Even from the outside, the IRRAD building gives you the feeling of tranquillity. Its dull reddish-brown façade looks like it has yachts sailing across it, except they are all upside down. Later I would find out that the sails of these ‘yachts’ are actually triangular curtains, specially designed to keep the summer sun out and let the winter sun in, one of several key features that makes this a ‘green building.’

Increasing frequency and intensity of earthquakes has renewed the urgency in improving the preparedness and in making the infrastructure earthquake-resistant. Sikkim, a northeastern Indian Himalayan state, was hit by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake of intensity VII on 18 September 2011, which triggered hundreds of boulder falls and landslides, causing extensive damage to public and private infrastructure. An assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the various structures present in rural areas was carried out. Assessment of the quantum of damage indicated that though

Some states have banned mechanised mining, but the mafia is not ready to obey. Illegal mining is hollowing the riverbed putting at risk the stability and ecology of rivers. This special report in Down To Earth examines the murky business of sand mining.

Present study deals with the stack and ambient air quality monitoring of brick klins in Uttar Pradesh and air dispersion modeling was carried out using the Gaussian model to calculate the ground level concentrations (GLC) of suspended particulate matter (SPM). Based on GLC, criteria has been proposed for installation of new brick kilns and good house keeping practices have been recommended for adoption in and around the brick kilns to reduce the ill effect of pollution on the buildings, human health, flora and fauna.

An exogenously defined poverty line yields poverty headcounts between any two points in time that are a net outcome of the two-way traffic into and out of poverty. This paper argues that, for the rural Indian context, where housing is too lumpy and illiquid to be used for consumption smoothing, transitions in housing quality in cross-sectional data sets can provide revealed evidence of household perceptions of downside risk to their current consumption levels.

Biomimetics is a field of science that studies biological processes for effectively using them in the development of innovative engineering materials and systems. It is a new field of emergence in materials science and engineering in which lessons learned from biology form the basis for evolution of novel technological materials. Biomimetics is finding application in diverse areas ranging from micro/nano electronics to civil/structural engineering.

Reducing carbon emissions is not just about curbing vehicular pollutants. Those in the business of green have realised that using energy-efficient construction material can make all the difference. And, windows can help a great deal in the process.

The stone wool insulation material produced at Dahej, will save 1,000,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.