Water Smart City

Technology is what makes a Smart City? Here is Water Smart City now.

A water smart city should be about a water-literate community.
Refer http://www.thehindu.com/features/homes-and-gardens/design-watersmart-cities/article6793872.ece .
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"... These groups are community groups and not the traditional NGOs. They champion a local lake as a resource as they are closely affiliated to it in the sense of geography and take great pride in it as a community property. They work closely with authorities and institutions ..."

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ANI says in jest, Water Smart City?, or a Smart "Water City"?

This Smart - Equitable City Makes More Sense.

The powerful and the political even change the policy

The World Bank said that 'natural' migration from rural areas to urban centres 'should not' be stopped. "Deprivation due to disparity" may have been acknowledged but the various forces at play have not been interpreted correctly in the context of time, place, locale. The powerful and the political class fulfill their nefarious agenda by even 'changing' policy, which is a criminality. All rural schemes seem to be 'mechanisms' of giving away rural land to the builders. Centralisation of basic services is desired.
Refer http://www.indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/city-must-be-equitable-not-smart .
‪Medha Patkar, founding member of Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan says...
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"... Why can’t lakhs of people in a megalopolis afford a house? Urban planners are invariably biased against poor dwellers. Land distribution and allocation is tilted against the masses. With no limits to houses per family and thousands of cars (each requiring space at home, the office and on the road), new infrastructure is created for the rich, usurping large chunks of land.
The majority of the population, including construction workers, who are the real builders, is left without even a small piece of land to erect shelters. Instead of a right to shelter, housing schemes further distort the priority and allocation.
Hiranandani Gardens in Mumbai is the worst example of how concessions under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976, were misused. The holder of the power of attorney during the purchase of land later taken over by the government at the cheapest rate got it back in the name of a development scheme at the same rate, 40 paise per acre. The condition that it would be used for low-cost housing stands violated and the Bombay High Court’s order to build 3,144 houses for the needy, before any further construction, has not been obeyed either.
The Adarsh Society and Lavasa cases being fought by us are indicative of how the politically influential get hold of the desired land in violation of all laws and regulations, even by changing policy. But the poor struggle against eviction and “illegality” throughout their lives. Legal workers and legal voters they may be, yet they are treated as illegal residents.
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The answer lies in a housing policy that includes low-cost rental and dormitory accommodation for temporary migrants, reserving land for “site and service” schemes for the poor. No free houses, but self-reliant, participatory community or cooperative housing schemes by and for the poor that lease out land on a long-term basis, are a solution. The land in the hands of a few landlords, individual and corporations, should be requisitioned and redistributed.
The goal of minimising uncontrolled migration can be attained not through aggressive and divisive regional politics but through rural development. Ensuring adequate livelihood sources developed in the neighbourhood, based on the natural and human resources available within a local unit, should be the priority. This will not exclude industrialisation; on the contrary, it will promote it.
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Above all, no urbanisation that exploits the working classes within should be acceptable. We have to think of ways to evolve equitable and sustainable alternatives in each sector of urban planning, be it water, energy, waste management or housing. Smart cities are not the answer, as those will only replicate an anti-poor bias. Shanghai, Singapore or even Curitiba, an example of sustainable urban planning, cannot be taken as readymade models. India needs to evolve a new, truly indigenous paradigm based on the constitutional values of equity and justice."

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Complete sub city zoned out of Delhi parts

DDA envisions a complete sub city located in area of 20-24 hectares

A Smart City is to be zoned out of Dwarka, Rohini and Narela. It will be equipped with latest technologies and waste-management techniques.
Refer http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-01-02/news/57611557_1_electric-buses-dwarka-smart-city .
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"... 2000 flats are being proposed for citizens aged 60 and above. 800 of them are being planned in Dwarka, while rest in Rohini and south Delhi. We have already appointed a management consultant and on January 15 we are calling in the architect for the design. We are also in talks with the banks to see if reverse mortgaging facility could be allowed ..." ... "... also plan to bring in cycle sharing project, where through last-mile connectivity, people would be able to use the road through dedicated cycle tracks and park them at metro stations. Besides, we are contemplating on e-buses (electric buses) and study is being currently done by an institute ..."

