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Topic:- Low Cost Housing

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 Introduction
Low Cost Housing is a new concept which deals with effective
budgeting by the use of some special techniques which help
in reducing the cost construction through the use of locally
available materials along with improved skills and technology
without sacrificing the strength, performance and life of the
structure.

Low Cost Housing High Cost Housing

 Necessity of Low Cost Building
 To provide emergency housing to the victims of
natural accidents like flood, earth-quake etc and to
the refugees.

 To promote a range of housing of varying financial

capacity.

 To promote community wellbeing through better

provision of housing to meet diverse community
needs.

 To provide housing that allows people the

opportunity to pursue goals related to family, work,
education or other pursuits.

 To ensure that the location of housing offers residents adequate access to

transport, services, and to social.

 To encourage adaptable and accessible housing that can respond to the

changing needs of residents.
 Advantages
 Cost of construction of the building is very low.
 A little time is required to construct the house.
 Locally available materials can be used.

 Maintenance cost is very low.

 Are Low Cost Building Safe??
There is a myth in minds of many people;
they think that whenever construction is
accompanied with low cost, the material
used will always be of a low-grade quality.
Well this is not the case always.

It depends on the intellect of the builder or

civil engineer you are working with. He
should have the ample amount of knowledge
to take such decision which will cut the cost
of whole project.

So, you should always choose wisely when it

comes to your builder or any construction
company that you are trusting with the low-
cost housing project for rural.
 Materials Used
Low cost Housing materials can be broadly classified into natural materials
and manmade materials according to the source of the building materials.

Natural Materials Man Made Materials

1. Bamboo 1. Fly Ash

2. Earth 2. Aerosol Panels

3. Straw 3. Ferro-Cement

4. Fiber Cement Composites 4. Cement Concrete Hollow Blocks

5. Lime Mortar 5. Rice Husk

6. Lime Surki
 Natural Materials Used
Bamboo
After China, India is the second largest in bamboo
production . Of the total 136 species of bamboo
occurring in India, 58 species spread out over 10
genera are endemic to the north eastern part of
India alone. So, it can be easily available.

Earth
Earth is the oldest building material known
to mankind. Although it has few limitations,
they can be overcome by using compressed
earths block and non-erodible mud plaster.

Straw
Straw is basically an agricultural by-product
which comprises only of the plant stalks (mostly
cereals) after removal of grain and chaff. Rice
straw has the highest silica content making it the
toughest amongst all other cereal straws.
 Natural Materials Used
Fiber Cement Composites
In recent days many researchers have explored the
possibilities of using the natural fiber obtained from
different plants, which includes biogases, cereal
straw, corn stalk, cotton stalk, kenaf, rice husk/rice
straw etc as an alternative building material.

Lime Mortar
In this type of mortar, the lime is used as binding
material. The lime may be fat lime or hydraulic lime.
The lime should be slaked before use. It is generally
used for lightly loaded above-ground parts of
building.

Surki Mortar
This type of mortar is prepared by using fully surki
instead of sand or by replacing half of sand in case
of fat lime mortar. The powder of surki should be
fine enough to pass BIS No. 9 sieve and the
residue should not be more than 10% by weight.
 Man-Made Materials Used
Fly Ash
The mineral residue produced by
burning coal and the fine glass
powder recovered from its gases is
called Fly Ash. The major constituents
of fly ash are silica, alumina and iron.

Aerocon Panels
Aerocon panels are the
inorganic bonded sandwich
panels made of two fiber
reinforced cement sheets
engulfing a light-weight core
consisting of Portland cement,
binders and a mix of silicaceous
and micaceous aggregates.
 Man-Made Materials Used
Ferro-Cement
Ferro-cement is a thin walled versatile high strength cement
based composite material made of cement mortar reinforced
with one or more layers of wire mesh closely bound together
to create a stiff structure unit with high performance,
lightness of structure and strength. It possesses the property
of completely homogeneous material.

Cement Concrete Hollow Blocks

Cement Concrete Block is a recently developed masonry
unit of concrete. It works on the principal of densification
of a lean concrete mix to make a regular shaped,
uniform, high performance masonry unit.

