'Mass housing is a self-defeating concept'

SUHASINI AYER-GUIGAN is an architect concerned with issues of rural development and habitat. Holding a degree in architecture from the Delhi-…

Republic quaked

Gujarat is paying a heavy price for a calamity that is by far the biggest government-made disaster since Independence. As the state crawls out …

Kangra safe corners

The Himalaya is the youngest range of mountains in the world are immensely prone to earthquakes. The entire range falls in seismic zone 5 and 4 - …

How green is your building?

The building's green credentials have been recognised internationally, most notably by the us Green Business Council (usgbc). The Washington-…

Sand slips

Where there is a river, there is sand. Called a minor mineral, it fulfils a major requirement of the booming construction industry. No wonder, …

Restoring a century-old building in Chandannagar helps raise awareness about heritage management

The Registry Building constructed in 1875 served as the register office as well as the first French courthouse

Delhi is earthquake prone

The 2001 Bhuj earthquake was something of a watershed in Indian disaster preparedness. Several state governments, most so in the Northeast, and …

Mandatory building energy code needed by 2030, says UN report

The building sector’s energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions rose by 7% since 2010, the report said

Switch on the window, please

Windows that change from clear to dark and back at the flick of a switch are set to make air-conditioning systems redundant in buildings, thereby …

Structural collapse

The rot has set in the construction sector. A dysfunctional clearance system has led to a series of building collapses in the recent past. …

One Track Mind

The Union government's ineptness in dealing with technology finds a new victim: Delhi's metro rail project

Windows for the Third World

Scientists claim highly insulating windows called "Low-E (emissivity)" windows could save considerable amounts of power in developing countries.

After the quake

Punarvasan: A Document on Reconstruction in Post-Earthquake Marathwada Audio Visual Unit, Tata Institute of Social Sciences 58 min English Rs …

Houses of cards

A recent workshop reveals that the rehabilitation of the 1993 Marathwada earthquake victims was a bloody farce

"People can save on electricity bills"

N K Bansal, of Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi talks to TV Jayan on energy efficiency

Quaking, 1108 aftershocks later

The Indian plate is underthrusting the Eurasian plate by 4 to 5 centimetres a year. But our scientists move even slower. Are they waiting for the …

Our Agenda for survival EP2: Rethinking comfort: We should not make air-conditioners a status symbol

Managing our cooling and heating demands is critical to environmental sustainability. Are we doing it right? Sunita Narain explains why we need …

Nepal earthquake reconstruction won't succeed until vulnerability of survivors is addressed

In Nepal, 80% of human settlement is often referred to as “informal”. These are households not in compliance with building norms and …

Eco-friendly building

BUILD YOUR HOUSE TO THE RHYTHM OF LIFE Vinoo Kaley Bliarat Jan Gyan Vigyan Jatha National Organising Council

Meinhard Von Gerkan on GMP's entry into India

Meinhard Von Gerkan, a partner in the German architectural firm GMP, was in Delhi recently to prospect for ventures in India, particularly in …

Sikkim, the land blessed by Guru Rinpoche, is being destroyed by anthropogenic activity: Yishey Doma

The author of several books on Sikkimese religion, folklore and culture speaks with Down To Earth in the light of the South Lhonak Lake disaster

Road to cool cities: Codes based on unique ‘urban form’ can be helpful

Urban India is a heat trap, but road orientation, building materials and zone-specific master plans can drastically enhance thermal comfort

Mud housing is the key

Mud's low cost and malleability makes it an ideal building material. But its use can be popularised only if such drawbacks as its …

Murky science of comfort part 2: Why we feel suffocated in a building even when it is pleasant outside

Humans are built to get used to local environments but unfortunately industry interests have come to define what ‘comfortable’ room …

Record renewable power capacity installed in 2016

Installed renewable capacity touched the 2,000-gigawatt-milestone, on the back of a growing solar sector