Emergence strategy in Action: Lodha drives sustainable real estate development in India

This case study examines how Lodha (Macrotech Developers Ltd), a major Indian real estate developer, employs an "emergence strategy" to drive sustainable building practices. By utilizing its Palava project as a smart city learning lab and establishing the Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator, the company aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035 and set new industry standards for India's rapidly growing urban environment.

• India's buildings sector faces significant growth and environmental challenges, with the real estate industry expected to reach a $1 trillion market size by 2030 and floor space expected to more than double by 2040. Currently, building operations account for approximately one-third of India's energy use, while another 10 percent is used for building materials and construction.
• Lodha has adopted an "emergence strategy" to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035 and influence the broader Indian real estate industry. This strategy consists of three elements: system sensing to identify profitable sustainable solutions, system solutions to overcome barriers using new technologies and design, and system roles to mobilize others toward systemic change.
• The Palava project near Mumbai serves as an integrated smart city learning lab and template for sustainable urbanization. It has demonstrated that urban design can lower ground temperatures by 2°C compared to surrounding areas. The project's residential energy use intensity averages 41 kWh per square meter, which is approximately 30 percent below industry benchmarks, with a future target of 25 kWh per square meter.
• Lodha implements specific sustainable technologies at Palava, including over four megawatts of rooftop solar photovoltaic panels to offset common area energy needs and solar water heaters to reduce grid reliance. Future tests through the Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator will include radiant cooling, higher performance glazing, solar chimneys, and highly reflective paints on facades.

APA

RMI (2023). Emergence strategy in Action: Lodha drives sustainable real estate development in India. https://rmi.org/resources/emergence-strategy-in-action-lodha-group-drives-sustainable-real-estate-development-in-india/

Chicago

RMI. Emergence strategy in Action: Lodha drives sustainable real estate development in India. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/emergence-strategy-in-action-lodha-group-drives-sustainable-real-estate-development-in-india/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Emergence strategy in Action: Lodha drives sustainable real estate development in India |date=12 October 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/emergence-strategy-in-action-lodha-group-drives-sustainable-real-estate-development-in-india/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023emergence, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Emergence strategy in Action: Lodha drives sustainable real estate development in India}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/emergence-strategy-in-action-lodha-group-drives-sustainable-real-estate-development-in-india/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }