The Climate Change and Development wing of the Embassy of Switzerland (CCD) has organized a seminar based on Integrated Approach to Energy‐Efficient Building Design today at the India Habitat Centre, Gulmohar Hall.As a part of their 50th anniversary of the Swiss Embassy’s building in New Delhi, a series of major events will be organized by 
the Swiss Embassy during 2013-14 to initiate a platform for common reflection on architecture, engineering and design and on bilateral collaboration between India and Switzerland.
The ongoing Indo-Swiss Project on Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) in partnership with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) brings together Swiss experts with prominent builders and developers, laboratories and state agencies to enhance energy efficient design of new buildings in India.
His Excellency , the Ambassador of Switzerland , Sir Linus Von Castelmur stated , “After extensive consultations and pilot projects, our two governments have signed a five year MoU to facilitate the adoption of Swiss expertise to the Indian context. Through a project financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, we work very closely with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Through the application of Swiss knowhow in the area of energy efficient construction methodology, house owners can reduce their energy consumption by almost 50%. We are hoping that by end of these five years of our partnership, the practice of developing the building design through an integrated and participatory process will be widely applied by the building community in India.”
The aim of the seminar is to discuss and debate the concept of the integrated design for designing energy-efficient buildings with builders, developers, local authorities, policy makers and building sector professionals including architects, service engineers/consultants, building contractors, green building consultants, academicians, and students of architecture and engineering.
Some of the eminent speakers who participated in the seminar today are as follows:-
Dr.Linus von Castelmur (Ambassador of Switzerland to India & Bhutan)
Mr.Pierre Jaboyedoff (Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project)
Ms.Saswati Chetia (Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project)
Ar. Ashok B Lall (Ashok B Lall Architects,Delhi)
Dr. Pierre Hollmuller (University of Geneva)
Specific Objectives:
Showcase practical cases of sustainable architecture in Switzerland and India.
Create awareness about integrated design and energy efficient building concepts.
Disseminate results from actual cases of integrated design charrettes.
Facilitate exchange of knowledge and views on the integrated design process and on new, innovative technologies and indigenous strategies.
Sustainable architecture utilizes environmentally conscious design techniques in order to reduce the negative environmental impact of buildings and infrastructure. Enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of energy is an important aspect of sustainable architecture.
Drawing on Switzerland’s long-standing experience in the field, BEEP aims at creating a culture of energy efficient building design through the organisation of Integrated Design Charrettes (interdisciplinary design workshops) for 24 large commercial building projects over a five-year period (2012-2016). These Charrettes bring together the whole design team with senior specialists to develop the energy concept for the specific project. The key rationale is to tap the largest energy saving potentials at minimal cost during the early phase of building design. BEEP has conducted Integrated Design Charrettes for six large buildings and wishes to share the concept and its results under the aegis of the Swiss Year of Architecture Design and Engineering.
Source : Sayan Chatterjee