WHAT IS LOW COST HOUSING?

• Major population of our country is below lower income group. Low cost housing projects for
affordable living are major concern for the government. They refer to cost effective housing, based
on low cost construction technology through the usage of locally available materials that ensures
similar quality and durability.

• In India, affordable housing policy is primarily designed to provide low cost housing to lower
middle income groups, lower income groups and economically weaker sections of the society. There
is a huge misunderstanding that low-cost housing is suitable for only low-income groups and they
are built by using cheap construction materials.

WHAT IS LOW COST HOUSING?

THE NEED FOR LOW-COST HOUSING?
• India is facing a constant major difficulty due to the ever-increasing population of the
country. India has the majority of lower-income groups, and today lower middle class can’t even
afford their own house because of high construction costs. Such families save money all their lives
and take loans so that they can buy their own house.

• The arrival of the pandemic also had a devastating effect on the economy last year. Quality and
affordable housing are more required now than ever as houses are doubling up as workplaces,
schools, gyms, and is the only place to spend time while doing all of the above activities.

HOW TO ACHIEVE LOW COST HOUSING?

• Low cost housing can be achieved by the use of efficient planning and project management, locally
available materials, economical construction technologies and use of alternate construction methods
available.

• The use of local materials reduces cost of transportation whose contribution to the building material
cost is high for long distance. A use of locally available building materials not only reduces the
construction cost, but also is suitable for the local environmental.
CASE STUDIES:
ARANYA HOUSING PROJECT
INDORE, INDIA
• Aranya, 6 kilometers from Indore, will eventually house a total population of 60,000 in 6500 dwellings, on a net planning area of 85 hectares. The master plan,
prepared by the Vastu-Shilpa Foundation in 1983, is designed around a central spine comprising the business district. Six sectors, each with populations of 7000-
12,000, lie to the east and west of the spine and are diagonally bisected by linear parks.

• “They are not houses but homes where a happy community lives. That is what finally matters,” says B.V Doshi, the shaping hand behind Aranya. Strong
recognition of relationships between humans and the environment, the association of our lives and culture, sensitive approach towards society, its traditions,
ways, and a conscious response towards the ecosystem are some key factors that made Doshi’s architecture instrumental in crafting the environment for people. 

• With the coexistence of functionality and poetic element, his idea behind architecture remains self-evident and expressive of its intent. During 1970 and onward,
the emerging need to house large numbers of people gave rise to various housing projects. Doshi designed Life Insurance Corporation, Ahmedabad in 1973
and Aranya Low-Cost Housing, Indore in 1989, which was one of his best-known projects. This project was remarkably unique in terms of its approach, design
philosophy, and the way it played a role in the life of users.

SOCIAL CONTEXT:
• Aranya Low-Cost Housing situated in Indore was commissioned by Indore Development Authority and co-funded by World Bank and India’s Housing and 
Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), for Economically weaker sections of society addressing the shortage of houses and shelter at that time. As the
number of slums, illegal settlements, and scarcity of shelters increased, it became important for the government to tackle this issue in an affordable and well-
served manner. 

• There were various case studies done; the housing situation then was understood, where affordable housing was equal to a repetition of a series of modules,
units that were a standard response. Aranya Housing spans 86 hectares consisting of six self-contained neighborhoods. 

APPROACH:
• Doshi’s integrated approach for mixed-income groups was with an idea to get them together. The response came purely from
the understanding of the fundamental needs of people and the fact that space and design eventually revolve around the user.
The housing township spans across six sectors and accommodates over 6500 residences. Doshi decided to provide the families
with a framework of things, where the plot consisted of provision for services, a toilet block, and a brick plinth to build over.

• Instead of a finished house, this framework allowed people to shape the space according to their fundamental needs and
lifestyles. This idea also allowed the house to grow subjectively, influencing the connectivity, human and adaptability, private
and public buffers, indoor-outdoor relationships, and flow of spaces.
CASE STUDIES: STREET HOUSE RELATIONSHIPS:
ARANYA HOUSING PROJECT
INDORE, INDIA

HIERARCHY AND CONNECTIVITY
• The street network has clear vehicular and pedestrian traffic segregation, drawing the vehicular road towards the peripheral main road
and pedestrians or informal pathways. This affects the nature of pathways and streets that the houses share, making the heavy traffic
inactive and instigating informal public activities and interactions. The entrances, buffer spaces between public and private, streets, space
between two houses, the scale of these pathways concerning the built spaces allow ease to spaces and functionality. 

