While the PMAY 2.0 has provided a fillip to the vision of Housing for All, infrastructure firms are increasingly embracing innovative technologies to deliver homes with faster, cost-effective and quality construction
By Mr. Sripad Nandiraj, Founder & CEO, WeHouse: With India’s urban areas expected to house ~600million people or 40% of the country’s population by 2030, developing the residential infrastructure necessary to sustainably fulfil this demand has assumed top-most priority.
On its part, the Indian government has been providing the urban poor with financial assistance for rental, purchase and even home construction under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0) urban housing mission; with over 12million houses sanctioned and ₹2,02,449 crore already committed under this flagship scheme.
Still, building and delivering affordable housing units in a time bound manner remains a significant challenge, with rising material and labour costs compounding the problem even further.
Why governmental support needs to be complemented by technological adoption
In addition to PMAY-U 2.0, the central government has been doling out additional incentives in the form of tax exemptions and interest subvention schemes to encourage developers to undertake affordable housing projects (AHPs).
However, despite estimates pegging the affordable housing market to reach ₹67 lakh crore by 2030, the country currently faces a shortage of 10.1 million housing units due to rising demand across both metro and Tier II & III cities.
Notwithstanding financing, project approvals and land acquisition related challenges, cost and time escalations continue to impact the financial viability of AHPs; in turn deterring both developers and financing entities from participating in the affordable housing segment.
Making matters worse is the fact that most AHPs are being developed by smaller construction firms; many of which still relying on in situ construction techniques that are resource-heavy by design.
This not only highlights the need to embrace modern construction technologies, but also stresses the urgency of using alternate building materials that promote faster home construction.
Key technologies that are slashing construction lead times
When it comes to constructing multi-storeyed AHPs, it is extremely important for developers to execute construction-related activities with speed and precision to avoid cost overruns caused by material wastage and poor labour utilisation rates.
Towards this end, precast concrete panels and prefabricated structures have proven to be extremely effective; with structural components such as load-bearing walls and entire floors being manufactured at a separate facility before being transported for assembly on-site.
These panels and structures are not only easier to install within the larger RCC framework, but they can also be designed as complete monolithic rooms that can then be stacked on top of each other to construct multi-storey structures.
What’s more, for structural elements that need to be cast in situ, reusable tunnel formworks are revolutionizing how beams, columns and slabs are being constructed in one continuous pour. Similarly, the use of aluminium formworks to cast walls is eliminating the need for extensive plastering, thereby minimizing resource consumption and optimizing construction costs even further.
Thus, compared with the traditional brick-and-mortar technique of constructing homes, these resource-efficient technologies are helping developers in delivering AHPs with better quality and significantly shorter project timelines than previously thought possible.
Use of sustainable materials and structural innovations to power cost reduction
Unlike traditional kiln-fired earthen bricks that utilise large quantities of wood and fossil fuels in the manufacturing process, fly-ash bricks are emerging as an environmentally-friendly option that also offer additional advantages during the construction process.
These bricks are lighter, offer higher thermal insulation and can be installed with minimum use of cement mortar; all of which are beneficial from a cost, quality and labour perspective.
Similarly, autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks that are made by passing high-pressure steam through a slurry of cement, fly ash, sand, gypsum and aluminium powder are gaining popularity due to their lightweight nature, fire resistant behaviour and excellent thermal insulation.
What’s more, when combined with filler slabs and load-bearing elements that minimize the need for steel reinforcements, these sustainable building materials are unlocking sizeable cost gains that can be eventually passed on to prospective first-time home buyers.
With India committed to becoming a developed country by 2047, it will be pertinent that it realizes its vision of ‘Housing for All’ by enhancing affordability, both through fiscal support and continuous technological innovation.
In this journey, Indian developers will not only have to embrace global construction best practices, but also increase the use of alternative building materials that can together yield sizeable cost & time savings.
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