ACC Ltd launches Chandrapur Green Building Centre

In line ACC Ltd's commitment to the concept of sustainable construction and a greener environment in India, the cement producer has launched its Green Building Centre in Chandrapur, Maharashtra.

The centre was inaugurated by Gopika Tiwari, cluster head – West & Central India, and Amit Mathur, director – Sales West. Danish Rashid, head – Green Buildings Business; Anish Kundel, sales head – Nagpur and Mueen Khan, regional customer service head – West were also present.

The Green Building Centres are part of a conscious effort towards sustainable construction and maximum utilisation of resources without causing harm to the environment. Superior quality materials are usually manufactured using fly ash bricks and maintaining soil and air quality. These projects are undertaken in rural or semi-urban areas where there is a clear need for sustainable construction. The areas benefit from the unique business model and the training and employment of thousands of small scale construction workers. This clearly meets ACC's objective to facilitate low-cost housing development in India through promotion of sustainable building materials, building techniques and a locally trained workforce.

The production of green building materials at Green Building Centres (GBCs) is carried out in a modern production environment with emphasis on quality and service. A Quality Assurance Test Laboratory in every Green Building Centre ensures thorough quality checks of incoming raw materials and outgoing products. As a result, GBCs produce building materials of superior quality in comparison to traditional materials, claims ACC. Customers benefit from the quality of Green Building Materials on account of reduced application costs and durability.

Apart from providing rural and semi-urban housing solutions, the project is aligned with the government's vision of sanitation and the Prime Minister's Clean India campaign by helping beneficiaries build superior quality washrooms. Local bodies and panchayats in Chandrapur will also gain infrastructural support with these products and skilled applicators in significantly improving village infrastructure.

ACC has already built several such centres in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. There are 30 operational centres and we expect to have as many as 50 by the end of 2017.  ACC's goal is to facilitate the construction of 1 million affordable houses and toilets in rural India over the next 10 years.