Dr K N Satyanarayana (KNS), the Director of IIT Tirupati, is an alumnus of IIT Madras, where he completed his civil engineering and went on to pursue his Masters and PhD degrees with specialisation in construction engineering and management from Clemson University, USA. His interests extend in the areas of project management, construction productivity, C&D waste management, amongst others. He has been the chairman of the implementation committee for IIT-M Research Park – Phase II and has served on the committees for setting up new campuses including – IIM Trichy, IIT Indore and Jodhpur.
In an interview with IE, Dr KNS highlights on the green trends in the construction industry and about the developments at the IIT Tirupati campus.
IE: How would growing urbanisation affect ecological balance in India?
Dr KNS: Construction is one of the biggest contributors to carbon emission. The push is towards green materials like steel, cement, glass,… and the industry is moving towards it. Our constructions must begin with the view of circularity so that when we demolish, most of the materials could be reused. Whether it is a building, bridge or a road, the idea that the materials must be repurposed and reused at the end of life of the product must be clear from the design stage itself. A lot of initiatives are going along these lines.
In the construction industry, 5-10 per cent of material tend to be wasted. While this needs to be reduced. Another aspect is to use quality materials that extend the life of construction and help attain maximal usage of the materials. My colleagues at IIT Madras, have developed an initiative called LC2 which means Low Carbon, Lean Construction technologies that focusses on ways to reduce and reuse construction materials.
IE: How is the construction material reuse market in India?
Dr KNS: In India, when a building is demolished, there is a good system to retrieve as much materials as possible. Every kg of steel is sent for recycling. All the wires and the copper in them are removed. Doors and windows have a secondary market. What finally remains is the masonry and concrete waste. The question is, can we retrieve these aggregates and reuse it?
We have done some studies and found that the cost of getting the aggregates back into a reusable state is little high. This is where the government can intervene to facilitate green construction. The tax portion for virgin material can be higher than that of reused one. This is like making the society pay for their long-term benefit. The other way is to incentivise or provide subsidies. Suppose one sets up a concrete aggregate recycling plant, the government should subsidise that, similar to the way it is done for other industries. This will encourage people to think in terms of environment and guide them in making conscious choices.
IE: Cooling is an important aspect in India amid it is also a major contributor to emissions. How will we see this evolving?
Dr KNS: In the life cycle of a building, over a 50-year period, the biggest cost element would be energy. If at the initial stages, thought is given to good energy efficient systems and practices, the maintenance cost will come down. A little higher initial cost, in the long run, will pay off.
Also, district cooling is a concept that can be adopted. At IIT Tirupati campus, all the buildings in academic zone are cooled by such a system. We have an 1850 tonne plant and the capacity can be doubled. It is operational for close to seven months and we expect at least 30 per cent energy saving in the process. This will be the way to go. All campuses with such buildings can install common cooling facilities. Coupled with efficient building management systems, power consumption can be better optimised. In the future, cooling, should also be supplied just like we provide power, water,…
IE: What new technologies can we expect in the construction industry
Dr KNS: The construction industry, generally has been a laggard in adopting new technologies and new materials. It is mainly due to very high competition and very low margins. This hinders from experimenting with new technologies and materials. The case is the same all over the world.
At IIT Madras, we introduced the GFRG technology (Glass Fibre Reinforced Gypsum). It is a highly sustainable technology where the panels are made from recycled industrial waste gypsum. The original panel making technology is from Australia. It was a great technology, but any new technology requires skilled man power and capabilities to develop it to precision. Only a strong supply chain can ensure its practice and longevity.
Though many people enquire after seeing the model building, today the panel making plants have gone bankrupt and shut. It was very cost and time effective, but the high-level technical precision required to manufacture and install couldn’t be created.
Another new technology is 3D printing of concrete. At IIT Tirupati, we have put a few 3D printed bus shelters. With this technology it is easier to get complicated shapes and patterns which are otherwise difficult with traditional construction methods.
We are also working on a high-performance concrete that is of high strength and will require less usage than the traditional one. We are to make a presentation on the same, to the Ministry of Road Transport.
IE: What role does AI play in the construction sector’s sustainability efforts?
Dr KNS: Today, AI and machine learning have a role everywhere. In construction, designs can get automated. It will play a major role in streamlining processes and enabling more efficient resource utilisation. It will also support decision-making by analysing data for optimised designs and construction methods.
IE: What are some opportunities and challenges faced by a new institute like IIT Tirupati?
Dr KNS: The opportunity is that, we are a new IIT and we have a started clean slate. We don’t have legacy problems. This allows us to do things in a much more agile way.
Industries like our agility when they partner with us. As we build our campus, we have access to hindsight knowledge from older IITs. The challenges are also the same, as we are building everything from scratch.
At IIT Tirupati, we have identified a few thrust areas, including materials and manufacturing, smart infrastructure, food technology and precision agriculture, amongst others. I strongly believe that India, has a long way to go, in forming a very strong manufacturing base. To achieve this, there are lot of challenges like availability of skilled manpower, government incentives, ease of doing business, etc., more importantly, materials will play a major role. Lot of new materials are being developed and we will continue to focus on the same. We have a center of excellence for smart factories and advanced manufacturing, along with Siemens where we host industry 4.0 applications, create digital twins,…
IE: What measures can be taken to promote sustainability in construction?
Dr KNS: In terms of manufacturing, whether it is about bringing new materials or technology, we must consider the entire world as a market. If we only focus on India, then some of these things may not be economically sustainable. China cracked this and became manufacturer for the world, bringing in economies of scale.
We will need to invest much more in research and education. Government should fund more in this direction. The next would be to incentivise activities related to recycling. While one aspect is the policy, implementation also must be strong. Like incentives, there could be disincentives for people not following these. It will help to incorporate the angle of sustainability in all spheres of activities.
