PRWire

New Delhi, INDIA - Various activities were conducted during the three day convention like holding of AGM, Governing Council Meeting, Exhibition, and Technical Seminars which was inaugurated by chief guest Shri. Jaipal Reddy (Hon’ble Union Minister of Urban Development) the guest of Honour Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal (Hon’ble Minister of state for Home Affairs) on 8th May, 2008 at Vigyan Bhawan.

On this occasion Mr Jaipal Reddy presented the awards for Excellence in Built Environment for the year 2007 and released a souvenir to mark the occasion. Urging for better planning of cities Mr. Reddy said, “High rice buildings are the solution of the urban housing problem. The construction industry should use eco friendly material and technology so that the high rise building could accommodate more people and provide better living conditions for human being without harming the environment. Green area, ample parking apace, recycling of disposals, water and energy conservation should be the priority of the builders”

On this occasion Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal said, “The Indian economy has opened up and brought new business opportunities that have changed urban dynamics. With growing incomes, priority for comfort and convenience, and an increasing demand for lifestyle homes, its boom time for real estate folks.”

The rapid pace of urbanization in India has resulted in the cities and towns getting crowded day by day. Land as a commodity is becoming scarcer and realty prices are becoming exorbitant .In the recent past, tall buildings have emerged in response to rapid urbanization and economic activities of commercial centers. This together with a challenge to human ingenuity to build upwards, largely through innovative concrete structures, has led to construction of some of the tallest buildings constructed in the country during last few decades. The ability to build has arisen from advances in several areas such as development of unique structural systems and advances in construction technology.

A tall building brings with it numerous issues like transportation and parking spaces, infrastructural needs such as power and water, environmental concerns, safety against natural hazards like wind, earthquake and fire. Fire safety in planning, designing and construction of buildings are of paramount importance as it concerns human life.

In order to find viable solution, it is proposed to have deliberations on “Recent Trends in High Rise Buildings” under the following sub-themes:-

(a) Architectural Planning

(b) Structural Planning & Construction

(c) Safety & Other Issues

The technical session included papers on Vision of Future Urban Form of Indian Megacity by A.K.Jain, High Rise Buildings:The Future of Built Form read by J.B Kshirsagar &Pawan Kumar,Circulation :The Basic Elemaent of High Rise Buildings by Judy Vinodhini &Lourde Horrin Leo, High Rise Building in 21st Century by Ajaya Bharadwaj, Low Energy High Rise Building Design-The Changing Concept by Satyaki Sarkar, Sustainability of Tall Buildings by Anu Sikha & Gopal Johari, Redefining Urban Environment in the Face of Emerging Trends by J.K. Gupta & Navdeep Virdi and High Rise Building Planning : An Overview by R.N. Yadav.

The papers that were presented under the heading Structural Planning & Construction and Safety Issues included Life Cycle Planning of Multistoried Structures, Recent Trends in High Rise Buildings, Practical Problems and Solutions in Construction of High Rise Buildings, Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures with Flat Slab System-A case study, Economic Considerations of High Rise Buildings, Imperative of Services and Facilities in High Rise Buildings- A case study, Waste Management Strategies for High Rise Buildings, Garbage Disposal Management in High Rise Buildings-An Overview, MCD Civic Center-A Case Study, Energy Efficient Buildings-Need of the Hour, Mitigating Terrorist Threat of High Rise Buildings, Environmental Measures and Management in High Rise Buildings-Case Study, Design Criteria in High Rise in Residential Buildings for Study, Fire and Life Safety Measures for Tall Structures, Crime Prevention Through Planning in Built Environment etc.

Indian Building Congress was founded on 1st September 1992 and registered as a society on 29th March 1993. Briefing about various activities conducted by IBC, Shri Pradeep Mittal, Honorary secretary of IBC said, “The vision of the organization is a Built Environment which is affordable, aesthetic, cost competitive, technology driven and capable of meeting the needs of the Indian masses. We are expecting more than 500 delegates from all over the India to attend The National Seminar and Convention this year”.

Indian Buildings Congress (IBC) brings together the professionals from different disciplines on a common platform so that all concerned could share their experiences and work together for creating a congenial built environment for every one. The major Government organizations associated with IBC include CPWD, MES, Railways, HUDCO, BMTPC, CBRI, DDA and State PWDs. At present it has on its roll 60 institutional members and more than 2,500 individual members. IBC Chapters are already functioning in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chhattisgarh and Agartala. Hon’ble Minister for Urban Development, Shri Jaipal Reddy is the chief patron of IBC.