• The community public spaces follow a hierarchy, with an even distribution of community sub-centers with active pedestrian movement.
The main public space being connected with all secondary spaces maintains a link throughout the township. As the sector roads connect
to a central spine, this spine is staggered at 2 points to reduce the traffic.  

INTERCONNECTIVITY AND SPACE INTERACTIONS

CASE STUDIES:
ARANYA HOUSING PROJECT
INDORE, INDIA

PLANNING, MASSES AND FORM:

• Every 10 clusters of houses shared a courtyard. The six sectors had their own green spaces and one larger public space for the whole township. The user was given
the freedom to choose how much to build, the combinations to build. As every entrance, staircase, verandahs, buffer had variations, it gave a unique character to
every house. 

• Doshi had a kit of elements that included a staircase, Openings, railings, overhangs, verandahs that allowed families to adapt it according to their needs. He planned
and constructed 80 sample homes for the families with variations in terms of size, spatial planning, mass, and movement. Houses ranging from one bedroom to
bigger were available for people to choose from depending on the income group. The proximity of two houses helps shade the common courtyard shared in
between. 
CASE STUDIES:
ARANYA HOUSING PROJECT
INDORE, INDIA

CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS:

• As the soil at the site was black cotton soil, Doshi used shallow concrete piles for footing. Every house was provided with a plinth, load-bearing masonry walls, and concrete slabs. This also reduced the overall construction cost. The
longer side of the house was oriented in the north-south axis, residing the heat exposure. Owners were free to choose the decorations, material, and color palette for the house.

LOAD BEARING MASONARY PLAY OF COLOR, MATERIAL, SPATIAL FEATURES, LIGHT AND SHADOW
CASE STUDIES:
ARANYA HOUSING PROJECT
INDORE, INDIA

• Doshi’s vision to have a unified sense of belonging by including

the user in the design process was an effective and practical
approach towards the housing. The growth of houses and the
evolution of spaces were purely out of need and the lifestyle of
families. Design parameters like hierarchy, movement, scale were
instrumental in the Master Plan. Every neighborhood is connected
through smaller public spaces and informal pathways. 
• This framework provides the space for users to grow and move
organically. This project stands to be one of the exceptional
attempts towards its purpose. This approach not only maximized
the functionality and usage of space but also uplifted the weaker
class.

• “Design is nothing but a humble understanding of materials, an

instinct for solutions and respect for nature.”— B.V Doshi
LITERATURE STUDY HISTORY AND BASED ON INDIAN CONTEXT: NEED FOR LOW COST HOUSING MAINLY IN INDIA!!!
LOW COST HOUSING is a new concept which deals with effective budgeting and
following of techniques which help in reducing the cost of construction through the use
of locally available materials along with improved skills and technology without
sacrificing the strength, performance and life of the structure. There is huge
misconception that low cost housing is suitable for only sub standard works and they are
constructed by utilizing cheap building materials of low quality. The fact is that Low
cost housing is done by proper management of resources. Economy is also achieved by
postponing finishing works or implementing them in phases.

HISTORY OF LOW COST HOUSING:

• Co-operatives in India were introduced by the British primarily to aid small-scale
farmers and to improve access to rural credit. The first Co-operative Societies Act was
adopted in 1904, which then only included credit co-operatives. The act was soon
amended to grant the registration at the State level of non-credit co-operatives, including
housing and its administration, allowing them to adapt the legislation to prioritize local
needs, in the years 1912 and 1919 respectively. In tandem with cooperative societies, the
co-operative housing movement started to develop at the beginning of the 20th century.

• Bangalore Building Co-operative Society, the first housing co-operative in India, was
founded in 1909 in the State of Karnataka (former State of Mysore)However, the
development of housing co-operatives remained marginal until the 1950s, mainly due to
an inadequate organizational support structure and an unsupportive legislative and
administrative framework. Initiatives were undertaken to provide housing for middle
and low-income groups in the former states of Madras and Bombay.
LOW COST HOUSING FOR INDIA
CONCEPTIONS AND MISCONCEPTIONS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESEARCH AND NEED FOR COST EFFECTIVE LOW INCOME HOUSING:
PRACTICE: • Owning an asset, such as, a house protects the poor from the vicissitudes of life. It is one of the basic needs for most poor
• There have been notable developments in housing design that demonstrate our households and is important to ensure safety and health. For poor people who work out of their homes, such as micro-
increased understanding of social issues and construction techniques, cost efficiency entrepreneurs, home improvement may have positive implications for income generation. As such, low-income housing is an
is perceived as contradictory to the overall design quality and the lifestyles of area of interest for NGOs and financial institutions that serve the poor since not only is this an important need for the well-
potential users. being of poor people, it is also something for which there is a clear willingness to pay for secure housing or land title.

