Constro 2012 focuses on affordable housing and green technology

Pune, Maharashtra: Constro 2012, an international exhibition on construction machinery, materials, methods and projects, was inaugurated by well known architect Hafeez Contractor here at Agriculture College grounds, Range Hill on Thursday. Organised by Pune Construction Engineering Research Foundation (PCERF), an NGO working in the interest of infrastructure and construction Industry, the four-day event is showcasing various aspects of technologies and innovations in the construction industry.

“The challenge before the construction industry is to provide affordable housing to 70 per cent of the population of the country,” Contractor said after inaugurating the event.

Pointing out that increasing the floor space index (FSI) will play a major role in solving the housing problem, Contractor said, “The demand for space in the office sector apart from housing is also on the rise and new townships on the lines of Chicago city will have to be built every year. Affordable housing means that houses should be made available to people at low costs as today the property rates are just going beyond common man’s reach.”

Shrikant Nivsarkar, president of PCERF said that as many as 300 stalls, both from India as well as abroad, are displaying products with themes on renewable energies for housing, innovative and lightweight construction technologies, affordable housing and sustainable construction.

Apart from home grown construction technologies, we also have technologies and products from China, Japan, Italy, Germany, France & Singapore on display, said Naren Kothari, chairman of Constro 2012.

Informing that the event itself an example for energy conservation, Kothari said, “We are using three windmills, each producing 5KW along with solar panels to generate 30KW of electricity for the event. The power is stored in a series of batteries and used for entrance and open area lighting. We will also be converting all organic waste generated at the exhibition into manure and give it free to the needy. We are looking futuristically and want to make a case for implementation of green power technology for housing societies and new projects.”

PCERF safety awards were also given away by J R Tanti of Synefra Engineering and Construction Ltd to Rohan Builders, Millenium engineers and Contractors Private Ltd, Devi constructions, BG Shrike technologies while the best civic engineer award was presented to Nandkishore Jagtap of Pune Municipal Corporation.