The fact that smart buildings are indispensable to the making of “smart cities”, researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi are working on the idea to “transform” age-old structures in the lutyens' Zone into smart and sustainable infrastructure. Also buildings located in other parts of the national Capital are to be made smart.
At the newly established Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Infrastructure at IIT-D, researchers and experts from different fields are kept on board. Experts from industries, management and from the electrical, mechanical and civil engineering fields are working together for making urban infrastructure sustainable.
The experts are working not only to make the existing infrastructure smart but are also working on how to construct new infrastructure/ buildings as smart and sustainable blocks.
Professor BR Mehta, Dean, Research and Development, IIT-D said old buildings, including Government offices and Ministries located in the heart of national Capital in lutyen's Zone, are several decades old structures that are no more in tune with the modern standards that requires sustainable and optimal use of energy and resources.
Professor Mehta said smart sensor based lights that automatically switch on or off sensing human presence and even changes its brightness as per the requirement are part of smart buildings. It also includes air-conditioning system that requires no manual interference and automatically adjusts its temperature sensing the outside temperatures. The sustainable building also includes comprehensive integrated water management system, smart communication network etc.
“The machines themselves take decision in such buildings,” said Prof Mehta, adding these machines would act as a part of integrated centralised system. He said IIT-D is also researching on making bricks that are to be used in new smart buildings from low carbon material and recycled materials.
“The waste of the Ghazipur landfill sites can be used in making bricks for these buildings,” said the Dean. At Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Infrastructure, an IIT-Delhi alumni having an industry and who is interested in smart infrastructure has collaborated and sponsored the research.