Current times have presented before us challenges we might not have anticipated. Regulated assembly of people at one place have also affected the way we did impart and gain knowledge every day. This calls for an update in the mode of learning.

Sustainable Habitat Programme, TERI, has launched the “Introduction to Green Building Profession: Skill Training & Management” programme. We envisage it to be the first step to becoming a green building professional, for final year students, fresh graduates and young professionals seeking to understand the green building industry better.

• The K ECBC 2014 had been updated as KECBC 2018 and notified in the Karnataka State Gazette on 28^th May 2020. The Code is mandatory and the enforcement of the Code came into effect in the State from the date of notification for efficient use of energy in the Commercial Buildings.
• 'Introduction to Green Building Profession: Skill Training & Management' programme launched.
• 'Web-S: Unlocking Sustainability 2020' a series of six webinars on mainstreaming resource efficiency in the built environment launched

1.KPMG (2020). Covid-19: assessment of economic impact on construction sector in India

International Conference ‘ANGAN’ on Building Energy Efficiency organised in New Delhi - 9^th - 11^th September 2019

TERI played the role of being the Knowledge Partner for organizing ANGAN (Augmenting Nature by Green Affordable New-habitat), a 3-day International Conference on behalf of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) of the Government of India and Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale

The success of the event could be gauged from the fact that it brought stakeholders from more than eleven nationalities on a common platform to address critical issues in the domain of building energy efficiency.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia suggested on ushering of a new partnership between TERI, GRIHA Council, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and UNSW. In this regard, TERI organized a ‘Knowledge Exchange Programme cum Field Visit on built environment framework through implementation pathway of Australia – strategies for EcoNiwas Samhita’ from August 11–17, 2019 in Charles Darwin University, Darwin and UNSW, Sydney for a delegation from India comprising of Central/State government officials.

TERI and UNSW signed a MoU on August 15, 2019 identifying broad areas of mutual interest for collaboration through applied research.

	13 to 30% reduction in Investments
	15 to 34% reduction in Gross Value Added
	11 to 25% reduction in employment
	20 to 25% rise in labour costs for skilled workers. 10-15% rise in labour costs for semi and unskilled workers.

COVID-19: A strategic opportunity for sustainable development
-Mr Siddharth Jain

The sector-specific allocations for health, education, and infrastructure the Union Budget 2020-21 collectively make up only a fraction of India's GDP. Our rapidly developing economy is threatened in the wake of a new global pandemic, COVID-19.


COVID-19 and Water Industry: Challenges and opportunities in the new normal
-Dr. Nupur Bahadur

The published article is an invited contribution in the 20^th Anniversary Special Issue of Everything About Water magazine, June 2020. It focuses on various challenges present before the Water Industry during COVID-19 pandemic and how with every challenge lies an opportunity in the new normal.

The onset of COVID-19 pandemic, a public health emergency of international concern, has presented a situation of social and economic turmoil. Limiting the economic impact of the pandemic and stimulating the economies, once the pandemic is brought under control and operations resume to a ‘new normal’, is a vital concern of the government.

In view of the above, Sustainable Buildings Division, TERI, launched 'Web-S: Unlocking Sustainability 2020' a series of six webinars, each with a progressive focus on various aspects related to mainstreaming resource efficiency in the built environment. The series focuses on building the capacity and knowledge of building practitioners, practitioners in ULBs, early career researchers, and university students towards informed decision-making for resource efficiency. First three in the series are as follow:

Visit by Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Director, Sm@rt Centre, UNSW, Sydney, Australia to MTCoE Lab

Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla and her colleagues visited the Mahindra TERI Centre of Excellence on 20^th December, 2019 to understand the on-going testing and research work that the lab is currently undertaking. Mr. Sanjay Seth, Senior Director, Sustainable Habitat Program provided a walk-through tour of the CoE and his colleagues demonstrated the testing of thermal properties in the lab using TPS500S and Guarded Hot Box equipment.

Hot Disk TPS 500 Thermal Constants Analyser

The thermal properties of building materials affects occupant comfort, energy consumption and carssbon footprint. While thermal testing is a common practice, knowledge gaps do exist in the market. We at Mahindra TERI CoE (NABL accredited lab) are currently testing the thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat capacity of homogenous and opaque building materials using the latest Transient Plane Source technology of the Hot Disk TPS 500 to investigate and create a database of the thermal properties of conventional and emerging construction materials.