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The inauguration of The Big 5 Construct India 2016 gathered local and international institutional representatives and industry leaders at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, in Mumbai on September 28.   Vinay Shankar Mathur, Secretary General, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), delivered the welcome address, followed by Pradeep Nagawekar, Chairman, Builders Association of India (BAI), and Milind Sambhre, Chairman, Indian Institute of Architects, Maharashtra Chapter. The official opening of the event, which is expected to attract over thousands of visitors, also saw the participation of HE Erdal Sabri Ergen, Consul General of the Republic of Turkey, and Matt Denton, President, DMG Events Middle East, Asia & Africa.   This year, The Big 5 Construct India hosts over 150 exhibitors from 15 countries. According to Event Director, Ashley Roberts, “Exhibitors from Turkey, Italy, UK, UAE, Russia, Iran, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Singapore, Thailand, Germany and India brought the latest technologies, solutions and building materials to the visitors of The Big 5 Construct India 2016.â€�    Beyond gathering under one roof the best of the construction industry and the latest solutions specifically tailored for the Indian-built environment, the fourth edition of the event increased its educational offer with an impressive array of seminars and conferences. Roberts further announced that “Visitors to The Big 5 Construct India 2016 can access for free, over 20 CPD certified workshops on topics spanning from project management to BIM, LEED and other green building certification systems.â€�   Green building and sustainable best practices in the construction industry take centre stage across all three days of the show. On September 30, industry experts will present a workshop on ‘Green buildings and Sustainable Habitat â€� The GRIHA Wayâ€�. According to Akash Deep, Programme Manager, GRIHA Council, and speaker at The Big 5 Construct India 2016, “Green buildings are growing at a very fast pace in India. With policies from the government to promote such initiatives, both developers and common public are looking for sustainable solutions.â€�   GRIHA, India’s own and national green building rating system, is developed to facilitate the implementation of sustainable practices in the construction industry at various project stages â€� from design to construction, operation and maintenance. Deep added, “The workshop will enable participants to understand the principles and ethos on which GRIHA rating was created in sync with the Indian culture and practices. The session will also provide examples from different parts of the country presenting the challenges and outcomes achieved by various projects ranging from small-scale bungalows to large neighborhood level projects.â€�   On September 29, Pankaj Wadhawan, CEO, Blueshift Institute of Real Estate and Finance, will unveil ‘Sources of financing and financing trends for affordable housing, construction and infrastructure businessesâ€�. Participants to the workshop will be able to learn about the role of the finance function and various traditional and sophisticated financial instruments used in raising capital. “Finance is the life line of any industry,â€� stated Wadhawan. “The market is in a very challenging stage currently: While there is huge housing shortage with consumers willing to buy affordable houses, only very few construction and real-estate companies are able to provide matching product.â€� According to him, the main reasons for the shortage can be researched in the lack of suitable land availability, high raw material cost, and slow pace of new infrastructure development to make alternate land parcels attractive for affordable housing. “Due to this, most of the market at the lower end of the pyramid of affordable housing remains unaddressed. According to a recent report, launches in affordable housing sector grew by almost 100 per cent in FH1 of 2016. This is an encouraging sign,â€� Wadhawan concluded.   Backed by the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), Government of India, and co-organised by dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), the Big 5 Construct India 2016 enjoys the support of leading trade bodies and associations. These include the Builders Association of India (BAI), the Indian Association of Structural Engineers (IAStructE), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (ACCE), the Consulting Engineers Association of India (CEAI), the Indian Building Congress, and Liases Foras Real Estate Research and Rating.   The event runs from September 28-30, 2016, at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, in Goregaon, Mumbai.