Infra development spurs use of innovative facades, glass

01 Oct 2019 CW Team

The focus on the development of infrastructure is creating scope for innovative facades and novel uses of glass. For instance, in designing a new railway station at Hubli, a first for having a large span, Architect Indrajit Kembhavi of Kembhavi Architects opted to give the building an airport-like appearance to be experiential for all classes of society. “Being public property, we also needed to consider, in particular, economy, as well as flexibility and sustainability. So we opted for toughened laminated glass, aluminium composite panels and galvanized aluminium sheets.”

Earlier this year, Rishikesh’s iconic Lakshman Jhula, built in 1940, was declared unfit. It was closed and, simultaneously, a plan to build India’s first glass bridge near the Lakshman Jhula was unveiled. The new bridge is expected to be in place by Kumbh 2021. It will be made using Chinese glass. Incidentally, China is fairly advanced in glass bridge construction and is home to the Heibei glass bridge, the world’s longest glass-bottomed bridge boasting 1,077, 4-cm-thick glass panels, and the world’s highest glass-bottomed bridge, the 430-m-long Zhangjiajie glass bridge, with 99 panes of three-layer transparent glass. Glass bridges open up a new application of this versatile, environment-friendly construction material.

“Glass has a huge role to play in the infra development of the country,” agrees Manish Sisodia, National Head - Glass Future, Saint-Gobain Glass India.

Infrastructure Energy

05 Jun 2026

India Adds Record 44.61 GW Solar Capacity in FY2026

India’s solar sector reached a milestone in FY2026, with cumulative installed capacity crossing 150 GW and annual additions hitting a record 44.61 GW, exceeding the government target of 34 GW and nearly doubling FY2025’s 23.83 GW. Distributed Renewable Energy contributed 16.3 GW, while PPA and C&I segments accounted for 34 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively.India has risen from 9th globally in 2015 to 3rd in cumulative solar capacity by 2025 and is set to become the world’s second-largest solar market in annual installations in 2026. Seven states, led by Rajasthan and Gujarat, ac..

Abhee Ventures unveils Scottish-themed 45-acre township in Bengaluru

Abhee Ventures, a leading South Indian real estate developer, has announced “Codename New Dimension,” a 45-acre Scottish-themed residential township at Gunjur on Whitefield–Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru. Strategically located between Whitefield and Sarjapur Road, Gunjur benefits from strong connectivity to the Outer Ring Road IT corridor, ITPL, EPIP, the upcoming Dommasandra Metro Station, and the proposed SWIFT City and Peripheral Ring Road.The township, designed in collaboration with London-based UHA London and India’s RSP Architects, offers low-density living with 85 per cent open spaces..

Hindalco unveils Eternia experience centre for high-performance aluminium windows

Hindalco Industries, the metals flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has launched its Eternia experience centre in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, highlighting its high-performance aluminium window systems designed for India’s evolving construction sector. The company is also expanding its manufacturing footprint in North India with a new Bilaspur facility.Eternia has emerged as one of the fastest-growing brands in system aluminium windows, registering nearly 65 per cent CAGR over the last three years. With a nationwide network of 170+ channel partners across 100+ cities, the brand serves homeowners..