While for years, we have been banking on the private sector to bring about transformation, for the first time, we are witnessing the wheels of the change turning towards the government. Taking every measure possible to ensure ‘Housing for All’, the Central Government has led by example in recently inaugurating one of six Light House Projects (LHPs) in Chennai. The launch has reflected the grit & determination of the government in facilitating sustainable construction for the country and how the use of prefabrication is the key to achieve this.

Last year, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Light House projects (LHPs) under Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC) – in six sites across six states. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, “Today is the day to move forward with new energy, to prove new resolutions and today the country is getting new technology to build houses for the poor, middle class. He said the houses are called Light House Projects in technical language, but these 6 projects are really like lighthouses showing a new direction to the housing sector in the country.”

This is where the prefabrication construction is slowly & steadily playing its part in the Indian construction growth story. Who would have thought that merely within 17 months, one among the six LHPs would be inaugurated by the Hon’ble PM in Chennai! With a vision to transform India’s urban landscape, over 1152 affordable houses constructed using cutting-edge new technologies under India’s Light House Project (LHP) are now ready in Chennai.

The project in Chennai was built at a cost of Rs116 crore under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban with a vision to provide large-scale housing for Indians in a quick, efficient and sustainable manner while tailoring the construction to the peculiar challenges of the terrain it will stand on. For example, in earthquake-prone northeast India, earthquake-resilient technology will reinforce the strength and stability of the structure. The Chennai LHP uses a Precast Concrete Construction System, which is used in the US and Finland. This involves using prefabricated concrete slabs that are standardized, interchangeable, and mass-produced in plants away from the site.

Technologies deployed

Likewise, various new age technologies are being deployed at each of these 6 LHPs. For instance, 1,024 houses in Indore are being constructed using Precast sandwich panels to replace brick & mortar walls. These structures are more energy-efficient, a feature that will be useful in Indore’s warm climate since heat transfer between the exterior wall and interior can be minimised. The panels are typically made of an external concrete layer (non-load bearing), an insulation layer, and an internal concrete layer (load-bearing). Special connectors are placed during casting to connect those layers, and materials with low thermal conductivity can be selected to keep interiors cool.

The 1,144 lighthouses in Rajkot are being built using French technology, with monolithic concrete construction technology using tunnels. This technology helps in quickly producing repetitive designs. The box-type structure is protected against earthquakes and cyclone forces. These structures are also well-insulated against thermal as well as sound transmission.

In the Lucknow project, PVC Stay-In-Place Formwork System is being used to build 1,040 houses. In this method, the plant manufactured rigid poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) based polymer components that form the basic structure for walls, which do not require plaster or paint. Once the structural frame is in place, the cavities inside the wall panels are filled with concrete. This process also cuts down the water requirement for the curing of concrete.

1,008 houses are coming up in Ranchi using an already established construction system in Europe, Singapore, Japan & Australia. The LHP here is being built with a 3D construction system from Germany. In this method, 90% of the houses are constructed at the plant itself and assembled in a manner similar to building Lego blocks. Solid precast concrete structural modules like room, toilet, kitchen, bathroom, stairs, etc. & any combination of these are cast monolithically in the factory. These Modules are also called MagicPodS, which are then integrated at the location.

1000 houses in Agartala are being built using New Zealand-based technology. It uses Light Gauge Steel Structural System & Pre-engineered Steel Structural System to build the structural frame and walling, making the structure low weight and ductile, which offers protection during earthquakes.

All in all, a holistic approach has been taken by the government to ensure the ‘Housing for All’ scheme brings about positive change in the lives of crores of poor and middle class families.

Continuing the momentum

Not only this, once completed, these LHPs shall serve as LIVE Laboratories for different aspects of Transfer of technologies to field application, such as planning, design, production of components, construction practices, testing etc., for both faculty and students, builders, professionals of Private and Public sectors and other stakeholders involved in such construction.

The changing times call for a steadfast approach from the construction fraternity and specially prefab players who are armed with the best in class technology support and have all the might to play an enabling role in the government’s vision of Safe, Sustainable and Affordable housing for all. It’s time to be the active stakeholder in the journey and play your part.

Source: PIB