JOIN USThere are only a handful of people who put their knowledge, resources and exposure to better the lives of the less fortunate and Bangalore-based architect Alok Shetty is one of them.
He was recently named as the “young leader of tomorrow” by Time magazine for his pioneering work in designing affordable flood-proof houses for slum dwellers. He has a dream and vision for the City which he hopes to realise at any cost.
Alok runs his own architecture firm called ‘Bhumiputra’ and the profit the firm makes is diverted towards realising his dream project which involves building low-cost houses for those below the poverty line. He stumbled upon this idea thanks to his firm that sponsors the education of ten children who are below the poverty line. “We decided to get into building low-cost houses after looking at the living conditions of these ten children and their families.
The parents of most of these children are construction workers and are nomadic thanks to the nature of their work. There is no point building a permanent structure for them so we thought of creating dismantleable structures. They can carry it with them wherever they go,” explains Alok.
He clarifies that more than flood-proof these houses prevent water-logging and rat infestation. “The most common problem that we see is that the houses of most construction workers are at the ground level. This causes water-logging and indirectly serves as a breeding ground for all kinds of illnesses. Our low-cost houses are constructed one foot above the ground level.
These houses are structurally sound,” he adds. Taking one through how these houses are built, Alok explains that they have used a combination of discarded scaffolding, bamboo and wood to construct these houses. “The houses are affordable, easy and fast to set up. The four frameworks are made of steel, the walls are bamboo, we use reclaimed wood for the flooring and the roofing is made from plastic tarpaulin that aids water harvesting,” shares Alok.
Alok says that the houses are currently being constructed and their feasibility is being tested in Doddaballapur but soon these houses will be constructed across the City. “Once the testing is done and successful, we will seek government funding and try to take this to more people below the poverty line. We hope to replicate the same philosophy to construct houses for the middle class as well,” he explains.
Alok thinks a beginning must be made in providing low-cost housing in the City. “Low-cost housing is a big trend across the country but it has not picked up in the City as much as it should have,” he signs off.