CASE STUDIES OF

HOUSING IN INDIA
Incremental Housing at Belapur,
New Mumbai
-CHARLES CORREA

Anusha,Srividhya,Priya
PROJECT DETAILS

 Location-Belapur (in Nerul),2km from center of New Bombay

 Area-5.4 hectares of land
 Density of the housing- 500 people (100 households) per hectare, a
total of 550 families
 Developer- CIDCO
 Year of commisioning-1983
 Year of completion-1986
 Project type- Mixed residential use espl for LIG
 Popularly known as “ARTSITS village”
 Objective- is to create a closely knit, secure, convenient,
urbanfamily-
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Design principle used –
 Each unit is on it own individual site to
allow for future expansion (Incremental
type houses)
 No shared or common walls
 Building is itself free standing , no relation
with neighbourhood.
 This independence was well recognised
as desirable in contemporary planning,
allows each owner to change or expand
his dwelling depending upon his
economic well being
 It also had a separate open to sky space
in addition to the built up area

 This caters to lowest income group- budjet

of Rs.20000
 MIG-Rs.30000 to Rs. 50000
 HIG-Rs.180000
SPATIAL PLANNING
 It is a low rise high density scheme
that has a cluster arrangement
around small community spaces
 CLUSTER-At a smaller scale,seven
units are grouped around a
intimate courtyard of 8m x 8m
 MODULES-3 of these clusters
combine to form a larger module of
21 houses around a open space of
12m x 12m
 COMMUNITY SPACE-3 such
modules interlock to define the next
scale of space- community
space(20mx 20m aprox)
 The spatial hierarchy continues until
the neighbourhood spaces were
formed where schools and other
public facilities are located
 Neighbour hood spaces opens to a
small stream that runs through the
center of site
 Cluster of 7 houses

Cluster of 3x 7 houses
PLANNING OF HOUSES
 Toilets located in pairs to save
plumbing and electricity costs
 Free standing in respect to its
neighbors
 No shared or common wall
 Structure of house was simple and
can be altered and built by local
masons itslef
The individual houses rely on simple
floor plans and building methods,
enabling local masons and
craftspeople to construct them.
The courtyard serves the necessity
for a protected family
 "private communal" space.
CASE STUDIES

Housing by Indian Architect

Raj Rewal
Raj Rewal- Asian Games Village
 Architect -Raj Rewal
 Location- New Delhi
 Timeline -1980 to 1982  
 Building Type- multifamily housing
  Construction System -concrete
 Climate -hot
 Context- urban Style Modern Notes Village imagery. Sequence of
courtyards and gardens.
 Aim- The aim was to create an urban pattern of low rise high density
based on a sequence of open spaces linked by shaded pedestrian
pathways. The peripheral
 Concept-The concept is based on a sequence of open spaces,
interlinked with narrow pedestrian streets shaded and kept alive
through a careful mix with recreational and communal area. The
streets are consciously broken up into visually comprehensible units,
often with gateways, point of rest and changing vistas.
 Raj Rewal- Asian Games Village

 tttttt
Raj Rewal- Asian Games Village
Raj Rewal- Asian Games Village
 The use of colours on doors defines the individual houses on the
street.
Raj Rewal- Asian Games Village

 Finishing materials:
Raj Rewal- Asian Games Village
Raj Rewal- Asian Games Village
Raj Rewal- Asian Games Village
Raj Rewal- Asian Games Village
British High Commission
Housing-New Delhi
 Building Type-Housing 
 Year-1994 
 Description- 
 Consists of two-storey houses
 They are arranged around a square,
which contains a circular pathway
giving access to all units.
 The demarcation of central
enclosures is clearly established by
framed gateways with pedestrian
passages connecting the site to
garages on two ends adjoining
peripheral roads.
 Each dwelling unit has a private
enclosed garden at the rear, which
reflects the traditional British
terrace housing.

