A Methodology to Determine Appropriate Construction Technology for Social Housing

Areas of Work: | Social Housing

1. Building Materials and Construction Technologies
2. Disaster Prevention and Management
3. Capacity Building and Skill Development
4. Project Management & Consultancy

Background

The projected housing shortage in India in 2012 reached 18.78 million DUs, according to census reports. It is estimated that India’s rapid growth in population due to urbanization will reach 590 million people by 2030 and that housing deficiencies will hit 110 million DUs by 2022. In India, the construction sector experiences unavoidable problems such as scarcity of land, invasions, inadequate funding, careless property ownership, uncertain production and consumption, and budget restrictions resulting from land ownership issues and technological limitations. In addition, problems such as shortage of construction materials and their high costs, inaccurate and inadequate project execution, lack of knowledge on the use of waste materials, and stress on non-renewable resources increase the problem of the housing crisis in India. To overcome all of India’s social housing problems, alternate construction technologies can be implemented that minimize cost, reduce construction time, and provide sustainable housing solutions. 

BMTPC | Social Housing

Taking into account the mentioned points, the government has released the scheme, PMAY, with the mission statement, “Housing for All by 2022,” under which the “Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC),” an organization that works on developing new construction technologies that can be implemented to solve the housing crisis, has been formed.

Suggested Construction Technologies by BMTPC

1. Monolithic Concrete Construction System (Plastic and Aluminum Formwork)
2. Reinforced EPS Core Panel System
3. Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) Panel System
4. Light-gauge steel-framed structure (LGSFS)
5. Factory-Made Fast Track Building System
6. Speed Floor System (Precast Concrete Construction Systems)
7. Industrialized 3-S system using cellular lightweight concrete slabs and precast columns

Selection Framework | Social Housing

Based on various attributes, these new construction systems are needed to build mass housing. Thus, BMTPC introduced a multi-attribute assessment framework to select alternative construction technologies. The attributes are described in vertical classification schemes at three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary. 

Attributes at the initial level are divided into two different categories: 

(i) Mandatory Attributes and 

(ii) Preferred and Desired Attributes

To represent the specific components of the primary attribute, the primary-level attributes are classified as secondary attributes. After that, again, the secondary attributes are classified into attributes of the tertiary level. With every housing technology, it is important to meet every selection criterion specified under the Mandatory Attributes. In choosing the preferred and desired attributes, sometimes the construction technology doesn’t pass on any specific attribution level; the technology will likely be considered appropriate on an average scale. 

Research Methodology

There was a multi-step method for the implementation of the assessment system suggested in this paper. The procedure is as follows: 

1. Studying and understanding the different types of modern construction technologies proposed by the BMTPC.
2. Comprehend the BMTPC’s multi-attribute evaluation system for modern construction technologies.
3. Collection of data provided by different kinds of literature, manuals, and research papers to choose the new construction system and comparison of them in terms of the provided attributes.
4. Selecting and proposing a modern construction technology following the above point for the construction of social housing.

Criteria Rating Matrix | Social Housing

The criteria rating matrix is a criterion-based decision matrix that uses various scoring criteria to decide on one of many possible solutions or alternatives. It makes it possible to arrange different solution criteria in a standardized way for easy comparison and encourages a mechanism for creating and selecting disciplined concepts. It also enables the analyst to create an ideal solution that is a combination of other effective solutions.

Matrix of Criteria Ratings to Select Construction Technology

Step 1: Introduction to Comparative Parameters

Many of the standards and specifications are considered when doing the study. Provided specifications are durability, conformity with regulations, technical specifications, aspects of construction management, environmental safety, and economic and social sustainability. The specifications taken depend on the study of the research done by eminent researchers.

Step 2: Select technologies to differentiate. 

Because of the study, the technologies proposed by BMTPC are for collecting relevant methods to deliver “Housing for All by 2022”

Step 3: Calculation of Final Values

In this process, as measured by each of the technical specifications, all the technologies are scored between 1 and 5, i.e., “low” = 1, “medium” = 3, “high” = 5, and then their final values are totaled to generate the final score.

Analyses and Findings | Social Housing

It can be inferred from the comparative study that, among the seven technologies compared through the criteria rating matrix, the monolithic construction system gained excessive efficiency. By summing up the values of the technology, a conclusion was drawn.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that monolithic concrete construction technology will be more suitable than the other six modern building technologies for the desired outcome of the work in the case of social housing after the analysis of the construction processes mentioned above according to their pros and cons.

References

1. BMTPC [online], (no date). BMTPC. [Viewed 9 January 2023]. Available from: http://www.bmtpc.org/
2. National Urban Rental Housing Policy Draft (no date). [Viewed 9 January 2023]. Available from: http://mohua.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/National_Urban_Rental_Housing_Policy_Draft_2015.pdf
3. (no date). Home – International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE). [Viewed 9 January 2023]. Available from: https://www.ijrte.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/v7i6c2/F10500476C219.pdf