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The National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO), a self-regulatory body under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, on Friday showcased houses that it said were built with the advanced light steel technology.
NAREDCO claims the technology can construct a house in 72 hours flat. The house will be highly durable and last two times longer than a conventional house.
“These houses are good for areas prone to natural disasters. They can be built at a faster pace and blunt the impact of natural disasters,” said Sathish Kumar, president, NAREDCO state chapter.
Kumar said the houses will be lightweight, and won’t cause much damage, unlike conventional houses, during a natural disaster.
The technology has been patented. Phoenix Infrastructure is collaborating with the Society for Development of Composites, a Bengaluru-based R&D organisation set up by the central and state governments.
Light gauge steel, said to be rust-free and stronger than regular steel, is used to build the house frame.
The frame is then filled with thermoforming, following which concrete is sprayed from the inside as well as the outside to make six-inch-thick walls. The entire process of construction — from making advanced light steel and panels to mixing concrete and joining them — is digitised.
NAREDCO claimed the buildings are environmentally-friendly, as there is no burning of bricks. Compared with a conventional house, a structure built with light gauge steel uses minimal water and concrete, and almost no sand.
NAREDCO said the construction cost was similar to the conventional method, but what mattered was the ultra-fast construction. During emergencies such as natural disasters, 20 small houses can be built in a day, it said.