Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Use of Industrial Waste in Road Construction .

Odisha produces 25.307 million tonnes of fly ash and 0.828 million tonnes of slag every year

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik says that utilisation of industrial waste such as fly ash, slag and plastic in road construction should be given a serious thought. Odisha produces 25.307 million tonnes of fly ash and 0.828 million tonnes of slag every year which can be effectively used in road construction. Disposal of these materials is a troublesome task for the producers and a menace for the State.
The Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) is the biggest road sector programme in the world. ... The State Highway Development Project will focus on two-laning of all State highways. ...
Road conditions in Municipal Corporations and Notified Area Councils will improve, projects for the improvement of roads and flyovers in Bhubaneswar will be undertaken, A Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) and skywalks in the city are also planned.
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"... The Chief Minister said the Government has set a target to complete 114 roads in rural areas by the end of this year. The Vijayawada-Ranchi corridor, which has been substantially completed, will connect 12 tribal and Left Wing Extremism (LWE)- affected districts.
The Biju Expressway will link industrial cities of Rourkela and Raipur. “To complete construction of bridges at the earliest, engineers of the Works Department have been directed to adopt the quickest methods of construction such as Bailey Bridges,” Naveen added. ..."
"... design and construction technology for roads should be evolved by prioritising life safety and environmental impacts. Road safety is a shared responsibility which requires a holistic view of road transport system, travel speed and vehicles and road users. ..."
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Find this at http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/CM-Bats-for-Use-of-Industrial-Waste-in-Road-Construction/2015/01/20/article2627796.ece .

Lecture On Water And Architecture

Lecture on Water And Architecture

This is old news, but nevertheless, you may read it.
Refer http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Lecture-on-water-and-architecture/articleshow/46114229.cms .
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"... This lecture will focus on the relationship of water and the architecture of India and the many ideas that we find connect water to our land. ..."
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Automated Solutions, 3D Printed Humanoid Robots

India has a 3D-printed humanoid robot

Vaish calls it Manav. Manav weighs 2 kgs. It has in-built vision and sound processing capability so it can talk and act exactly like a human, it is said. Manav is India’s first 3D (three-dimensional) printed humanoid robot. A humanoid robot is defined as one that is shaped to resemble a human. Diwakar Vaish is the inventor.
Manav performs tasks such as walking, talking and dancing “without the help of a laptop, just in response to human voice commands”, and so it is different from other robots.
Vaish has built over 40 robots including football-playing robots, writing robots and shadow robots — a robotic arm that imitates human action. They are also working on a headset that can read brainwaves and when synced with a robot can accordingly direct the robot to perform human tasks without any human intervention.
This entrepreneur has been feted by organisations.
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"... “It also has two degrees of freedom in its head and neck, allowing it to move its head sideways and up and down—a feature that is not seen in other robots in India. Besides, we are also working on adding a grabber to its arms, so that it can lift objects too,” he added.
Vaish took two months to design, fabricate, programme and test Manav, using parts that were all made in India. Manav’s outer frame is made of plastic, and it was 3D-printed ..."
"... “For example, a person in the US could guide the robot in real-time to carry out tasks at nuclear power plants, or a doctor in the US could perform a surgery in real-time on a patient in India, using such a humanoid,” said Vaish.
He and his team at A-SET are also working on a smart home-automated solution using robotic technology that can sense human feelings and perform tasks without being told like opening doors, turning on the air conditioning sensing an increase in body temperature, switching on the TV to a channel of choice. ..."

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Find this at http://www.livemint.com/Industry/rc86Iu7h3rb44087oDts1H/Meet-Manav-Indias-first-3Dprinted-humanoid-robot.html .

Andhra Pradesh has 10 years to build a capital city for itself

Singapore to build the Smart City with area over 7000 sqkm

Telangana got Hyderabad as Capital, and Andhra Pradesh has been given 10 years to build a capital city for itself, and it will be a smart city. The IT led Super City will be backed by Singapore, the world leaders in Technology. The Infrastructure Corporation Of Andhra Pradesh reached an agreement with Singapore Government. Oops, but there is a glitch, and is it a blessing in disguise for Indian Architects, Urban Designers, Urban Planners?!
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"... The city, at 7,235 square kilometres, comes in at over ten times the size of Singapore, which is mindblowing.
The masterplan, which started upon the reached agreement last month, will take six months, with the first phase of construction completed before the end of the decade.
Plenty to be done
The plans include the construction of ports, airports and utilities such as power, water, and sanitation. The Singapore-based and government-funded Centre for Liveable Cities will even take up the training of officials of the state government. ..."

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Refer http://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/2015/01/08/singapore-building-smart-city-in-india-10-times-bigger-than-itself .
Jest: Build The City On Rock And Roll?! No? Then we say "Build The City With Virtual Connections." :-) Can anyone come up with a good one? Write in comments! 'Blessing' for Indian Professionals as we write earlier is an irony actually.

Retaining Wall For Rankala Lake by Kolhapur Municipal Corporation

200 metres long and 12 metres high retaining wall

The Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) will construct a 200-meter retaining wall of the historical Rankala Lake. The wall of the lake was constructed in 1883. It's falling down. Grouting was a temporary solution. Here was a stone quarry earlier. Earthquake happened. The lake is 107 hectares. Architects, just visit and see if there is scope for ya! Hmm..? :-)
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"... We have decided to demolish the existing structure and construct a new wall of around 200 meters, which will be 12 feet tall. The total cost for the construction will be around Rs 78 lakh. ... Civic officials said that roots of coconut trees from the garden, which have pushed into the wall, are making the structure weak. The soil around the lake wall has loosened due to the entry of water through small ruptures. ..."
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Refer http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolhapur/KMC-to-construct-200m-retaining-wall-for-Rankala/articleshow/45960919.cms .

