+
Progress on Structural Technologies for Affordable Housing
Real Estate

Progress on Structural Technologies for Affordable Housing

There has been a decent amount of progress on structural technologies and each developer has a choice, from building a conventional structure going all the way to precast or tunnel forms. As Rahul Sabharwal, CEO, VBHC Value Homes, observes, “The choice of technologies depends on what needs to be constructed in terms of volumes and at what speed we need to construct (depending on sales).”

“We use precast, tunnel formwork, aluminium formwork and sandwich panel technology, depending on what the project needs,” says Rajesh Krishnan, Founder & CEO, Brick Eagle. “Prefab technology is perfectly suitable for mass housing projects” According to him, there are already a lot of good technologies in the market today such as prefab that are not being used. Prefab is used all over the world, but not in the scale that it should be in India. “For a country that needs to build 5 million homes a year, why are such technologies not being adopted?” he questions.

In the past two to three years, Mahindra Lifespaces’ affordable housing brand, Happinest, has studied 32 construction technologies used worldwide for mass housing projects. “Of these, we have shortlisted five technologies, keeping in mind the Indian scenario,” says Amit Pal, Vice President-Operations, Mahindra Happinest. “Of these five, we, along with IIT-Madras, have developed a hybrid technology and have adopted the same for constructing buildings at our Happinest projects in Avadi and Boisar.” This hybrid technology is basically a lean foundation with a shear wall structure and light weight concrete blocks as the building envelope. 

Further, as the horizontal spread is greater than the vertical spread in affordable housing projects, there is a need to develop a technology for the foundation that is not time consuming, and is more cost-effective. “We have developed trench foundation technology, wherein the foundation is made with mass concrete ,” shares Pal. “With this technology, the foundation work for a building can be completed in 20 days or less, as compared to conventional methods, which would typically take months. Yet another simple, time-and-cost-effective technology we used in our Happinest Palghar project is the grillage foundation. It is like a closed grill at a low foundation depth that does not need much time to construct. This technology has helped us improve speed of construction.”

Parameters for Technology Selection
  • Durability: The structure should have a longevity of 50-60 years
  • Earthquake and wind-resistant
  • Faster construction
  • Cost-effectiveness
  • Improved space utilisation for customers.
Source: Mahindra Happinest

- SERAPHINA D’SOUZA

There has been a decent amount of progress on structural technologies and each developer has a choice, from building a conventional structure going all the way to precast or tunnel forms. As Rahul Sabharwal, CEO, VBHC Value Homes, observes, “The choice of technologies depends on what needs to be constructed in terms of volumes and at what speed we need to construct (depending on sales).”“We use precast, tunnel formwork, aluminium formwork and sandwich panel technology, depending on what the project needs,” says Rajesh Krishnan, Founder & CEO, Brick Eagle. “Prefab technology is perfectly suitable for mass housing projects” According to him, there are already a lot of good technologies in the market today such as prefab that are not being used. Prefab is used all over the world, but not in the scale that it should be in India. “For a country that needs to build 5 million homes a year, why are such technologies not being adopted?” he questions.In the past two to three years, Mahindra Lifespaces’ affordable housing brand, Happinest, has studied 32 construction technologies used worldwide for mass housing projects. “Of these, we have shortlisted five technologies, keeping in mind the Indian scenario,” says Amit Pal, Vice President-Operations, Mahindra Happinest. “Of these five, we, along with IIT-Madras, have developed a hybrid technology and have adopted the same for constructing buildings at our Happinest projects in Avadi and Boisar.” This hybrid technology is basically a lean foundation with a shear wall structure and light weight concrete blocks as the building envelope. Further, as the horizontal spread is greater than the vertical spread in affordable housing projects, there is a need to develop a technology for the foundation that is not time consuming, and is more cost-effective. “We have developed trench foundation technology, wherein the foundation is made with mass concrete ,” shares Pal. “With this technology, the foundation work for a building can be completed in 20 days or less, as compared to conventional methods, which would typically take months. Yet another simple, time-and-cost-effective technology we used in our Happinest Palghar project is the grillage foundation. It is like a closed grill at a low foundation depth that does not need much time to construct. This technology has helped us improve speed of construction.”Parameters for Technology SelectionDurability: The structure should have a longevity of 50-60 yearsEarthquake and wind-resistantFaster constructionCost-effectivenessImproved space utilisation for customers.Source: Mahindra Happinest- SERAPHINA D’SOUZA

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

India to Invest Rs 600 Billion to Upgrade 1,000 ITIs

As part of its drive to modernise vocational training, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with Gujarat’s Labour and Employment Department, held a State-Level Workshop at the NAMTECH Campus within IIT-Gandhinagar to discuss the National Scheme for ITI Upgradation.The consultation brought together key stakeholders from industry and the training ecosystem to align expectations and support implementation of the scheme, which aims to transform 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across India using a hub-and-spoke model. The total outlay stands ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

India Unveils Rs 600 Billion Maritime Finance Push

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) hosted the Maritime Financing Summit 2025 in New Delhi, bringing together over 250 stakeholders including policymakers, industry leaders, global investors, and financial institutions. The summit, held under the ambit of Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision (MAKV) 2047, focused on transforming India into a leading maritime power with strengthened financial, infrastructural, and technological capabilities.Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal emphasised India's strategic progress, noting that average port turnaround times have dropped from four days to u..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Govt Allocates Rs 500 Million To Boost Community Radio

The Central Government, through its ‘Supporting Community Radio Movement in India’ scheme, has allocated Rs 500 million to strengthen the community radio ecosystem across the country. The initiative aims to assist both newly established and long-operational Community Radio Stations (CRSs), ensuring their relevance to local educational, social, cultural, and developmental needs.According to the policy published by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, CRSs may be set up by not-for-profit organisations with at least three years of demonstrated community service. These stations are ex..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?