In early 2016, it was expected that tower cranes and mobile cranes would grow disproportionately vis-a-vis other construction equipment, driven by increased investments in real-estate projects. Did this pan out? Well, demand for mobile cranes - accounting for 9 per cent of construction equipment, about 5,500 machines - is expected to touch 6,800 by 2020, growing at over 40 per cent. Growth is slower in other crane segments, tower, crawler, etc.

Classic Marble Company has introduced a new range of high grade and high pressure compact laminates branded Exterior Clad Laminates (ECL) under KalingaSlimtech.

VitrA has introduced the Juno series, which offers a lavish bathroom interior ambiance that is created with original Swarovski crystal joysticks and faucet rings enhanced with fine details.

The tower crane market is in a fairly nascent stage in India as compared to developed markets. However, this scenario is changing and the tower cranes market is expected to grow at 20 per cent annually over the next few years. The real estate sector itself has seen a paradigm shift after the passing of RERA.

Affordable housing is still a major concern in India as it urgently needs to provide economical housing in the shortest timeframe. While the selection of construction technology and material should satisfy aspects such as ease of construction and lower cost, it is equally important to ensure sustainability.

The Solar Thermal Federation of India (STFI) and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) have teamed up for the international ‘Solar Payback’ project, which aims to increase the use of solar thermal energy in industrial processes. The kick-off meeting took place in Mumbai on December 16, 2016.

In a historic move, a majority of farmers from Fugale, Washala Budruk and Tokarkhand villages in Thane, Maharashtra, have given their consent to the Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Express Highway, popularly known as the Maharashtra Samruddhi Corridor (MSC).

Demonetisation – the most-repeated word used by an entire nation in the current times. Since November 8, 2016, the day PM Modi announced this revolutionary step affecting India’s economy, demonetisation has dominated every conversation and been connected with everything wrong happening in our economy. The purpose of the entire exercise was to clean up the system, and that is how it invariably got connected with real estate.

Duville Estates has launched a residential township project ‘Riverdale’, its first project in Kharadi, Pune. The project comprises of three premium offerings – Riverdale Heights, Riverdale Grand and Riverdale Residences – spread over 31 acre.