ACC’s Green Building Centers facilitate low-cost, rural housing development in India, through promotion of sustainable materials, building techniques and locally trained workforce.

The Green Building Centers across India offer locally produced, easy-to-use and reasonably priced construction products. They also provide knowledge and training on how to manufacture and use these products in a rural context, and offer quality control of building products through their own quality labs. The centers also provide equipment which enables local builders to manufacture building products themselves, helping to reduce construction costs. The centers  encourage the use of sustainable construction practices, such as including fly ash (a waste product from coal combustion) in concrete, to reduce the CO2-intensive cement content.

Anyone who wants to design and build a new house or improve an existing one can come to a Green Building Center for assistance.

Danish Rashid – Head of Green Building Center Business

While the centers are initiated and supported by ACC, the company does not invest its own money in setting them up. Instead, each is financed by a local entrepreneur and supported by NGOs as well as ACC.

Why you should care

70% of the Indian population still lives in rural areas, and face a huge shortage of affordable housing. ACC aim to have one Green Building Center in each of India’s 650 districts in order to encourage more sustainable rural development.

How the Global Goals are addressed

Decent Work and Economic Growth

ACC’s Green Building Centers offer entrepreneurial opportunities as well as construction skills training for local communities, thereby strengthening the local economy.

Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

The centers encourage the construction of more resilient infrastructure and housing, as well as stimulate sustainable and local construction industries.

Responsible Consumption and Production

The use of local materials and labor encourages a more responsible approach to housing construction. Using fly ash to replace cement in concrete production reduces the CO2 footprint of construction.