+
India's Green Construction Sector In The Making
Interiors

India's Green Construction Sector In The Making

We're talking about the construction industry, which includes not just houses, offices, and factories, but also huge infrastructure projects including as highways, airports, dams, bridges, and a nationwide metro train network in tier 1 and tier 2 cities. The most recent federal budget raised infrastructure capital expenditure allocation to Rs 5.54 lakh crore, or about 34% more than what was authorised in 2020–21, which would be spent mostly on road and rail projects. This year, another Rs 55 000 crore would be invested on public housing projects.

All of this is unquestionably good news for the building industry in terms of growth. But it also implies that environmental pressure will rise correspondingly, if not more so. According to a 2010 projection by the McKinsey Global Institute, metropolitan India's population would expand by about 250 million people, requiring 700-900 million m2 of new residential and commercial space.

The good news is that major areas of the building industry, such as steel, electricity, and cement, as well as the wider build materials sector, have begun to transition toward greener goods and manufacturing processes.

The potential for a more sustainable construction sector is enormous, and the use of environmentally friendly building materials is only one aspect of it. The circular economy, which is focused on the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle), is at the heart of these industries' sustainability activities.

The concept of a circular economy is gaining traction in the construction industry, with increasing use of recycled building materials and more sustainable techniques that allow us to create more with less input, such as water and energy. In India, a science-driven approach to developing more sustainable construction materials is gaining traction, prompting businesses to form outcome-driven partnerships with universities. Here, the steel and cement industries are leading the way.

The consumer's side of the tale is equally intriguing. Consumers today, in both residential and business settings, are playing an active and critical part in ensuring that their carbon footprint is as little as possible. Rooftop solar with net metering is quickly gaining traction across a number of user groups, including households, industries, and commercial buildings. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in demand for green buildings. What began as a trickle at the beginning of the millennium has now expanded to over 7.5 billion square feet of green built-up area, making India one of the world's largest and fastest expanding marketplaces for green buildings.

The Indian Green Building Council hopes to reach the 10-billion-square-foot goal by next year, when India will be 75 years old. The outlook appears to be extremely promising. It will only be a matter of time until green building is fully mainstreamed and made accessible to the general public. Given the scope of the potential in India, this should position us as a green building leader.

Also read

https://www.constructionworld.in/latest-construction-news/real-estate-news/interiors/a-man-used-beer-bottles---soil-to-build-a-home-just-for-rs.-6-lakh/29856

https://www.constructionworld.in/latest-construction-news/real-estate-news/interiors/bamboo-construction-to-replace-plastic-and-cement-in-buildings/27927


We're talking about the construction industry, which includes not just houses, offices, and factories, but also huge infrastructure projects including as highways, airports, dams, bridges, and a nationwide metro train network in tier 1 and tier 2 cities. The most recent federal budget raised infrastructure capital expenditure allocation to Rs 5.54 lakh crore, or about 34% more than what was authorised in 2020–21, which would be spent mostly on road and rail projects. This year, another Rs 55 000 crore would be invested on public housing projects.All of this is unquestionably good news for the building industry in terms of growth. But it also implies that environmental pressure will rise correspondingly, if not more so. According to a 2010 projection by the McKinsey Global Institute, metropolitan India's population would expand by about 250 million people, requiring 700-900 million m2 of new residential and commercial space.The good news is that major areas of the building industry, such as steel, electricity, and cement, as well as the wider build materials sector, have begun to transition toward greener goods and manufacturing processes.The potential for a more sustainable construction sector is enormous, and the use of environmentally friendly building materials is only one aspect of it. The circular economy, which is focused on the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle), is at the heart of these industries' sustainability activities.The concept of a circular economy is gaining traction in the construction industry, with increasing use of recycled building materials and more sustainable techniques that allow us to create more with less input, such as water and energy. In India, a science-driven approach to developing more sustainable construction materials is gaining traction, prompting businesses to form outcome-driven partnerships with universities. Here, the steel and cement industries are leading the way.The consumer's side of the tale is equally intriguing. Consumers today, in both residential and business settings, are playing an active and critical part in ensuring that their carbon footprint is as little as possible. Rooftop solar with net metering is quickly gaining traction across a number of user groups, including households, industries, and commercial buildings. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in demand for green buildings. What began as a trickle at the beginning of the millennium has now expanded to over 7.5 billion square feet of green built-up area, making India one of the world's largest and fastest expanding marketplaces for green buildings.The Indian Green Building Council hopes to reach the 10-billion-square-foot goal by next year, when India will be 75 years old. The outlook appears to be extremely promising. It will only be a matter of time until green building is fully mainstreamed and made accessible to the general public. Given the scope of the potential in India, this should position us as a green building leader.Also readhttps://www.constructionworld.in/latest-construction-news/real-estate-news/interiors/a-man-used-beer-bottles---soil-to-build-a-home-just-for-rs.-6-lakh/29856https://www.constructionworld.in/latest-construction-news/real-estate-news/interiors/bamboo-construction-to-replace-plastic-and-cement-in-buildings/27927

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

India Expands Semiconductor Training To 500 Institutions

Under the Chips to Startups programme of the India Semiconductor Mission, the Union minister responsible for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and IT reported notable progress in talent development. He indicated that over the past four years substantial steps have been taken towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. World-class EDA tools have been deployed in 315 academic institutions across the country to provide students with practical exposure to chip design. These EDA tools are supported by leading global firms and are accessible t..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Delhi Institutions Support India Semiconductor Mission

The Government of India has prioritised talent development through training, upskilling and workforce development under the Chips to Startups initiative of the India Semiconductor Mission, with officials noting progress in four years towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. Electronic design automation tools provided by Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Renesas, Ansys and AMD have been deployed in 315 academic institutions, enabling students to gain practical chip design experience. Chips have been fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory, Mohali, a..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

NHA Announces Winners Of NHCX Hackathon At IIT Hyderabad

The National Health Authority (NHA) has concluded the NHCX Hackathon under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to stimulate innovation around the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX). The winning teams presented their solutions at the NHCX Innovation Meet held at IIT Hyderabad during a two-day event in March 2026 that also served as the hackathon grand finale. The hackathon itself ran from 22 to 28 February 2026 and aimed to accelerate paperless, transparent claims processing across India. The event was organised with a range of ecosystem partners, including the Insurance Regulatory a..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement