The state government has decided to relax open space requirements for commercial buildings with glass facades, following a request from real estate advocacy group CREDAI- MCHI. This move has raised concerns among activists and architects about the potential impact on neighboring buildings and energy consumption.

Puravankara on Saturday announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Purva Oak has acquired a 12.75-acre land parcel in Patlipada on Ghodbunder Road, Thane. The land has a potential carpet area of 18.20 lakh square feet and a potential gross development value (GDV) of ?4,000 crore, it said.

PUNE: The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Singapore government for drawing up a development plan for PMRDA region spread over an area of 7,246 sqkm. PMRDA commissioner Kiran Gitte said that the MoU will be signed on May 16 in Mumbai with officials from the Singapore government. Consultants from Singapore will be appointed for drawing up the DP of PMR region. The government decided to appoint Singapore town planners after doubts were raised over the efficacy of state town planners. Union road transport minister Gadkari in an interaction with PMRDA officials had said that urban planners in the state lacked expertise. According to Gitte, officials from Singapore will work closely with PMRDA authorities for 10 months and ready the development plan, which will be an economic development plan unlike the land use plan developed by town planners in the state. “A 50-year development plan for the region will be drawn up by consultants from the Singapore government and all aspects will be looked into said Gitte. Earlier, the Singapore consultants had worked in Andhra Pradesh capital Amravati on similar lines. The chief minister had earlier visited Singapore and met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to draw investment for Pune’s development. For this project, 60 % of the cost will be borne by PMRDA and the rest by the Singapore government. The DP project is estimated to cost between Rs 10-15 crore.

MUMBAI: Realty developers bodies CREDAI CREDAI MCHI and CREDAI Maharashtra have entered into two separate agreements with the government of Maharashtra to develop over 9 lakh affordable houses across the state between 2018 and 2022 to support the government’s objective of ‘Housing For All by 2022. Members of the developers’ body the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India or CREDAI MCHI will be building 2.5 lakh homes in Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Renovations Before you buy new furniture,replica watches evaluate if you can redo older pieces and give them a new look. Be sure that the wall covering you use is vinyl free. When you repaint the house, look for paints that are non-toxic and have zero or low VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Considering structural renovation on a large scale? Yashoda Joshi, an architect, suggests, It is important to design the home according to local climatic conditions. Having openings (doors-windows) facing the right direction helps in getting more light and good ventilation. This reduces use of air-conditioning. We live in a tropical region, so perfect ventilation is crucial. Construction debris from renovation projects could be reutilised in the building in an innovative manner, advises Nanda, who also suggests mandatory rainwater harvesting in your building. Initial costs apart, it pays off in the long run and you will never run short of water. Furnishings and decor When you consider changing the decor or decorating your house to go with the season, or for parties and festivals, opt for natural, eco-friendly products. For example, for parties why not shift some potted plants indoors and give the decor a boost? On a regular basis, you can use natural fabrics for soft furnishings. Use plaster of Paris sparingly in home decor as it is not good for health, Joshi suggests. Grow plants Use your balconies and window sills to grow plants and herbs. Green plants adorn the house with natural beauty, eliminate toxins from the air and purify it. Plus, you will be able to use fresh herbs in cooking. Lemongrass, mint and basil are some of the herbs that grow in pots. If you have a large space, you can even grow fresh fruits and vegetables. Flowering plants too add beauty to your house and purify the air. Make compost You may make compost by segregating kitchen waste and use it for compost. You may choose to use only dry organic waste to make your compost. Educate yourself on the process and use the compost you prepare for growing your own greens. Save electricity Turn off the lights and fans when you leave the rooms, is an instruction weve all grown up with. But nowadays, we also need to unplug our chargers (of numerous devices) when charged. We may also invest in chargers that stop drawing current when fully charged or power strips where we can turn off power of multiple devices with just one switch. Using energy-efficient lighting will also help. However, until recently, LEDs had to work on affordability while providing adequate bright ness.LED lights offer more energy efficiency than incandescent lights and CFLs which are better than incandescent bulbs. Recycle Reduce consumption of stuff if you dont need it. Identify what you can reuse. Opt for reusable shopping bags rather than accumulate plastic bags. Gift papers, envelopes, one-side used papers, can be easily reused. Store them neatly at a designated place for easy access. Identify what is recyclable. Put waste to recycling agencies rather than sending it completely into landfill areas. Newspapers, magazines, cardboard, glass bottles and plastic containers are all recyclable, says Monalika Nandaa, an architect. Times Property, The Times of India, Pune

Making Pune a smart city is estimated to cost Rs 3,480 crore. The civic standing committee approved the project proposal for the Smart Cities Mission submitted by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on December 2. The cost given by us is a primary estimate and we have kept scope for changes as per future needs, municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar told TOI. The cost includes expenses on the pan-city section and area development projects, as well as their maintenance. Kumar said the administration has to send the plan to the Union government by December 15. Before that, the administration will seek final approval from the civic general body. A special general body meeting has been organised for this purpose on December 9. To fund the smart city projects, the Union and state governments and the PMC will generate funds of around Rs 1,000 crore. The rest of the funds will have to be raised through loans, municipal bonds and other options. The civic body has proposed to develop Aundh-Baner as a model area under the mission. Each of the 98 contenders for the missions has to submit city-level plans to the Union government. The plans will be assessed based on the city-level criteria, area-based development features and pan-city solutions. Based on suggestions from states and urban local bodies, the weightage for pan-city solutions has been increased from 10% to 15%. The proposal was approved in the meeting. We hope that the city will win the final competition to be named as one of the smart cities in the country, said Ashwini Kadam, head of the standing committee.