SISBRICK

With the recent spurt in vertical growth of buildings in a developing country like India, earthquakes pose an even greater threat to the safety of life and property. The discussion on how safe buildings and houses are in India has again gained prominence, after the recent earthquakes in Nepal.
During an earthquake, a wave propagates from the rock to the soil and then into the structure, creating a sway in the structure; the damage depending on the location of epicentre (both horizontal and vertical distance below the ground), type of foundation soil, and the earthquake resistance of the building. The key to designing an earthquake-resistant structure is to build a ductile structure rather than a stiff structure.
Load bearing structures are typically built prior to the 1970s, and have low resistance to earthquake. The bricks are stiff and have no way to either pull the structure in the direction opposite of the sway or be ductile enough to allow for small movement in the structure; exhibiting instantaneous failure. One way to avoid such catastrophic failure is to create a disconnect between the foundation of the building and the rest of the above ground structure by the base isolation method. This can be done by the use of Anti-seismic bricks or Sisbrick. 
Sisbrick is a new class of earthquake-resistant building materials that seismically isolates partition walls from the main building structure, significantly reducing the tension between these two elements and, therefore, the damage incurred. The key to the Sisbrick lies in the way different materials have been combined to achieve its objective. It is able to absorb horizontal seismic movements, while also supporting vertical loads (for instance, partition walls, which sets it apart from other anti-seismic technology available) that act on the integrity of the building frame. Moreover, its brick form means it can be readily incorporated into traditional construction techniques, without the need for additional equipment. Researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de Valencia (Polytechnic University of Valencia, UPV) have confirmed about the improved response of buildings with Sisbrick to earthquakes.

References:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151125083932.htm
http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/standpoint-earthquake-resistant-structures-how-safe-is-your-home-2082169

AUTOBAHN GERMANY

The Autobahn is the pinnacle of the German driving experience. 12,949 kilometers (8,046 mi) of smooth, dense road network crossing the entire length of Germany. Built with a precision of German engineering, it is one of the most technologically advanced motorways of the world. Striking a balance between speed, efficiency and safety is the key to success in such projects.
It was Adolf Hitler who saw the benefits of having a high speed transit system and started a program for the expansion of Autobahn. By 1942, over 2500 mi of network had been built connecting major German cities.  If you want a strong, fast motorway, it’s not the length or the width that counts; it’s the ‘depth’.  The Autobahn ranges from 55 to 85cm in depth as compared to 35-39cm thick average British motorway. This thicker surface makes it stand the constant wear and tear of vehicles but the major reason for wear and tear is the rain. 2.5% side slope allows the water to drain off the surface in a quick manner.
This isn’t all! The autobahn is fast because it’s flat. It has about 4% constant gradient throughout which was quite difficult to maintain as the German authorities had to literally move mountains in order to maintain it.  The motorway authorities, police and latest technologies help them to keep a check upon the rash drivers and maintain a lesser rate of accidents.
Thus it is an extremely important arterial road that criss-crosses the country and every detail  that went into its making was executed by a massive team of designers and engineers., to make sure the road is always functional and the traffic keeps moving.

References: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSJbZiGQ_KI

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn

BUDGET ALLOCATION OF 2016 IN INFRASTRUCTURE

India’s dream of becoming a global leader is impossible unless its infrastructure becomes robust. This idea gets reflected in the Union budget for 2016-17.Infrastructure development is at the forefront when it comes to the budget allotment for next fiscal. The Central Government announced allocation of Rs 2,21,246 crores for road and rail sector in the Union budget. Different areas of infrastructure are given due consideration. There has been an allocation of Rs 97,000 crores for roads development including rural roads. As per FM of India, 85% of stalled projects are put on track. The target is to build 10,000 km of National Highways and upgrade 50,000 km of state highways which will be much higher than previous two years. Also in field of civil aviation, 160 non-functional airstrips will be developed. There is also a bid to modernize the existing public sector ports. The Finance Minister said that, “The major benefits of this game-changing initiative will be provision of more efficient public transport facilities, greater public convenience, new investment in this moribund sector, creation of new jobs for our youth, growth of start-up entrepreneurs and other multiple effects”.

For more details, please visit:

1.      http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/union-budget-2016-big-biscuits-for-infrastructure/1/608010.html

2.      http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/union-budget-2016-on-the-road-to-development/

3.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ8oMCnSAkI

BHAKRA NANGAL DAM

The Bhakra Nangal dam refers to the set of two dams, 15 kms apart-Bhakra and Nangal, built across the Sutlej River in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, India. The construction of the dam was started in 1946 under the then chief engineer Rai Bahadur Kunwar Sen Gupta, and was completed in 1963; incurring a total cost of 245.28 crore INR. 
The Bhakra Nangal dam is classified as a Straight Concrete Gravity Dam. A concrete gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete masonry designed to hold back water by utilising the weight of the material alone to resist the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. It is designed in such a way that each section of dam is stable and independent.
The dam, at 226 m (741 ft), is one of the highest gravity dams in the world (compared to USA's largest Hoover Dam at 743 ft). The length and width of the dam are 518.25 m and 9.1 m respectively. Its reservoir known as "Gobind Sagar" stores up to 9.34 billion cubic metres of water. In terms of quantity of water, it is the third largest reservoir in India, after Indira Sagar Dam and Nagarjunasagar Dam.
It is a multi-purpose dam serving irrigation in adjoining states, hydro-electric power generation, flood control and tourism. The dam provides irrigation to 10 million acres (40,000 km²) of fields in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Each of the two dam consists of power plant with five turbines, with a total capacity of 1325 MW. The power generated is distributed among partner states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Chandigarh, Delhi. It has five flood gates to control floods. The administration and maintainance of the dams are managed by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMS).
The Bhakra Nangal Project was described as "New Temple of Resurgent India" by then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at the time of its inauguration, and it still continues to be the “central nervous system” of North India providing water and power supply.

