Low cost Housing Developed by IIT Madras - 800 square feet Flatfor a cost of just Rs 10 lakh

It is an amazing research from IIT for our Indians who want their dream house in Low cost which is also very eco-friendly.

Chennai:DevdasMenon, Professor in Department of Civil Engineering - IIT Madras, explains about a flat that could create affordable housing for masses.

India has a severe housing shortage problem, which is well known. In particular, there is a need to address the shelter needs of the lower income groups and their aspirations.

 

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras have developed a unique method where one can construct a two-bedroom house of 800 square feet for a cost of just Rs 10 lakh.

The researchers from the civil engineering department have been working on the project for over a decade and have constructed a two-storey building to showcase the technology they developed to build rapid, cost-effective mass housing using Glass Fibre Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) panels.

BhaskarRamamurthi, director, IIT-M said:"The GFRG building, which is fit for occupation, showcases the efficacy of the rapid affordable construction technology, and is replicable for mass housing, vertically and horizontally. The use of prefabricated GFRG panels not only implies faster overall construction time but also a safer working environment. The cost of the construction, with all amenities, has been reduced to about Rs 1,250 per square foot." The panels are prefabricated and cut to desired sizes based on room dimensions with openings for doors and windows, thus making rapid construction possible.

Advantages over conventional buildings:

1) High speed of construction: GFRG demo building with four flats in two storeys built within a month!

2) Less built-up area for the same carpet area: wall panels are only 124mm thick.

3) Less embodied energy and carbon footprint: Significant reduction in use of cement, sand, steel and water; recycling of industrial waste gypsum.

4) Lower cost of structure: savings in materials; no plastering.

5) Excellent finishes of prefabricated GFRG panels - used for all the walls, floors and staircases, with minimal embedded concrete: no need for additional plastering.

6) Lower building weight (panels weigh only 43 kg/m2), contributing to savings in foundation and reduction in design for earthquake forces, particularly in multi-storeyed construction.

7) Buildings up to 8-10 storeys can be designed using this load-bearing system, without the need for beams and columns.