An international congress for the Infrastructure, Urban Planning & Development, and Green Buildings industries

◊ By Sunny Mahbubani

In the 1960s, the Premier of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, came to Bengaluru. Before he left, he said he will strive to make Singapore like Bengaluru—a garden city. Fast forward half a century, when the Chief Minister of Karnataka visited Singapore, he ironically said Bengaluru should strive to be like Singapore.

How did the two cities experience such a vast change in fortune in the last few decades?

Rethinking Sustainability

Our country is teeming with shining examples of green architecture from centuries ago. For instance, the Tanjore Temple, is built without cement or pillars, relying only the power of gravity. It was built more than 1,000 years back, but stands tall even today.

Up north, we have the Red Fort. There is no air conditioning inside, only clever engineering to keep the fort cool through the year. The structure was built back in 1648.

Yet, in spite of our illustrious history, the world recognises India as an insatiable coal-consuming machine. Green forests are ruthlessly destroyed to make way for concrete jungles.

Is there any way to arrest the carnage?

Across in Europe, innovative concepts such as vertical gardening are rapidly becoming the booming trend. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they also contribute towards curbing global warming, a challenge that needs no introduction.

The need of the hour is to bring novel concepts such as vertical gardening and effective stormwater management to our country. We need a platform bringing together the key players of infrastructure development under one roof to analyse and implement the best practices.

For the last 10 years, the World Green Infrastructure Congress (WGIC) has been that platform. It is a global event organised by World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) since 2007. Every year, the event is hosted in a different country with the aim to showcase the best practices in greening buildings, roofs, facades and indoor areas.

World Green Infrastructure Congress 2018

The ultimate aim of the WGIC is to empower attendees with the latest technologies and developments, and offer plausible solutions for important environmental issues.

In 2016, the WGIC was held in Bogota, Colombia, one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. In 2017, the WGIC was hosted in Berlin, Germany, the global leader of environment protection and green infrastructure. In 2018, after a competitive bidding process, we are proud to announce that WGIC will be held in Bengaluru from June 4 to 6.

Topics such as ‘Maintaining Natural Biodiversity’, ‘Ecological Building Designs’ and ‘Modern Lake Cleansing Methods’ will be covered at the Congress. The event will show the world that India can and will lead the way for green infrastructure development in South East Asia.

Expert speakers from around the world such as Manfred Kohler, the President of the World Green Infrastructure Network and Patrick Blanc, one of the foremost green activists in the world, will participate in WGIC and share their wealth of knowledge and experience.

More than 50 speakers and 80 exhibitors will feature on the programme’s agenda. Delegates at the event will get the opportunity to interact and rub shoulders with some the heavyweights of modern green architecture, including government policy makers responsible for urban planning and development.

Event: World Green Infrastructure Congress 2018

Dates: June 4,5 & 6 of 2018

Venue: The Lalit Ashok Bangalore (hotel), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Website: www.wgicbengaluru.com

Contact Details: [email protected]; +91-80-49396919

Organiser: World Green Infrastructure Network