Tenders should mandate 30-40% use of precast, prefab structural components
Real Estate

Tenders should mandate 30-40% use of precast, prefab structural components

With the aim to construct 1.2 crore homes to ensure Housing for All by 2022, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) calls for out-of-the-box, innovative thinking. And so, the Government has launched the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC) to look for new, emerging, disaster-resilient, environment-friendly, cost-effective and speedy construction technologies. “As it is important to bring in a technology transition to avail of the best technologies globally, GHTC will help bridge the demand-supply gap in the affordable housing sector,” says MV Satish, Whole-Time Director & Senior Executive Vice-President (Buildings, Minerals & Metals), Larsen & Toubro (L&T). In this segment, the company is constructing about 89,300 flats or apartments of varying sizes – 300 sq ft, 365 sq ft and 435 sq ft over a total built-up area of 31 million sq ft – across several districts in Andhra Pradesh. L&T is also actively looking at a few emerging technologies to hasten this process, adds Satish, as he shares his thoughts on the affordable housing segment with SERAPHINA D’SOUZA.

What is the average time currently taken per sq ft of development of affordable housing units? 
Aluminium formwork is one of the construction methods being increasingly used to reduce execution time and costs. Time taken using aluminium formwork is not measured in sq ft completed but in time taken to cast floor slabs. This is called cycle time, which includes the time to set up the formwork for casting, tying reinforcement, pouring concrete, concrete setting and removal of formwork. At present, we are executing residential projects at a rate of seven days per floor slab for RCC works. All these jobs have stringent delivery schedules of 15 months. 

What are your requirements in terms of technologies for constructing houses in a shorter period of time for faster project delivery? 
L&T has been at the forefront of adopting frontier technologies, having been first to introduce tunnel formwork and aluminium system formwork in India, in residential construction, over a decade and a half ago. With these, an entire floor slab can be cast monolithically to significantly decrease execution time. There is definitely a need to mechanise construction activities offsite to reduce construction time but that will be affordable only when the volume of construction is high.

While various technologies are available from across the globe to quicken the pace of construction, the need for a more enabling environment is more critical, in which technology transfer and adoption can be easier. 

Specific focus is now on prefabricated construction, where not only is the structural system precast but the overall building finishing and MEP works completed in a factory, with the finished units being assembled at site. A similar approach has recently been adopted by the Singapore government, which has mandated the use of precast prefabricated volumetric construction (PPVC) for finished kitchens, bedrooms and bathroom units.

With reference to government-funded projects, the first requirement is for tenders to be based on technology, rather than leaving them technology-neutral. This will create a level playing field for contractors who are willing and capable of adopting superior technologies without being outpriced in the bidding process. At the same time, prequalification criteria need to be relaxed to promote new technologies. Tenders should mandate at least 30-40 per cent use of precast or prefab structural components.

The Government should sponsor or subsidise research programmes of technology providers and offer incentives to contractors to adopt new technologies. From the perspective of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), there is a need to customise codal requirements for affordable housing to reduce material consumption (which is a major contributor to increasing construction costs) and for the adoption of international standards in the absence of equivalent Indian codes or their extremely old versions. Even from an architectural standpoint, it is imperative to lay down standard specifications for modular units, their dimensions, for doors, windows and the like, to enable modular construction.

Are there any global technologies India should adopt to hasten the construction of affordable housing?
The precast large concrete panel system is widely regarded as a technology to hasten construction of affordable housing. Globally, the precast construction market is expected to reach $ 185.23 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 6.3 per cent according to Allied Market Research. This technology has already been well accepted and adopted in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China and Europe. It is being introduced in India, too, and we foresee its widespread use in the country very soon.