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Andhra Pradesh's Capital City Master Plan 'outsourced'. Enter Singapore.

Joint development of parts for core capital area, capital city area and larger regional level.

Singapore Government will design a master plan for building the new Andhra Pradesh capital near Viyaywada. It will not be rigid imposition. There would be joint development of parts of master plan which will be for the core capital area, capital city area and the larger regional level.
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"... "We have a strategy to move forward and everything will be done systematically and scientifically. We want to build a capital that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable," Naidu said.
As the Chief Minister said the master plan for the "core capital area" of "8 or 15 sq kms" would be ready in six months, Iswaran, too, maintained some details of the project would expectedly be ready by mid-2015. ..."

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Find this at http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/infrastructure/singapore-to-design-master-plan-for-andhras-new-capital/articleshow/45418636.cms .

National War Memorial And War Museum

War Memorial and War Museum to be built now

This is being actively considered by the Indian Government now. The National War Memorial was first proposed in the 1960's.
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"... "A proposal to construct a National War Memorial and National War Museum to commemorate our brave soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for the country, is under active consideration," Mr Parrikar said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. ..."
"... Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who was also Mr Parrikar's predecessor in the Defence Ministry, announced an allocation of Rs100 crore for the a war memorial, which he said would be constructed in the Princes Park area near India Gate in the national capital. ..."
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Find this at http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/government-considering-building-national-war-memorial-defence-minister-manohar-parrikar-713985 .

Building Bye Laws For Municipal And Metropolitan Bihar

Bihar Passes New Building Bye-Laws

Now Bihar has a framework for any construction development programme for its municipal and metropolitan areas.
Only G+1 with 7 m ht. on 12' wide rd.
G+2 of 10 m ht. allowed on a more than 12' wide rd., but FAR within 150 (they use 1.5).
G+2 of 16 m ht. allowed on 16' wide rd., but FAR 180 (they use 1.8).
G+3 allowed on 20' wide rd., but FAR 200 (they use 2).
G+5 allowed on 30' wide rd., but FAR 250 (they use 2.5).
On 80' wide rd., FAR is 300 (they use 3).
On 90' wide rd., FAR is 350 (they use 3.5).
On 100' wide rd., FAR is 350 (they use 3.5).
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"... old and new buildings with the height of 16 metres from the level of a road with a width of 16 feet would have a 1.8 floor area ratio.
The builder will have to take a structural stability certificate for constructing a building of 15 metres height. ... the process has been simplified for constructing a building on a plot of 300 square metres. All the new buildings will be earthquake resistant.
As per the bylaws, only ground plus one storey building with a ceiling of 7 metres will be allowed on 12 feet wide road. One can construct G+2 (of 10 metre height) on a road more than 12 feet wide, but the floor area ratio (FAR) would not exceed beyond 1.5. Likewise, on a 16ft wide road, G+2 (of 16 metres height) with FAR 1.8 is allowed. On a 20ft wide road, a G+3 building could be constructed with FAR 2 and on 30ft road, it could be G+5 with FAR 2.5.
This apart, a G+3 has been allowed on 20ft road while G+5 on 30, 40 and 60ft road would have FAR of 2.5. On an 80ft wide road, the FAR would be 3.0, for 90 and 100 feet it would be 3.5 each. Any new building would have to spare minimum 25 percent and a maximum 35% of the total area for parking. Buildings constructed in groups on a bigger plot would have to spare additional 15 percent land for the movement of ambulance. ..."
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Also read about a linear accelerator at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) and a superspecialty hospital.
Find this at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Govt-approves-building-bylaws/articleshow/45353302.cms .