For further details, please refer to:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhakra_Dam
http://bbmb.gov.in/english/history_nangal_dam.asp
http://bhakranangaldam.com/interesting-facts-about-bhakra-dam

GUJARAT INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL TEC (GIFT) CITY

A dream project of PM Narendra Modi during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister is on its way to become India’s first Greenfield smart city. GIFT (Gujarat International Financial Tec City) is an under construction central business district in Gandhinagar spanning over 3.58 sq. km of land. The GIFT promises to be the hub for financial and IT based services housing several International banks, Stock exchanges by providing hi-tech facilities along with quality physical infrastructure to attract these firms to relocate their operations here from cities like Mumbai and Bangalore which don’t have comparable infrastructure and are expensive. It comprises of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), integrated townships, education zone, and entertainment zone, etc. The icing on the cake is that it assures 99.999% power reliability meaning 5.3 minutes of power outage per annum. Further an automated waste collection system implies maximum resource utilization, minimal environmental impact and lesser health hazards with no waste visibility. It may seem to be just another one of other 99 planned smart cities but it’s poised to become a financial hub to match the likes of Dubai, Singapore and end India’s quest for a smart city with International standards. To put it in Ramakant Jha’s words who is MD and group CEO of the Rs 78,000 crore project, “A smart city is not just about technology. It is about smart planning, design, execution, development, operations and management.” Thus the major challenge lies ahead of the planners and authorities ensuring that the foot is set in the right place and the country makes a giant leap towards becoming an economic superpower.

For further details, please refer:

1.   http://giftgujarat.in/masterplan/vision.aspx

2.   www.financialexpress.com/article/economy/gujarat-international-finance-tec-city-a-smart-gift/53955/

 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarat_International_Finance_Tec-City

LEAN CONSTRUCTION

The term “Lean Construction” in a simple way means the construction techniques employed to minimize waste of materials, time and effort in order to generate the maximum possible amount of value. A construction is basically a project based production process where the overall outcome depends on the synchronization between the various phases and stakeholders of production.
Many a time the construction project is adversely affected if there is inefficient and delayed completion of any stage which would automatically delay the upcoming stages and decrease the total output value. Suppose if the designer delays the preparation of the master plan of the structure, it would delay all of the later stages. Lean construction tackles this problem with the alignment and holistic pursuit of concurrent and continuous improvements in all dimensions of the built and natural environment: design, construction, activation, maintenance, salvaging, and recycling.
Lean construction follows the basic principles of a lean management system which includes defining value from the customer's perspective, understanding the importance of all steps in the process used to create the end product, reducing waste and seeking perfection by committing to continual improvement in all areas of the process among others.
The principles of Lean construction are intensively studied and employed in many parts of the world and it is gaining popularity rapidly.

For further details, please refer:
1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_construction
2.http://www.leanconstruction.org/about-us/what-is-lean-construction/
3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEtSxbAGuSw
4.http://www.turnerconstruction.com/experience/lean/lean-read-more

RAIN GARDEN

Every time a new building shoots up in the skyline of an urban area, it poses augmented threat to the natural ambience of the place. Hence it becomes mandatory for the building to incorporate some green technology to restore the balance of nature. Rain garden is one such technology.

The first rain gardens were developed in the residential areas in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States in the year 1990.A rain garden is a shallow depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses. The garden should be positioned near a runoff source like a downspout, driveway or sump pump to capture rainwater runoff and stop the water from reaching the sewer system. Run-off is the part of the precipitation, snow melt, or irrigation water that appears in uncontrolled and unregulated surface streams, rivers, drains or sewers.

The structure of rain garden is designed to capture certain depths of rainwater, which then naturally filters through dirt and tree roots to remove hydrocarbon from run-off. Rain gardens vary significantly depending on the storm size, the area of the country, application, and are often located near a building’s roof drainpipe or endpoint of drainage with a capacity to percolate all incoming water through a series of soil  layers beneath the surface plantings. The primary challenge of rain garden design centres on calculating the types and acceptable loads of pollutants it can handle during storm-water events. When designed correctly, rain gardens can remove more than 95 percent of total suspended solids, as well as 75 percent or more of nitrogen and phosphorus. Native and adapted plants are recommended for rain gardens because they are more tolerant of one’s local climate, soil, and water conditions; have deep and variable root systems for enhanced water infiltration, and sustainability.

Root systems enhance infiltration, maintain and augment soil permeability, drought tolerance, provide moisture redistribution and sustain diverse microbial populations involved in bio filtration. Also, through the process of transpiration, rain garden plants return water vapour to the atmosphere and aid in improving rain pattern. Rain gardens are beneficial for many reasons: improve water quality by filtering runoff, provide localized flood control, and are aesthetically pleasing. They encourage wildlife and biodiversity, allows a household or building to deal with excessive rainwater runoff without burdening the public storm water systems, tying together buildings and their surrounding environments in attractive and environmentally advantageous way.

Rain gardens can cut down on the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30%; therefore rain garden is simple and effective green technology gaining popularity.

For further details, please refer:

1.http://cenews.com/article/9763/green-design-in-civil-engineering

2.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_garden

3.http://www.raingardennetwork.com/