Framed gateways with pedestrian passages

ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS
 The architectural language of the
housing complex is based on
energy saving devices,
 e.g. deep set windows, shaded
balconies verandahs, roof
umbrellas and overhangs
 which keep the walls roof and
glazing protected from the harsh
glare of the sun.
 The texture of stone and its
changing colours forms an
important feature of design
complimenting the natural foliage
on the site.
French Embassy Staff Quarters -
New Delhi
 Building Type-Housing 
 Year-1967 
 The total area of each unit -within the
cluster varies from 60 to 70 square meters.
Three principal concerns stand out :
 Courtyards and roof terraces form
important features of the apartments,
enhancing the tightly built living areas.This
particularly suitable for north Indian
climate and life style.
 Introducing windows at the opposite ends
of the room ensures cross ventilation and
natural light.
 Larger windows and doors open on to the
terraces, which are flanked by high
parapets to ensure privacy for the families.
 Deep-set windows provide protection from
the sun. .
Aranya Low Cost
Housing, Indore

BV.DOSHI
 PROJECT DETAILS
 
Aranya Low Cost Housing
Indore, Madhya
Pradesh                                                                                                 
                      
 
Client, Indore Development Authority
Principal Architect , Balkrishna Doshi 
Project Associate , Mr. Himanshu Parikh
Project Supervision : Departmental Engineers
Structural Engineer, M/s Stein Doshi & Bhalla, New Delhi
Project Engineers , Environmental Engineering Consultants, Bombay
Plot, 6500
Total Built-up Area, 100,000  m2
Project Cost ,   Rs.  100 Million
 
 The  Indore  site  was  off  the  Bombay – Agra  road  to  the  north 
of  the  town  and  was  little  over  80  hectares.  A  total  of  6,500 
plots  was  to  be  provided.  The  idea  was  to  mix  some  middle 
income  plots  of  about  475  m2  with  those  of  the  “Economically 
Weaker  Section”  (EWS),  then  to  use  the  profits  to  raise  capital 
towards  the  development  of  local  trades.  It  was  obvious  that  a 
livelihood  must  be guaranteed  within  the  settlement  itself  for  the 
majority,  otherwise  the  project  could  not  hope  to  work.

 Squatter  settlements  repeat  some  of  the  spatial  layouts  of 

villages  but  without  the  beauty  and  lyricism  of  rural  forms.  In 
the  Indore  project  a  hierarchy  of  streets  was  suggested  which 
gradually  diminished  in  size  as  they  penetrated  the  different 
sectors.

 The  sole  "architecture”  provided  by  designers  would  be 

“sanitary  cores”  each  comprising  plumbing,  washroom,  kitchen 
plus  a  single  room.  These  could  then  be  extended  as  the 
inhabitants  established  themselves.  It  is  hoped  that  the  new 
community  would  eventually  generate  building  trades  and  then 
an  upgraded  version  of  the  informal  urban  vernacular  would 
result.  So  far  it  is  still  too  early  to  judge  how  the  Indore  project 
will  turn  out.
 Shacks  often  double  as  living  and 
working  places,  being  protected  from  the 
street  by  a  zone  of  transition. 
 Roads  remain  sufficiently  wide  to 
ensuremovement  of  small  traffic  to 
transport 
 There  are  even  “public  amenities”  such 
as  trees  sprouting  from  low – walled 
planters.  The  space  in  front  of  the  house 
may  be  used  as  a  sleeping  area  on  hot 
nights,  and  there  is  often  a  rear  access 
alley.
ARANYA HOUSING
 Like other cities in India, Indore was facing an acute shortage of Housing. As per a
study by the IDA in 1981, it was estimated 51,000 families homeless or living in illegal
settlements.
 The project demanded an approach towards Affordable housing; affordable to the
government and the Urban poor.
 SITE –
 A rectilinear site measuring 86 hectares was designed on the idea of 'site and
services', to accommodate over 6500 dwellings, largely for the weaker section.
 This was an integrated approach for 'a sustainable society' where the mix of
different economic levels of society could stay together.
 Unlike the normal social housing where the house and the inhabitant are frozen in
time and the housing does not have the liberty enough to compliment the changing
economy of the urban poor.
 Aranya on the other hand is incomplete…it is meant that it is flexible, changing and
growing with its inhabitants.I
 It was incomplete 20 years ago, today and may be 20 years later.
ARANYA HOUSING
 The houses built by these 4000 Economically Weaker Sectioned families
may appear incomplete,
 As the people of Aranya grow socially, economically and culturally the
housing changes, complementing the vision for the project. Today, we are
proud that the houses build about 20 years ago, are no more recognisable,
as were seen by us, during the first few years.
 Aranya has witnessed the poor, putting continuos effort, to improvise their
living standards, which is reflective in their housing.
 The housing must give an opportunity to reflect ones well-deserved success
with life
 They started with a plot with basic infrastructure, a bathroom and toilet with
the plinth of their house, putting brick by brick on their own, adding
rooms, marking their identity and their signatures on their dwelling.
 It is very satisfying watching them, now grow two storeys