Hyderabad firm has a role in construction of new Parliament House

On May 28 India got a brand new Parliament building in New Delhi. The colonial legacy and the grand structure built by the British Architects-Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker during 1921-27 has been shed. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated the spacious structure sans the opposition, the constitutional head-President and under intense controversy.

In the making of the Platinum rated (Green buildings), Parliament House, a Hyderabad based company, Visaka Industries Limited has made a key contribution from among select few companies. The VNext fibre cement boards manufactured by the company have been used as cladding material for walls across more than 3,00,000 sft of the structure.

 The Parliament building, shaped in the form of a triangle as the plot itself is in that form, is designed to accommodate 888 MPs (expandable to 1272) and the Rajya Sabha Chamber can accommodate 384 against the 250 in the old one.   It echoes the diversity of India in every aspect over 64,500 sqm. The cost of the grand project has been pegged at Rs 1200 crore. It has been designed by well known architect Bimal Patel of HCP Design and Planning,  from Ahmadabad. The Tata Projects Limited, a Tata Group company has executed it.

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The VNext, eco friendly boards go well with the LGSF technology (light Gauge steel framing technology), which is finding increasing utility in large buildings. “The technology helps in building lighter, energy efficient and green buildings in quick time. Invariably Fiber cement boards are used in this technology for internal and external walls, flooring and roof substrate and false ceiling,” says Vamsi Gaddam, the Joint Managing Director of the Rs 1500 cr turnover company.

Vamsi Gaddam

An electrical engineer from Purdue University, US, the young Vamsi drives innovations in the company. His efforts led the company to the development of ATUM-a Solar Roof, which has also obtained a patent in India, US and South Africa.

The VNext boards and designer variants are being used in Airports, large hospitals, IT companies and hospitality projects too in the country.

The New Parliament building has sourced construction material from across the country for the interior and exterior. These include sandstone from Sarmathura in Dholpur and granite from Lakha village in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The wood used in the decor is from Nagpur and craftsmen from Mumbai have led the wooden architecture design while Bhadohi weavers from Uttar Pradesh have made the traditional hand-knotted carpets.

The Visaka story

Visaka Industries Limited was started by Dr G Vivekanand, a medical doctor-turned entrepreneur-turned politician in 1981. Incidentally, the former Lok Sabha MP from Peddapalli is also the son of former Union Minister and well-known Cong (I) leader from Telangana, G Venkatswamy.

The company has a portfolio of products ranging from corrugated cement sheets and fibre cement boards to hybrid solar roofs and human-made fibre yarn. It serves demands from domestic and international markets.

VNext, is a division of Visaka industries started over a decade ago. It was the first venture charted by the company to move onto the sustainability model of business. The fibre cement boards division has propelled the company to the top position in the manufacture and sale of the eco friendly material.

With four factories spread evenly across geographies—Miryalguda in Telangana; Daund near Pune; Jhajjar in Haryana and Udumalpet, Coimbatore and a  5th under implementation in West Bengal the company is also able to export the products to 50 plus countries. As a product it is very versatile and has termite, water and fire resistance as its Unique Selling Proposition (USP). It solves some of the existing problems faced by customers when they use traditional Plywood and Gypsum for some applications. V Next board which is Green pro certified, is used to make many internal and external applications, says Wellington David Pereji, Advisor (training) VNext.

It enables consultants, builders, architects, and applicators to emphasise sustainable architecture and build the future. The Vnext boards are designed to provide strength and stability and fit seamlessly within the architecture, offering an aesthetic solution. It is an important reason that it scored in winning the contract for the Parliament building.

Renewables & sustainability

To address energy demands sustainably, Visaka has launched a hybrid roof-top solar product called ATUM – the first of its kind in India.  ATUM is thermally efficient and generates 20% more revenue when compared to conventional solar panels. With its durability, ATUM is the only renewable energy solution that is both, a roof and solar panel, designed to meet consistent energy demands that you can manage on your smartphone, claims the company.

Other products in the sustainable space from Visaka stable are: Atum Vader electric bike and sustainable yarn made out of recycled pet bottles. Recently the company awarded Emobility Plus’s ‘EV Charge India Excellence Award’ for the ATUM Charge Solar Powered EV Charging Stations’ of which it has over 250 across India, currently.

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