Construction was one of the significant exhibits and focus areas at the BASF pavilion among others including mobility and health and nutrition. BASF organized a panel discussion on the topic "Building a Sustainable Tomorrow" in Mumbai, bringing together veterans from the industry to promote green buildings under one roof. A report on the event.To celebrate 60 years of successful Indo-German ties across various fields, 2011-12 has been declared as the Year of Germany in India. BASF is the Official Partner of the event, which has a unique concept of a mobile pavilion (INDO-GERMAN URBAN MELA) that will travel across five cities. Started in Mumbai in April 2012, the Mela will further travel to Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi and Pune until January 2013.Construction being an integral part of urban development was one of the significant exhibits and focus areas at the BASF pavilion among others including mobility and health & nutrition. To reinforce the company’s commitment towards "Sustainable Construction", the company used the opportunity of BASF’s association with the platform to bring together veterans from the industry and conduct a panel discussion on the topic "Building a Sustainable Tomorrow" on April 17, 2012. Speakers at the forum included Dr. P.C.Jain, Chairman, Indian Green Building Council, Prasad Chandran, Chairman, BASF companies in India & Head South Asia and Dr. Rajiv Mishra, Principal, Sir JJ College of Architecture, University of Mumbai. The event witnessed good representation by professionals from various disciplines The discussion enabled knowledge sharing on different domains of the green building industry, fostered informed discussion on various trends in the construction industry and the growing shift towards environmentally friendly construction solutions.Sharing his views on sustainability in construction with the audience, Dr. Jain said, "India is the world’s youngest nation with the oldest civilization. The new generation is expected to drive growth of the construction industry at the rate of ten per cent per annum for decades, which will in turn pose enormous challenges on availability of resources, energy and water. Green buildings through recycling of resources, minimum waste, energy conservation, zero discharge of water from the project, both during construction & operation, offer a low-hanging fruit to preserve all life forms on our beautiful planet."Chandran presented the role chemistry plays in promoting sustainable construction at the forum. In his introductory remarks, he emphasized on the need for local innovations to make the concept more acceptable. "As a leading provider of raw materials, formulations and systems to the construction industry, BASF provides economically and ecologically sound solutions that contribute to modern comfortable and sustainable housing and construction by lowering energy consumption, increasing building life expectancy and offering a faster construction process. The company’s Total Insulation Concept, is one such example of a local innovation, which offers both – wall and roof insulation, thus reducing total energy consumption by upto 20-25 percent."