing urbanization and due to stabilizing role of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), there is a significant increase in demand for housing, commercial spaces, and infrastructure. India is on path to become the third largest construction market in the world, according to Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry.

With climate change looming large, India has an opportunity to make smart investments in this growth by applying innovations in sustainable building practices. First, it is imperative to find alternatives to energy-intensive production of construction materials such as cement, steel, bricks, glass, and aluminum to reduce the embodied carbon emissions that result from new construction. Second, operational energy and related carbon emissions that result from inefficient heating, cooling, and lighting systems in buildings need to be drastically reduced with energy-efficient designs and renewable energy integration in buildings. Third, new construction must be built resilient to impacts of climate change like heat waves, floods, storms, droughts, etc. All of these need innovation, because our business as usual methods just do not cut it.