Small Plot Owners In Delhi Can Submit Information And Start Constructing

Small House In Delhi? No Sanction Needed Now.

Plot owners with plots up to 100 square metres area can start construction after submitting all required information in one page. For plots above 100 sqm and till 20,000 sqm, the authorities have 30 days to respond for approval after submission to them by plot owners. If no response comes then it would be deemed approved! For plots above 20,000 sqm, a single window clearance mechanism is being devised wherein people from the Urban Development Ministry alongwith others will reject or approve. A Secretariat for the same is proposed. So this is going to be a single reference 'ready reckoner' after the 1983 notification. Changes notified over the years will be of course included.
#Delhi #BuildingByeLaws #ByeLaws
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"... In a move that would bring huge relief to applicants seeking approval of building plans, the norms have been simplified and rationalized to cut down red tape and corruption. While small residential plots of size up to 100 sq metres have been exempted from sanction procedures, a 30-day deadline has been fixed for approving or rejecting building plans on plots in the range of 100 sq metres and 20,000 sq metres. ..."
"... Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) in association with Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and municipal bodies completed the simplification exercise and submitted draft simplified bye-laws to ministry. ..."
"... "We have clearly defined and specified the powers and competency of professionals and agencies such as engineers, architects and town planners. It also specifies which project needs clearance from Heritage Conservation Committee, Archeological Survey of India or National Monument Authority. These aim at ending confusion and other agencies unnecessarily trying to play some role in getting such clearances," an official said. ..."

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Find this at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/No-sanction-needed-to-build-small-house/articleshow/45696802.cms .

Solar photo voltaic cells across the slope of a dam in Maharashtra

India's First Solar Farm on Dam Wall

Solar photovoltaic cells are being erected across the slope of a Dam. This is an India-first.
The panels will be erected on the downstream slope of the Morbe gravity dam across the Dhavari river. This will generate 20MW power. The topography of the dam is its main feature. 32 million units power will be generated and fed into the grid.
This solar panels installation is different from the land ones. Mounting structures cannot be heavy. Structural integrity of the dam itself will be compromised otherwise. Although panels are being erected on the surface of dam reservoirs and canals, this is the first time -- possibly in the world -- that engineers are using the slope of a dam. India also has solar panels over canals.
Quote: 'India receives 4-7 kWh of solar radiation per square metre per day, with 300-325 sunny days in the year. India has abundant solar resources, as it receives about 3,000 hours of sunshine every year, equivalent to over 5,000 trillion kWh.'
A 1 MW solar power installation on top of a canal in Mehsana district was built. The pilot project spanned 750 metres. The project generates 1.6 million units of clean power and by covering the surface of the water, prevents 9 million litres from evaporating every year. Estimate is that by using one-tenth of the existing network of 19,000 km for solar panels, 11,000 acres of land and 2,000 million litres of water can be saved.
Punjab is also interested in the same and it has an extensive network of canals. Nano technology may be used to provide lightweight structures to support the panels over canals.
#SolarPower #Dams #DamsIndia #SolarPowerIndia #SolarFarm #SolarPanels #Maharashtra #Punjab #Gujarat #Kerala
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"... The panels have to be installed carefully, considering that the slope of the dam is earthen. "It extends for 3 km and we are erecting the panels on the slope," Rahul Gupta, the 27-year-old founder of Rays Power told indiaclimatedialogue.net. ..."
"... "Land is the biggest constraint," said Gupta, "so there is a huge potential in erecting panels over dams. The central government is proposing to help develop such technology." ..."
"... Since the Narmada dam authorities are presently building 19,000 km of canals to carry water to drought-stricken Saurashtra and Kutch, the scope for using these for solar power is immense. With declining costs of solar photovoltaic panels, the cost of such power has dropped from Rs 17 crores ($3 million) to Rs 11-12 crores ($1.8-1.9 million) per MW. Eventually, the canal network will extend for around 85,000 km. ..."
"... Meanwhile, Kerala is planning to set up another 1 MW pilot project where the panels would float over the reservoir of the Meenkara dam in Palakkad district. ..."
"... The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation is also planning to set up a 50 MW floating solar panel project in Kerala ... "
"... While conventional solar projects require 4 acres of land to generate 1 MW of power, with an investment of Rs 7 crore ($1.1 million), a floating alternative will call for 10-20% less surface area and cost Rs 6.5 crore ($1 million) per MW. This will generate power costing Rs 7 (11 cents) a unit, a rupee less than the conventional solar power system.
The Damodar Valley Corporation -- which straddles Jharkhand and West Bengal -- also plans to install 1,000 MW worth of solar power by covering 2,500 km of irrigation canals. ..."

