Order of the Supreme Court of India in the matter of Sarika Vs Administrator, Mahakaleshwar Mandir Committee, Ujjain & Others dated 01/09/2020. The SC passed a slew of direction after taking into account the report submitted by the Experts Committee on January 19, 2019, the report of the Temple Committee …
Houses are a metaphor for a way of life, reflecting the social and economic background of the occupants. Rural economies, in their diversity and complexity, mirror subsistence strategies ranging from agriculture to foraging and fishing. And are interdependent parts of a whole. The dynamic links between the two involve continuous …
Various types of allergies, bronchial asthma, diabetes, obesity, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, aids and tuberculosis have become almost endemic to our civilisation. Most even today take it for granted that at a certain age, one of these maladies will strike them. Is it possible that building designs
This paper attempts a preliminary assessment of indoor conditions and thermal comfort in a room coupled with direct evaporative cooler in four different climatic zones of India. A room in a building has been simulated to obtain diurnal hourly values of room air dry bulb temperature and relative humidity for …
just one step outside any building of Venice is enough to drown Dario Camuffo in a sea of worries. Unlike those in power, he is unable to shut out a harsh reality
Our houses gobble up energy and spew out carbon dioxide. Shocking, but true. Buildings, primarily residential and commercial facilities, are responsible for approximately 35 per cent of us greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions. Ventilation and insulation are not given adequate emphasis in urban layouts. Consequently, urban sprawls manage to use more …
The brief history of The Royal Indian Engineering College puts in proper perspective British attempts to colonise nature, resulting in disastrous consequences for populations throughout the empire. The British Raj's grand scheme for engineers envisaged a role extending far beyond mere designing of construction projects. This piece delves into an …
As per a new directive, the eu will certify buildings for energy efficiency from 2006 onwards. The European Climate Change Programme, established in 2000 to meet Kyoto Protocol targets, has identified the construction sector as providing the largest potential for carbon dioxide emission reduction. Buildings already account for up to …
Quite frankly our friends in government would be right in saying that they are damned if they don't and even more damned if they do. But what can we say. It is truly amazing how our government agencies learn so little about how programmes can be made to work. Every …
The Green Rating Project (grp) team knew from the beginning that a thorough rating process would require a set of parameters and methodology that would stand the test of time and the scrutiny of the industry as well as critics. There was no precedent to go by, therfore the team …
The debut vehicle of Hyundai Motors is immensely popular with the customers despite being a relatively late entry here in 1998. Santro's success is pegged on the comparatively low fuel cost and a high reliance on pollution control equipments, making it the third best in the small car segment. The …
Far back in 1985, Hero Honda cd 100 was the first four-stroke bike to take a tentative step in the Indian market. Since then it's going great guns. The product has been rated the second best model behind its new avatar
It may not be the most powerful or the very stylish. But as the most user-friendly bike, Hero Honda has sped far ahead in the race for market capitalisation. Sporting an economical and optimised vehicle design, the product has scored an impressive 40.7 per cent to push contenders like Bajaj …
DELHI'S ambitious metro rail system is losing track. The choice of gauge - broad or standard - has snowballed into a major controversy. The players: Delhi government and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on one side pushing for standard gauge and the Union ministry of railways, which wants status …
few realise that behind the colourful contemporary folk art of Mithila paintings is a powerful message of conservation and an indication of the region's rich biodiversity. Traditionally done in the Madhubani region of north Bihar, the paintings were originally made by women as
Rejecting the pleas of conservationists, the constitutional tribunal of Ecuador has taken a decision which would cause irreparable damage to the Mindo ecological reserve (see Down To Earth , Vol 10, No 3, June 30, p13). It has permitted multinational consortium ocp Ecuador sa to complete the construction of a …
T he merit of kat-ki-kunni (timber-cornered building) of Himachal Pradesh can be traced back to 1905, if not earlier. A massive temblor levelled every village from Dharamsala to Kangra. Measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale, it lasted two minutes and was felt over 416,000 sq km. But, buildings with kat-ki-kunni …
At 2.53 am on October 25, 1991, a moderate earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale affected more than 425,000 people of about 2,100 villages in the districts of Uttarkashi, Tehri and Chamoli in what was then Uttar Pradesh and is now the hill state of Uttaranchal. Traditionally built timber …