• There have been many explanations given. Most often it is first blamed on a lack of • Anyone who lives in urban India can attest to this reality. Slums and shantytowns typically have one room in which the entire
funding. However, another underlying reason may stem from the public perception household eats, sleeps and does everything in between. A typical 400-sq.-ft. home would contain a family of four, in-laws, and
of what affordable housing should look like. Some well designed projects make visiting cousins from the village who would sleep under the bed. "It is a global paradox,”. "The smaller the unit, the more
people uncomfortable because they are „too nice‟. “…The underlying belief is that people live in it. The larger the house, the fewer people it contains."
people who do not have a lot of money do not deserve to live in nice housing”.
MATERIALS: • IMPROVEMENT OF MUD: Mud is only a material available everywhere in abundance free of cost and is
The various building materials available can be divided into two types and they are: being used as building material from centuries. But such types of houses are temporary in nature, prone to
erosion by heavy rains. The disadvantages of mud can be overcome by suitable improvement in design and
TRADITIONAL MATERIALS: These materials serve the basic needs of the majority of the population. construction techniques.
These have very useful properties; however, there is a scope to modify these through appropriate changes in
the process of production as well as in the techniques of application, so that these are made structurally and • IMPROVED THATCH ROOF: An effective treatment for rendering the thatch roof fire resistant and water
functionally acceptable. repellent has been evolved by Central Building Research Institute. It involves plastering of thatch layers by
the specified mud plasters. Top & bottom of the thatch roof is plastered with non-erodable mud plaster, which
CONVENTIONAL MATERIALS: The conventional materials are those, which have been obtained by makes it durable & fire resistant too.
using the modern technologies and can be mentioned as fruit of research and adopted to indigenous
requirements. • FLYASH-SAND LIME BRICKS: These are produced from fly ash and sand and lime used as binder. These
bricks are cheap, and have good crushing strength.

• CLAY FLYASH BURNT BRICKS: These are produced from fly ash and clay and are stronger than
conventional clay bricks. These consume less energy, provide better thermal insulation and solve the problem
of disposal of waste material fly ash & thus are environmental friendly.
MATERIALS FOR LOW COST CONSTRUCTION
• PRECAST HOLLOW CONCRETE BLOCKS: These are manufactured by using lean concrete mixes
through block making machines. The cavity in blocks provide better thermal protection and these also do not
need external or internal plastering.

• PRECAST RCC DOOR AND WINDOW FRAMES: These are cheaper, stronger fire resistant, termite
resistant and sustain temperature & humidity.

• RICE HUSK AS BUILDING MATERIAL: India alone produces about 20 million tones of rice husk
annually. Rice husk ash has been found to be a useful building material. It can be mixed with cement up to
20% without affecting strength and thus cost of construction can be reduced and problem of disposal of this
ash can also be solved by using it.
MY INFERENCE

From the above study we have come to the following conclusions:

• Affordable housing depends upon the income generated by an individual or a household. • Housing today has become a need for a family and respondents agreed for investing maximum amount
of their income for housing.
• Meaning of affordable housing varies from individual to individual and on the segment (group) he
belongs to. For example affordable housing for low income group personnel will be different than a • For medium and low income group affordability is the major issue and thus arises the need of affordable
person belonging to medium income group. housing.

• Affordable housing is dependent upon the requirement of the individual and his household and his • Ferro-cement may be fabricated into almost any conceivable form to meet the particular requirements of
ability for affording it. the user. This is particularly pertinent where acceptance of new materials may be dependent on their
ability to reproduce traditional designs.
• Household community driven approach to construction of new dwellings is cost effective and would
require fewer subsidies. • Cost benefit analysis of the Ferro-cement shows that it is only suitable for small works as for large
works the amount of skilled workers will be more.
• Project design with community-driven construction of new units and differential unit subsidy based on
household affordability across income groups would help leverage higher amount of local resources. • Pre-engineered technologies will reduce the cost of the building and also it will reduce the time cycle.

BY
G.KAPILAN
RA1811201010055
16AR408 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO-VII