Rice Husk
India is one of the world’s largest producers of white rice
contributing about 20% of world’s total rice production.
Rice mills generate a by-product known as husk (it
surrounds the paddy grain). This can be used as a low
cost building material.
 How cost can be reduced ??
 Reduce plinth area by using thinner wall
concept.Ex.15 cm thick solid concrete
block wall.
 Use locally available material in an
innovative form like soil cement blocks in
place of burnt brick.
 Use energy efficiency materials which
consume less energy like concrete block in
place of burnt brick.
 By planning each and every component of
a house the wastage of materials due to
demolition of the unplanned component of
the house can be avoided.
 Each component of the house shall be
checked whether if it’s necessary, if it is not
necessary, then that component should not
be used.
Different Building Techniques
 Recycling
 Extensive planning
 Modular planning
 Infilling
 Different Building Techniques
Recycling
 Recycled materials adapted for low-cost
housing include wood and rubber that are
previously been used.

 Reprocessed into materials that are used

in building walls and other parts of a
house.

 Recycled glass and metal are also used on

occasion.

 These recycled materials are often less

expensive than using fully natural
products.
 Different Building Techniques
Extensive Planning
 In extensive planning, the more planning
goes into a house, the less the actual
construction will cost.
 Contractors should plan out exact
dimensions and should gather facts.

 Contractors should look for the best

materials at the cheapest prices so they can
order exactly what they need.

 This saves money that would otherwise be

wasted on unnecessary supplies and
cleanup caused by littered materials.

 Most houses are built as quickly as possible

without this detailed planning beforehand.
 Different Building Techniques
Modular Planning
 Modular building is a type of construction
where pieces of the home or typically
whole rooms or major parts of rooms ,are
built off-site in large factories.
 This process allows the pieces to be built
efficiently and exactly according to building
standards.
 At the site, the pieces are connected to the
house.
 Since materials aren't assembled on-site,
owners save money on construction time,
including the time it would take to clear
away the construction debris.
 Different Building Techniques
Infilling
 Infilling is the practice of going back
through residential areas and building
in areas that had previously been left
empty.
 Now its possible to build on because
of resolved environmental concerns,
space issues or other problems that
have since been remedied.

 Infilling makes better use of existing

space.
 It is less expensive for contractors
overall.
 Construction Technique Adopted
1. Foundation
Normally the foundation cost comes to
about 10 to 15% of the total building and
usually foundation depth of 3 to 4 ft. is
adopted for single or double store building
and also the concrete bed of 6″ (15 cms.) is
used for the foundation which could be
avoided.

2. Plinth
It is suggested to adopt 1 ft. height above
ground level for the plinth. The plinth slab of
4 to 6″ which is normally adopted can be
avoided and in its place brick on edge can
be used for reducing the cost. By adopting
this procedure the cost of plinth foundation
can be reduced by about 35 to 50%.
 Construction Technique Adopted
3. Wall
Wall thickness of 6 to 9″ is recommended for
adoption in the construction of walls all-round the
building and 4-1/2 ” for inside walls. It is suggested
to use burnt bricks which are immersed in water
for 24 hours and then shall be used for the walls.

4. Doors & Windows

It is suggested to use concrete or steel
section frames for achieving saving in cost
up to 30 to 40%. Similiarly for shutters made
of block boards, fibre or wooden practical
boards etc. shall be used for reducing the
cost by about 25%. By adopting brick jelly
work and precast components effective
ventilation could be provided to the building
and also the construction cost could be
saved up to 50% over the window
components.
Construction Technique Adopted
5. Lintel & Chajja
The traditional R.C.C. lintels which are costly
can be replaced by brick arches for small
spans and save construction cost up to 30 to
40% over the traditional method of
construction. By adopting arches of different
shapes a good architectural pleasing
appearance can be given to the external wall
surfaces of the brick masonry.