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Find this at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/darryl-dmonte/maharashtra-races-to-buil_b_6343148.html .

Testing and display of Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) - Green Building Lab.

India's First green building lab. After FRC there is now TRC.

A 'green building laboratory' was inaugurated at Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA). IGB Lab is India's first innovative and green building laboratory. The laboratory will be used for testing as well as display of Textile Reinforcement Concrete (TRC). The lab has been established with international partners and India's CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai.
They want to convince Architects about TRC's feasibility. Until now, for green buildings, FRC (Fibre Reinforced Concrete) was being used. Technology for manufacturing TRC in India does not exist as of now. TRC requires alkali-resistant glass as raw material which is used to make warp-knitted structures and alkali resistant glass is not available in India. Import duty is high.
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"... Textile-reinforced concrete is a type of reinforced concrete in which the usual steel reinforcing bars are replaced by textile materials. Instead of using a metal cage inside the concrete, this technique uses a fabric cage inside the same.
According to experts, TRC is 80% lighter than fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) and stronger. This lab is an attempt to make the builders aware about this green building technology. ..."
"... TRC can also be used for curved structures and in comparison to FRC gives extra carpet area to builders."
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Find this at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/First-green-building-lab-in-country-opens-at-Ahmedabad-Textile-Industrys-Research-Association/articleshow/45594989.cms .

Famished For News!

Scroll Down for News

So the Introductions are over and it is time for News. News has already begun as you have noticed. You just need to scroll down and find more news. Introductions were spread, scattered later in between! On this Project expect news items in blitzes for a few days interspersed with brief lulls, or long lulls, or very long blitzes.
Thanks. You may invite your friends, colleagues, associates, family to G+1 this Page, and the Posts, and of course you can Follow the Google+. Spread Buzz, Spread Some Love! Share At Will.

Cooling Solution That Is Energy Efficient. Private Enterprise.

Jointless Pipes carry water and water is circulated.

Modern technology is used to provide an effective cooling solution. You lay joint less polypropylene pipes on roof and walls with water flowing through them and connect them to a circulation tank. Pipes can be covered. A small pump and fan for the radiator are needed. Solar panel can provide the power. They call it thermodrain and is costing Rs. 100/sqft. This may not be as effective everywhere. Humidity also plays its roll.
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"... has now developed a modern solution that mimics the age-old techniques used in constructing heritage buildings. ..."
"... heritage buildings like Taj Mahal, Lotus Temple and Gol Gumbaj ensure a cooler clime inside is that they have thick walls that act as a barrier to heat. The scale of construction was always grand, resulting the structure acting as a heat capacitor. And a water body close to the building drains the heat stored ..."
"... Water will pass into the tank through a radiator, which releases the heat stored in the water into the atmosphere and recirculates cooler water through the house, resulting in temperature of the structure being brought down. ..."
"... had this system installed at the smarak three years ago. We then switched from a 72-ton AC system to a 42-ton one, saving a lot of money. ..."

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Find this at http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-a-building-technology-to-usher-in-cool-climes-2051543 .

Let Us All Gear Up! Project ANI.

For Whom Is The News Meant? .. Architecture News India ..?