With the aim to construct 1.2 crore homes to ensure Housing for All by 2022, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) calls for out-of-the-box, innovative thinking. And so, the Government has launched the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC) to look for new, emerging, disaster-resilient, environment-friendly, cost-effective and speedy construction technologies. “As it is important to bring in a technology transition to avail of the best technologies globally, GHTC will help bridge the demand-supply gap in the affordable housing sector,” says MV Satish, Whole-Time Director & Senior Executive Vice-President (Buildings, Minerals & Metals), Larsen & Toubro (L&T). In this segment, the company is constructing about 89,300 flats or apartments of varying sizes – 300 sq ft, 365 sq ft and 435 sq ft over a total built-up area of 31 million sq ft – across several districts in Andhra Pradesh. L&T is also actively looking at a few emerging technologies to hasten this process, adds Satish, as he shares his thoughts on the affordable housing segment with SERAPHINA D’SOUZA.What is the average time currently taken per sq ft of development of affordable housing units? Aluminium formwork is one of the construction methods being increasingly used to reduce execution time and costs. Time taken using aluminium formwork is not measured in sq ft completed but in time taken to cast floor slabs. This is called cycle time, which includes the time to set up the formwork for casting, tying reinforcement, pouring concrete, concrete setting and removal of formwork. At present, we are executing residential projects at a rate of seven days per floor slab for RCC works. All these jobs have stringent delivery schedules of 15 months. What are your requirements in terms of technologies for constructing houses in a shorter period of time for faster project delivery? L&T has been at the forefront of adopting frontier technologies, having been first to introduce tunnel formwork and aluminium system formwork in India, in residential construction, over a decade and a half ago. With these, an entire floor slab can be cast monolithically to significantly decrease execution time. There is definitely a need to mechanise construction activities offsite to reduce construction time but that will be affordable only when the volume of construction is high.While various technologies are available from across the globe to quicken the pace of construction, the need for a more enabling environment is more critical, in which technology transfer and adoption can be easier. Specific focus is now on prefabricated construction, where not only is the structural system precast but the overall building finishing and MEP works completed in a factory, with the finished units being assembled at site. A similar approach has recently been adopted by the Singapore government, which has mandated the use of precast prefabricated volumetric construction (PPVC) for finished kitchens, bedrooms and bathroom units.With reference to government-funded projects, the first requirement is for tenders to be based on technology, rather than leaving them technology-neutral. This will create a level playing field for contractors who are willing and capable of adopting superior technologies without being outpriced in the bidding process. At the same time, prequalification criteria need to be relaxed to promote new technologies. Tenders should mandate at least 30-40 per cent use of precast or prefab structural components.The Government should sponsor or subsidise research programmes of technology providers and offer incentives to contractors to adopt new technologies. From the perspective of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), there is a need to customise codal requirements for affordable housing to reduce material consumption (which is a major contributor to increasing construction costs) and for the adoption of international standards in the absence of equivalent Indian codes or their extremely old versions. Even from an architectural standpoint, it is imperative to lay down standard specifications for modular units, their dimensions, for doors, windows and the like, to enable modular construction.Are there any global technologies India should adopt to hasten the construction of affordable housing?The precast large concrete panel system is widely regarded as a technology to hasten construction of affordable housing. Globally, the precast construction market is expected to reach $ 185.23 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 6.3 per cent according to Allied Market Research. This technology has already been well accepted and adopted in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China and Europe. It is being introduced in India, too, and we foresee its widespread use in the country very soon.

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Choice Consultancy Wins Rs 634.7 Million Public Sector Projects

Choice Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd, the public sector advisory arm of Choice International Ltd, has secured two major project developments totalling approximately Rs 634.7 million (inclusive of GST), further solidifying its role in public sector transformation and infrastructure planning across India.The company has received a work order worth Rs 528 million from the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA), under the Government of Maharashtra. This assignment, part of the World Bank-backed MahaSTRIDE Programme, involves setting up District Strategic Units (DSUs) across the Chhatrap..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Shalibhadra Finance FY25 Profit Jumps 34% Year-on-Year

Shalibhadra Finance Limited, a leading two-wheeler financing company with a deep presence in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, has reported a 34 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit for FY25, reaching Rs 160 million. The company’s performance was supported by disciplined lending, cost efficiency, and robust asset quality.Financial Highlights – FY25:Net Profit: Rose 34 per cent year-on-year to Rs 160 million. Q4 FY25 profit also increased by 34 per cent to Rs 44 million.Net Interest Income (NII): Up 13 per cent YoY to Rs 295.8 million for the full year and 16 per cent to Rs 84.3..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

Court Orders Uttarakhand PWD to Pay Rs 172 Million to MBL

The Commercial Court in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, has directed the Public Works Department (PWD), Government of Uttarakhand, to pay Rs 172.4 million to MBL Infrastructure Ltd. in accordance with an arbitration award dated 23 March 2024. The case pertains to a completed road project under Package No. 5 for the improvement and strengthening of state roads in Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts.The arbitration tribunal had issued a unanimous award in favour of MBL Infrastructure Ltd., granting a payment of Rs 172.4 million, which includes interest accrued up to the date of the award. Additional..

Advertisement

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?