6. Roof
Normally 5″(12.5 cms) thick R.C.C. slabs
is used for roofing of residential
buildings. By adopting rationally
designed insitu construction practices
like filler slab and precast elements the
construction cost of roofing can be
reduced by about 20 to 25%.
Construction Technique Adopted
7. Finishing Work
The cost of finishing items like
sanitary, electricity, painting
etc., varies depending upon
the type and quality of products
used in the building and its
cost reduction is left to the
individual choice and liking.
 Laurie Baker- Father of Low Cost
Architect in India
 Laurie baker was an award-winning British-born Indian
architect.
 Moving to India in 1945, Baker began to work on buildings
leprosy centres across the country basing himself out of
Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.
 Throughout his practice, Baker became well known for
designing and building low cost, high quality, beautiful
homes, with a great portion of his work suited to or built for
lower-middle to lower class clients.
 A great example of Low Cost Building is the “The Hamlet –
The Baker’s Home”, which he build for his family in Laurie Baker
Trivandrum

The Hamlet – The Baker’s Home

The Hamlet – The Baker’s Home (Case Study – 1)

 This is Baker’s home in Trivandrum

built on a plot of land along the slope
of a rocky hill, with limited access to
water.

 Baker’s genius has created a

wonderful home for his family.

 Material used from unconventional

sources.

 Electricity wiring is not concealed.

 According to Baker, fans and lamps

can be avoided as in India there is
sunlight all round the year, which
also means that if water is stored in
the southern part of the house, hot
water can be made available.
The Hamlet – The Baker’s Home (Case Study – 1)

 Made Use of BRICK JALLIS, which is an

effective way to minimize your electricity bills

 Built In Furniture
For The Hamlet

 Recycled Wood from

traditional demolished
building.
The Hamlet – The Baker’s Home (Case Study – 1)

 All materials are used in their natural form, exposed brick work, mortar,
concrete shows the truthfulness of materials.

 Baker’s loves to material in their natural form.

IIT Madras's Low-Cost Houses using GFRG Panels
(Case Study – 2)
IIT Madras and its efforts to popularize the cost-
effective, rapid and eco-friendly method of
construction using Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum
(GFRG) panels, which was originally designed for
using as walls by Rapid Building systems,
Australia. The IIT-M research group extended the
application of this product for the entire building
system — including floors, roofs staircases, thus
significantly reducing the consumption of
Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC).

After the successful construction of a two-

storey building at the IIT campus in June, 2013
using GFRG panels, experts from the civil
engineering department of the institute are
close to an agreement with Tata Housing
Development Corporation Ltd to build a
housing project at Boisar, a suburb in Mumbai,
for low-income groups.
 IIT Madras's Low-Cost Houses using GFRG Panels
(Case Study – 2)
Advantages over conventional buildings:
 High speed of construction: GFRG demo building
with four flats in two storeys built within a month!
 Less built-up area for the same carpet area: wall
panels are only 124mm thick.
 Less embodied energy and carbon footprint:
significant reduction in use of cement, sand,
steel and water; recycling of industrial waste
gypsum.
 Lower cost of structure: savings in materials; no
plastering.
 Lower building weight, contributing to savings
in foundation and reduction in design for
earthquake forces.
 Excellent finishes of prefabricated GFRG panels
- used for all the walls, floors and staircases,
with minimal embedded concrete: no need for
additional plastering.
 IIT Madras's Low-Cost Houses using GFRG Panels
(Case Study – 2)
Procedure of Construction
 The GFRG building method essentially uses glass
fibres and specially calcined gypsum plaster to
make the regular panel stronger and water resistant.

 The foundation for the building is laid in the regular

manner.
 GFRG panels are used for erecting the remaining
superstructure with minimum concrete usage except
at the joints and cavities of the panel.

 Once the foundation is constructed and the panels

are erected, the main structure can be built in a few
days.

 While using GFRG panels, all floors should ideally

have the same floor plan. Curved structures and
domes are best avoided or concrete can be used for
such areas.
 Moladi (Case Study – 3)
Moladi is a South African company
specializing in a reusable plastic formwork for
use in construction of affordable housing and
low cost housing projects, mainly in third
world countries. The process involves creating
a mould the form of the complete house. This
wall mould is then filled with an aerated form
of mortar. The process is also claimed to be
faster than traditional methods of
construction.
 Concluding Remarks
The dream of owning a house particularly for low-income and middle-
income families is becoming a difficult reality. Therefore, It is necessary
to adopt cost effective, innovative and environment-friendly traditional
construction methods. It was found that about 26.11% and 22.68% of
the construction cost, including material and Labour cost, can be saved
by using the low cost housing technologies in comparison with high
cost buildings. This proves the benefits and the trends for implementing
low cost housing technologies in the industry.
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