Vocational Centre and Clinic, New Delhi, Delhi
2 Min Read
3 tons
New Delhi, Delhi
Tags:
COmpleted
Overview
A cooler clinic for leprosy care
The Hope Foundation needed a building in Delhi for vocational training and a clinic for people affected by leprosy. GreenJams sponsored 2,000 Agrocrete® blocks for the 1,300 sq ft building, with support from Habitat for Humanity's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter. Completed in December 2024, the building gives patients, trainees and staff well-insulated rooms, and stores 3 tons of CO₂ in its walls.
The brief
Comfort for a community that needs it
Delhi swings between intense summer heat and cold winters. For patients, trainees and staff who spend long hours inside, a building that holds a steady temperature matters as much as the services it houses. As a non-profit, the Foundation also needed to keep both construction and running costs low, so every rupee could go towards care and training. The building had to be simple to build with a standard site team.
Why Agrocrete®
Insulation first, carbon as a bonus
Agrocrete® Hollow Blocks were chosen for their thermal insulation, up to 3.5x that of conventional walls. Better insulation means cooler rooms in summer, warmer rooms in winter and less spending on cooling. The blocks are made from paddy straw, fly ash and BINDR™, our cement-free binder, so the same walls also store carbon for the life of the building. It was a practical choice before it was a climate one.
The partnership
Sponsored by GreenJams, backed by Habitat
GreenJams sponsored all 2,000 Agrocrete® blocks for the project at no cost to the Foundation. Habitat for Humanity's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter supported the project, which aligned three organisations on one goal: better shelter and services for a community that needs them. Like all Agrocrete® blocks, those supplied carry a 10-year warranty against cracks, dampness and termites, so the building needs little upkeep.
On site
Standard construction, simple build
The blocks were laid between the building's concrete columns using standard tools and mortar, so the site team could build with them from the first day. Some walls were left exposed inside, showing the texture of the blocks. Keeping the construction method familiar kept the build simple and avoided extra cost for a non-profit project, with no new tools or trades required.
The results
Better rooms for care and training
The finished building gives the Hope Foundation dedicated space for vocational training and a leprosy clinic, with strong insulation keeping rooms cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Less heat gain means lower spending on cooling. The project shows that low-carbon construction can also be low-cost for the organisations that need it most, and that good design need not depend on a large budget.
Carbon impact
3 tons of CO₂ stored in the walls
The Hope Foundation building stores 3 tons of CO₂ in its walls. Lower cooling needs also mean lower operating emissions over its lifetime. For GreenJams, the project is a reminder that climate action and social impact can be built into the same wall, and that sponsorship of materials can stretch a non-profit's budget further. We hope to support more projects like it.
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