Young Innovators Design Net-Zero Solutions

The sixth edition of SDI saw 2,400 students from 160 academic institutions develop climate-resilient building designs and cooling retrofit solutions for real projects across India.

MYSURU (India CSR): SDI concluded its sixth edition at the Infosys campus in Mysuru, bringing together some of India’s brightest young minds to address one of the country’s most urgent climate challenges: how to design buildings that are affordable, resilient, and net-zero in energy and water.

This year’s challenge saw participation from 235 teams, comprising 2,400+ students from 160+ academic institutions, guided by 340+ faculty mentors. Student teams worked on 30 real building projects and 6 product innovations, developing practical solutions for housing, educational buildings, office buildings, community resilience shelters, construction worker housing, and residential cooling retrofits.

Conducted by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) and the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), SDI is a year-long challenge that prepares undergraduate and postgraduate students to design industry-ready solutions for India’s climate-resilient built environment. The 2026 Finals were hosted pro bono by Infosys at its Mysuru campus, one of the most sustainably operated campuses in the world. Infosys also provided accommodation and food for all attendees and ensured that the Finals event was carbon neutral. The trophies awarded to winners were carbon negative, reinforcing the event’s commitment to climate-conscious practice.

“It’s a great atmosphere, it’s so exciting to see a lot of youngsters coming together and presenting their ideas, working on real-life problems and design challenges. That’s something that we can also learn from and implement some of these ideas. It’s also good to see a lot of innovators coming here. We get to see some cool innovations and new technologies from start-ups, which we can also pilot,” said Guruprakash Sastry, Associate Vice President and Head – Climate Action, Infosys.

The SDI 2025–26 Grand Prize was awarded to Team Agniya, led by Manipal School of Architecture & Planning, with Haji Public School, Breswana as its Project Partner. The team won for its solution for educational building.

The Grand Jury recognised the team’s proposal that had integrated all dimensions of sustainable design in a very resource efficient and effective manner. It presents a model that illuminates and enhances the experiences of our childhood by feeling our relationship with natural systems. Team Agniya was one of six division-winning teams that pitched to the Grand Jury, comprising leaders from investment, real estate, sustainability, and media. The Grand Prize recognised the most promising and investment-worthy solution among the division winners.

Building solutions for heat, water, resilience, and affordability

The 2025–26 challenge included five divisions under the building challenge and one division under the product challenge. The building challenge focused on real projects in multi-family housing, educational buildings, office buildings, community resilience shelters, and construction worker housing. The product challenge, Residential Cooling Retrofit, challenged students to develop solutions that improve cooling performance in existing homes.

Across divisions, teams worked on solutions that responded to India’s rising climate risks, including extreme heat, water stress, energy demand, and the need for affordable, resilient buildings. The Finals began on June 19, 2026, with student presentations to division juries. On June 20, six division winners pitched to the Grand Jury for the Grand Prize.

Climate Smart Innovation Award recognises built environment startups

The Finals also hosted the Climate Smart Innovation Exhibition, where innovators from the building industry showcased products and solutions addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation. Mechzephyr Engineering was declared the winner of the Climate Smart Innovation Award 2026 for its modular, chemical-free reactor that transforms wastewater treatment for buildings and beyond. Speaking about the Climate Smart Innovation, jury member and Founder of ZeCa Capital, Pawan Raj Kumar said “It was a really good experience because seeing so many startups not only diversified into different sectors and different products but also diversified into different stages. It’s a great platform if you want to meet customers, investors, and get a great exposure to what else is happening in the industry.”

Career fair connects students with green jobs

On June 21, 2026, SDI hosts a career fair where over 70 organisations working on climate change, sustainability, and net-zero buildings will interact with finalists and offered internship and early career opportunities. The event also featured a keynote address by Manisha Natarajan a noted journalist in Real Estate and Urban Development, and Personal Finance who talked about the importance of staying curious, asking the right questions, and never settling for easy answers. 

Division winners and runners-up

Multi-Family Housing
Winner: Team Tarsh from Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal
Runner-up: Team SOLARVALLEY from DIT University, Dehradun Institute of Technology, and DIT University, School of Architecture Planning & Design

Educational Building
Winner: Team Agniya from Manipal School of Architecture & Planning and Manipal Institute of Technology
Runner-up: Team Fracta from Jindal School of Design and Architecture, Jamia Millia Islamia, and O.P. Jindal Global University

Office Building
Winner: Team Samavet 2.0 from SMEF’s Brick School of Architecture and BRACT’s, Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology
Runner-up: Team AVYA from Manipal School of Architecture & Planning, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, and Manipal Institute of Technology

Construction Worker Housing
Winner: Team ZERO from SMEF’s Brick School of Architecture and BRACT’s, Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology
Runner-up: Team GreenPrint from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Community Resilience Shelter
Winner: Team Samanvaya from School of Planning & Architecture, Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal        School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada and Osmania University
Runner-up: Team AMARA from BMS College of Architecture, Design and Planning and B.M.S. College of Engineering

Residential Cooling Retrofit
Winner: Team Collapsable Indian Urban Furniture from CEPT University and Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Runner-up: Team Sheetansh from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay