Dr. Shailesh Kr. Agrawal, Former Executive Director, BMTPC, MoHUA, Govt. of India gave a talk on Sustainable Construction Systems for Built Environment on 12 August. Here is the summary of the talk:

Traditional cast-in-place brick masonry and reinforced concrete (RC) construction methods are increasingly being replaced by faster, more sustainable, and resource-efficient alternatives. This talk provided an overview of modern construction systems, including precast and prefabricated buildings, sandwich panel systems, modular construction, and customized formwork technologies. The speaker discussed how these innovative approaches can significantly reduce construction time, improve structural performance and durability, minimize material wastage and environmental impact, and lower life-cycle costs. The session also highlighted the potential for adapting these globally established construction technologies to meet the needs of the Indian built environment.

Dr. Shailesh Kumar Agrawal is presently serving as Professor of Practice in the Department of Earthquake Engineering at IIT Roorkee. Prior to this, he served for 17 years (2008-2025) as the Executive Director of the Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India. Earlier, he spent 20 years as a Scientist at CSIR-Central Building Research institute (CBRI), Roorkee, one of India’s premier R&D institutions in Building Science and Technology. 

A distinguished expert in structural engineering, earthquake engineering, disaster mitigation, and sustainable construction technologies, Dr. Agrawal has made significant contributions towards advancing affordable, resilient, and sustainable housing solutions in India. With decades of experience spanning different organizations, he has played a pivotal role in promoting innovative building technologies, disaster-resilient construction practices, capacity building, and large-scale housing initiatives, including the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) and the Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India). 

A recipient of several prestigious national honours and lifetime achievement awards. Dr. Agrawal is widely recognized for his technical expertise, policy leadership, and sustained contributions to the advancement of India’s construction sector and the promotion of innovative, sustainable building practices.

August 2026