Prioritising Green and Sustainable ‘Housing for All'

IIFL Home Finance Ltd. (IIFL HFL) organized a series of four webinars, under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ (MoHUA) initiative ‘Awas Pe Samvaad’. The objective of the webinars was to create an eco-system for Sustainable and Green Affordable Housing in India. Advocating the Government’s vision of ‘Housing for All', the virtual sessions aimed at discussing and disseminating the knowledge of ‘Housing in Urban Spaces’ amongst students, professors, architects, green building consultants, engineers, sustainability professionals, and urban practitioners and more.

IIFL HFL Ltd. organized four webinars, focusing on subjects Role of Indigenous Housing Technologies in Transforming Indian Construction Sector using Local Materials and Practices’ and ‘New Emerging Construction Technologies and Opportunities for Technograhis to Learn and Adopt from Light House Projects (LHPs)’ at three reputed architecture colleges and a renowned green rating agency in the country; IES College of Architecture (Mumbai), Sushant University (Gurugram), Chitkara School of Planning & Architecture (Chandigarh), and  Indian Green Building Council (IGBC, Hyderabad). These webinars were conducted from 20th to 23rd September 2021 and were attended by over 470 students and 135 professionals, including the professors, architects, green building consultants, engineers, sustainability professionals, and urban practitioners.

The webinars witnessed discussions and deliberations between industry experts such as  Ar. Pratik Dhanmer (Architect & Professor at IES COA), Ar. Gaurav Shorey (Co-founder & President at 5waraj), Prof. Tanaya Verma (Associate Professor at Sushant University), Prof. Preetha Sajin (Head of Department of Planning and Development at Sushant University), Ar. P. B. Sajan (Chief Architect & Joint Director at Costford), Mr. Uday Banu (Principal Partner at EFNRA Consultants), Prof. Kanika Bansal (Deputy Dean at CSPA), Ar. Sandeep Virman (Founder of Hunnarshala Foundation), Ms. Aparna Das (Senior Advisor SUDSC at GIZ), Mr. K. Sriram (Chairman - National Green Skills Committee at IGBC) and Mr. S. J. Vijay (Founder & Chairman at Salmon Leap Associates India Pvt. Ltd. ). The sessions were moderated by Mr. Monu Ratra (ED & CEO at IIFL Home Finance Ltd.) and Mr. Apoorv Kaushik (title), and focused on subjects such as how indigenous materials and technologyy could sustain the environment and contribute to the development of sustainable construction, thereby positively influencing the environment and transforming the construction industry. The speakers also shared valuable insights on the use of sustainable construction materials and technologies, based on livability factors and site context. They discussed the significance of investing in Indian artisans as well as their future visions for building and scaling smart cities, and also shared ideas on how to incorporate sustainability as a value by using Green technology and disseminate knowledge to the relevant stakeholders.

Speaking at the conclusion of the sessions, Mr. Monu Ratra – ED & CEO at IIFL Home Finance Ltd. said, “With the four-part series ‘Awas Par Samvaad’ webinars, we hope to have inspired the attendees to embrace sustainability as a value, by practicing the inclusion of green and sustainable construction technology. For us at IIFL Home Finance Ltd., this was another step towards our goal of creating a sustainable ecosystem for Green Affordable Housing in the country, in alignment with the Government’s mission of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Housing for All."