Building Materials as a Cornerstone to Sustainability

By Prof. Iyer Vijayalaxmi Kasinath | School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada, An Institute of National Importance under the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India

Learners enrolled: 412

ABOUT THE COURSE:
With rising proof of climate change due to global warming, there is a demand for a more sustainable way of building. The building sector is now regulated for the purpose of implementing measures that aim toward sustainability. One of the best ways to practice sustainability in construction is through the materials that are used. Appropriate choice of materials benefit the environment by reducing the carbon footprint of the buildings. They promote a cleaner Earth and a future of sustainability while also being aesthetically appealing and much more efficient. This course focusses on four types of materials that can lead to green and sustainable buildings. These are Traditional Building materials, Alternate Building materials (Non-Conventional Building Materials), Innovative Building Materials (Green and Sustainable Materials) and Smart Building materials (Incorporating Nano-Technology).
Some of these building materials are highly durable and can incorporate different technologies, such as capturing energy, capturing Co₂ while removing pollution. This course is further aimed to make you think about developing your own innovative building material leading to patency.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: U.G and P.G. students in the Domain of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Town Planning

INDUSTRY SUPPORT:
1. Rural Development Agencies
2. Any of the Construction companies which focus on Green Building rating system

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Architecture and Planning Civil Engineering Construction Materials Technology Materials and Construction Building Services
Credit Points :	3
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	21 Jul 2025
End Date :	10 Oct 2025
Enrollment Ends :	28 Jul 2025
Exam Registration Ends :	15 Aug 2025
Exam Date :	26 Oct 2025 IST
NCrF Level	4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1:

Introduction to Building materials, their classification, environmental issues,
Vernacular Materials
Mud- Traditional Material
Mud as a Building material

Week 2:

Stone as a building Material
Thatch
Bamboo
Binders

Week 3:

Strawbale
Laterite Quarry Waste
Alternate building materials
Flyash

Week 4:

Furnace Slag
Cross Laminated Timber
Construction and Demolition waste
Hempcrete

Week 5:

Phosphogypsum
Aerated Concrete
Alternate aggregate
Innovative Building Materials - Introduction

Week 6:

Bioluminiscent paints
Milk Paints and Recycled Plastics
Agro bricks
Light emitting materials - concrete

Week 7:

CO 2 Absorbing Concrete
Mycelium Composite Bricks
Fibre Reinforced Concrete
Geopolymer Concrete

Week 8:

Introduction to Advanced Building Materials
Carbon sequestration by building materials
Ecobind Tiles
Permeable Concrete

Week 9:

Introduction to smart materials
Types of Smart Materials
Facade systems: Smart Windows
Liquid Crystal Display

Week 10:

Photochromics
Thermochromic materials
Thermotropic materials
Types of Thermotropic materials

Week 11:

Phase change materials
Phase change materials 2
Adhesion changing smart materials , Photo adhesive smart materials
Titanium dioxide (tio2) products

Week 12:

Mechanochrmics ,Chemochromics
Electochromics
Nano cellulose composite bricks,electroluminiscents
Recap and conclusions

Books and references

Carole Ryan, 2011, Traditional Construction For A Sustainable Future, Spon Press
David Rockwood , 2015 Bamboo Gridshells, Routledge Press
Erik K. Lauritzen, 2019, Construction, Demolition and Disaster Waste Management- An Integrated and Sustainable Approach, CRC Press
Gajanan M. Sabnis, 2016, Green Building With Concrete Sustainable Design and Construction, CRC Press

Instructor bio

Prof. Iyer Vijayalaxmi Kasinath

School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada, An Institute of National Importance under the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India

Dr. Iyer Vijayalaxmi Kasinath is an architect who has completed her Ph.D. as an AICTE QIP Scholar and her Higher Research as an Erasmus Mundus Fellow for Academic Profile, from the Politechnico di Milano in the area of ‘Smart Materials and Nano technology in the Construction Industry’. She has over 26 years of experience in teaching architecture and specializes in Sustainable Built Environment and Climate Responsive Architecture. She is currently the Professor in the Department of Architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada and the former Head of the Dept. and Dean (Research) there. She has completed funded research projects sponsored by the Government of India, and has published many technical papers in peer-reviewed blind refereed international journals and Scopus indexed books by reputed publishers. She has Authored Scopus indexed Book titled ‘Building Thermal Performance and Sustainability’, and ‘embodied and Operational Carbon in Buildings’, Springer Publications, Singapore. She has also edited three Scopus indexed book by Springer Publications, Singapore. She has a Patent Published awaiting examination.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams: October 26, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Madras .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team