LIC
HOUSING,
AHMEDABA
D
INTRODUCTION PROJECT NAME: LIFE INSURANCE COORPERATION
HOUSING
LOCATION: AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT
FIRM: VASTUSHILPA
CONSULTANTS
PROJECT TYPE: MULTIFAMILY
YEAR COMPLETED: 1973
PROJECT STATUS:
BUILT
ARCHITECT
BV DOSHI
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LOCATION
AHMEDABAD,
GUJARAT
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INTRODUCTION
LIC Housing is designed by Architect BV Doshi in Ahmedabad in 1973. The scheme, known locally as
Bimanagar, consists of 324 units organized in a duplex terraced unit scheme on 54 plots.
The initial development was focusing on the efficient provision of sites and services with a phasing plan
for growth.
The lower units are around 200 sq. yds and cost 70-80 Lakhs; the second level is 120 sq. yds and cost
50 Lakhs. And the upper units are 75 sq. yds and cost 70-80 Lakhs.
This circulation results in a mix of incomes and ownership patterns in the community.
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LIC HOUSING
INDIVIDUAL UNITS
All units are accessed by a central exterior stair and share roof admittance. Because modifications occur
internally or within a given massing, there is room for individualization without losing the basic
architectural form.
Rear courtyards are habitually filling with extra bathrooms or other rooms, and balconies are now
covered or enclosed. There are gate entries at the front and back. And the ends of all side streets are
fences with locked gates.
This scheme’s plan includes a designated area for the playground, parks, and a meeting place. All the
dwellings have their own private spaces near the staircase. Some of them are covered. And the residents
actively use them for assembling and meeting people.
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LIC HOUSING
INDIVIDUAL BLOCKS
Each block’s distinct feature includes a centrally located staircase 90 cm wide, linear, and vertical
element. It gives a sense of invitation and acts as a point of interaction for people residing on different
floors.
There are terraces physically attach to the dwelling. Designed as an open space but used as semi-
covered space or covered space due to the house’s restricted size. Some terraces are converting into
rooms, and some have to construct a shade.
Due to the arrangement of units, these terraces also act as a point of interaction with adjoining
neighbors. Yet privacy is maintaining due to the high wall between two terraces. Usage includes potted
plants, storage of junk, swing, cloth line, etc.
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LIC HOUSING
RAINWATER HARVESTING
The first rainwater harvesting system was constructed in Gujarat in 2002 in this scheme. Locate on the
open ground of the society (where all the water flows to a spot).
It was constructing by the society members funded through the annual money contribution of the
residents. The water collecting tank’s depth is 20 ft and diameter 8m with a capacity of 40 lakh lit.
The water connecting tank is connecting to a water filter and then store in a borewell. The collected
water is using for gardening and domestic purposes other than drinking.
It is also using as a stage on special occasions as it is very distinctively placed in the site plan.
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LIC HOUSING
THE USERS
The houses would be occupied by several generations of the same family, that there will be a strong
sense of belonging and that their needs will change, and they may modify parts of it.
To accommodate fluctuating sociocultural needs of Indian families, Doshi reverses the typical order of a
multi-residential building, placing the largest residence on the bottom and the smallest on the top.
It allows the upper unit to enjoy a terrace, which can also be converted into an additional living space.
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LIC HOUSING
THE USERS
This project is based on the belief that users were capable of generating their habitats. All they
needed was a well-designed template, which aided as an initial point for incremental development.
It is now a dense and diverse settlement. The primary concept behind the dwelling units gives the
flexibility of changes, even having the same format. Each unit, dwelling, floor, house, and element
are unique in their way.
Each house is personalizing according to the requirements and necessities of the user.
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LIC HOUSING
A study about user perceptions shows that 100 % of the households surveyed consider Bimanagar a
safe place to live in. (24×7 security).
Being at the center of the city, they do not have to travel large distances for their primary day-to-day
requirements. Also, “The society has progressed as a flawless residing place in the city,” says a
delighted resident.
Even though being amidst traffic, the society is peaceful. The space between the society and the
surroundings is separating by green space, acting as a buffer space.
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LIC HOUSING
LIC HOUSING
But this scheme started getting abandoned. As a result, it was challenging to make sure that the plots
would benefit the people, which was the intention.
A critique was that the original owners to whom the plot was allotted would immediately sell it at
market rates to better-off people (often informally, as initial beneficiaries were required to keep them
for a certain number of years before they could be sold).
Nevertheless, this scheme is succeeding in producing desirable. And functional human-scale built
environments at a low cost to the state. create a “cathedral without walls” that would also be
“democratic”. Every part of the Parasol is un-identical and unique.
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THANK YOU…
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