CSP Solar-Biomass Model In India

Renewable Energy Solar Power Plants. CSP Solar-Biomass Model In India. 

CSP stands for Concentrated Solar Power. [This is not purely Architecture but nevertheless ...]

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"... The solar-biomass model may prove to be optimal solutions when it comes to developing renewable solar energy power plants that can dependably distribute power on an ongoing basis. ..."
"... This hybrid CSP project looks interesting and, if successful, will elevate the fortunes of renewable energy and CSP in India. Called SCOPEBIG (Scalable CSP Optimised Power Plant Engineered with Biomass Integrated Gasification), the hybrid project is being set up under the EU-India Cooperation on Renewable Energy ..."
"... Among the priorities of the project is to use low-cost solar collectors and to localize all of the components, of which the latter would make the power plant a first of its kind in India. ..."
"... Specific to the India project, biomass is abundant in India, especially in Bihar, yet large quantities remain untapped. The MNRE estimates that the country produces 500 million metric tons of biomass annually but 120 to 150 million tons remain unused. ..."

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Refer http://cleantechnica.com/2015/01/19/csp-solar-biomass-model-india .

Smart Cities India Programme Reality Check

India needs to freeze, figure its modus operandi - Smart Cities Programme.

A Reality Check is needed as India embarks on its ambitious Smart Cities programme. The process will have to be both equitable and environmentally sustainable. Within the 'given' of climate change, our cities need to be more humane, resilient, enjoyable and liveable. How? Lessons from Germany >> Germany has made a commitment on energy transition. Its efforts can provide a framework for India.
In fact, with abundant sun and wind, Indian cities are better placed to switch to clean renewable energy and solar or electric transport systems, though natural sources like natural gas and biomass would be needed as well. Energy efficiency and better designed buildings, with more daylight and natural ventilation, can considerably aid this transformation. Cities and buildings consume more than 60 per cent of energy.
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".. Given the environmental risks that lie ahead, China and India will have to “de-carbonise” their cities with clean renewable energies (biomass, solar, wind, etc.) and gradually end their dependence on fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Their energy footprint will determine the roadmap to Paris 2015, when countries meet to renegotiate an international climate policy for 2050. ..."
"... In recent years, Germany has become the epicentre of the climate policy discussion. Its ambitious "Energiewende", or energy transformation, outlines a policy for a long-term transition to clean, renewable power sources like solar, biomass and wind by 2050. ..."
"... Urban researchers at the Berlin-based Ecologic Institute say Germany wants 40% of its energy to come from renewable sources by 2025, and 55 per cent of it by 2035. ... Lessons from the Energiewende could shorten the expensive learning curve for Indian cities. ..."
"... India has a unique pluralistic culture of city-building and will eventually have to choose its own indigenous trajectory. There is great resilience in Indian cities, where a large number of people live in challenging conditions in informal settlements. A holistic energy transition of future cities could enable decentralization and equity, much needed for a growing democratic nation. ..."
"... In the Indian context, a smart city would be one with self-sufficient zones of mixed land use, where amenities would be at walkable distance, which would have seamless public transport, green spaces, public spaces for celebration, institutions of learning, cultural spaces of discourse, healthcare and quality housing for all. In a paradigmatic shift, smart cities would have to recycle waste and engender an ecologically-friendly way of life. ..."

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Refer http://scroll.in/article/687490/Smart-cities:-What-India-needs-to-learn-from-Berlin .

Mixed Use Tall Building in Delhi

DDA and NBCC to construct a 100 storey building

The Delhi Development Authority has awarded land to the National Buildings Construction Corporation in East Delhi for the construction of a 100 storey tower for housing, commercial and recreational use.
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"... which means mixed use development, designed in a manner that there is access to public transportation such a Metro in the vicinity and has walkable neighbourhoods. ... While Noida and Gurgaon have seen vertical growth, Delhi is not known for highrise buildings. ..."
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Refer http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/dda-nbcc-join-hands-to-build-delhis-first-100-storey-building .

Carbon is browning the Taj Mahal

Carbon particles from fuel combustion, vehicle exhausts, trash burning , brick making are causes

A team of scientists led by Georgia Institute of Technology's Mike Bergin and Sacchichida Tripathi from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur investigated the cause. They used scanning electron microscopy. Culprit >> Carbon Particles. Sources >> fuel combustion, vehicle exhausts, trash burning and brickmaking.
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"... the pristine white exterior of the Taj Mahal's famous dome and minarets started to sport a brown hue. Since the grit is not water soluble, every few years the structure now has to be cleaned by painstakingly applying and removing a layer of clay. ..."
"... researchers began by placing small pieces of pristine white marble at several locations around Taj Mahal's main dome for two months. ..."
"... contained particles of dust, brown organic carbon and black carbon. ..."

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Refer http://www.dogonews.com/2015/1/23/scientists-identify-the-culprits-responsible-for-the-browning-of-indias-taj-mahal .

Largest Solar Panel Factory

4 Billion Dollars Solar Factory

Solar Panels will be manufactured.
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"The Indian state of Gujarat is set to be home to the largest solar panel manufacturing facility in the country. ..."

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Refer http://www.energylivenews.com/2015/01/12/4bn-solar-factory-to-be-built-in-india