Centre for climate resilient construction materials & technologies
Principal Investigator
Prof. Manu Santhanam
Objective
- To catalyse research, prototyping, testing, and adoption of green construction materials and lean construction methods in India, To develop research-grade datasets (materials performance, durability, lifecycle carbon footprint) and open reference models for India's climate zones, To design, test, and validate prototypes of low-carbon materials or systems and create proof-of-performance through standardized digital workflows, To operationalize pathways for procurement and construction adoption via pilots with builders, smart cities, and public works, To evaluate embodied carbon, durability trends, and pollutant emissions, To develop low-carbon strategies to extend significantly the service life of existing infrastructure and thereby reduce their carbon footprint, To drive research on sustainable sourcing regions and assess environmental trade-offs, To prioritize high-impact solutions with a clear rationale specific to India at scale, To build India's knowledge via open tools, localized content, and micro-credentials for adoption stakeholders, To establish an Experience Centre at IITM Discovery Campus in Thaiyur, Chennai to conduct pilot scale studies and for training and capacity building
Description
- C3MaT is a Centre of Excellence at IIT Madras on green construction materials, durability, construction automation, AR/VR in construction, EPDs, LCAs, carbon capture and climate-positive technologies for India. Across four research pillars spanning waste valorization and low-carbon materials, digital lifecycle tools, an integrated testbed with startup incubation, and policy research for large-scale technology adoption, it will convert India's construction, industrial and agricultural waste streams into high-performance, low-carbon construction materials.
Impact
- The work will impact several UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), Every 1% replacement of Portland cement with low-carbon alternatives in India's 500-million-tonne annual cement market reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 4 million tonnes per year, and the targeted 15-30% cement replacement ratios represent potential emission reductions of 60-150 million tonnes CO2 per year at national scale if adopted, India generates 150 million tonnes of C&D waste and 180 million tonnes of fly ash annually, and the solar-energy-based beneficiation of recycled concrete aggregate, sensor-based automated sorting, and slurry impregnation technique provide validated low-energy processing routes that reduce landfill burden and create circular economy value chains, India currently has no standardized, India-specific EPD or LCA database for construction materials, and building this digital infrastructure will let builders, certifiers, and procurement agencies make evidence-based decisions on embodied carbon for the first time, Micro-credential and training programs will build green construction capacity among 500+ practitioners, procurement officers, and policy makers