Ok Now, Let's Gear Up. For Whom Is This News Meant?

   The Project 'News Architecture India' is meant for Architects, Consultants, allied service providers, Contractors, Fabricators, Vendors, Manufacturers, Suppliers and the 'General Public', of course. In fact, the 'General Public' is the main recipient (let's make it clear as we begin) or the intended audience, because the news over here shall be from general or normal news sources.
   Now, the following shall be covered or 'touched': 'Building', 'Construction', 'Technology', 'Design' of course, whenever they are touching or nearing Architecture', ok? This is being mentioned specifically. You attempt something like this, and then you'll figure the reason of our mentioning it like this (sit pretty in a couch for hours together with eyes shut and think and then you'll figure). Go Figure. They are all very vast realms or subjects in themselves.
   The following is guiding us and shall be apparent as we trundle along: Method (includes Design Solutions), Technique, Technology, Science. ModusOperandi? Yes. 

Base is "Architecture".

Proof Lies In The Pudding

Background Checks? Owner is an Architect

Proof lies wherever. The owner, founder of Ether Domains is an Architect and runs his own small tootaa phootaa Consultancy. Visit Environs and you may download the visiting card from there.

The Proof Is In The Pudding.

Infosys Mysuru to display expertise to UD Ministry - Smart Cities

Mysuru Campus as precedent for Smart City India

Infosys is set to leverage its 'showcase Mysuru Campus' capability, ability and provide its expertise to the Urban Development Ministry in building Smart Cities. They have a precedent set, in other words, in smart infrastructure planning and sustainable building technology. They will develop their 350 acre campus, a mini city, as a model smart city to demonstrate advances in Urban Development. It's got 12 million square feet built up area and can house 15,000 trainees, 8,000 employees and several thousand contract workers. Infosys uses radiant cooling, day lighting and effective retrofit strategies to reduce energy consumption. The Command Centre will be in Bangalore.
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"... The $8.3-billion company's smart city concept is based on leveraging the power of data and technologies in building and using IT to minimise energy and resource consumption, increase use of renewable energy and reduce waste. ..."
"... "With our experience in computing technologies and in managing urban spaces totalling 2,600 acres, with a built-up area of 39 million square feet across the country, our model ecosystem at Mysuru will serve as an example of smart city innovations," Sikka said on the occasion. ..."
"... "The command centre analyses data of energy consumption, building operations and uses advanced algorithms for energy saving, predictive maintenance to ensure operational excellence," the statement added. ..."

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Find this at http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/infosys-to-offer-expertise-in-building-smart-cities-727239 .

Energy Efficient Design - Architecture Curriculum

India must change focus from emissions and cuts to areas like energy efficiency.

The Prime Minister calls for pushing green technology and international cooperation. He has called for a review of the curricula in architecture and civil engineering colleges so that energy-efficient design is incorporated majorly. Preparations for INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) was discussed.
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"... India must highlight its achievements in energy efficiency, conservation and clean energy and see what more can be done in these areas, instead of focusing solely on emissions and cuts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested.
Speaking at the first meeting of the revamped high level panel on climate change, Modi also called for setting up a consortium of nations with high solar energy potential, an official statement said. ..."
"... INDCs are steps every country is expected to take to tackle climate change, keeping in mind their domestic circumstances and goals. These submissions will form the basis for negotiations at the United Nations (UN) climate change conference in Paris in December. India is expected to submit its INDCs to the UN by June. ..."
"... a paradigm shift in global attitudes towards climate change, from carbon credit towards green credit ..."
"... “The prime minister said India looks at the global concern and awareness on climate change, as a great opportunity for working towards improving the quality of life of its citizens, and making a positive contribution for mankind,” the statement added. ..."

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Find this at http://www.livemint.com/Politics/jyXR8Ynz5WaRqcH9xA1vyO/PM-Modi-calls-for-green-technology-push-international-coope.html .