The webinar discussed the various factors that affect low cost construction and delved into the construction of a low cost school done by Ar. Ranbir Mudaliyar. This topic starts off with an important message that should be kept in mind while trying to follow this concept; “Low cost is not equal to low quality” Compromises on quality should not be made while trying to reduce costs, and we’ll discuss its impacts later. We started off discussing various low cost designs done by designers around the world and in India. Different designs with different materials were shown such as; bamboo used by Habitat Tech Group; concrete ceilings with scooped out area filled with earthen pot to save materials, and brick curtain walls to allow for natural lighting used in Laurie Bakers’ designs; a school in Vadodara by Anil Laul, which uses funicular shells, uses hexagonal shells and triangular moulds with broken pottery to make patterns, while cutting costs by using steel only in the beams, and external walkway ceilings used brickwork patterns; shipping containers as buildings, from small schools to large three storey buildings, with a designer by the name of Divya Jain of Safeducate made portable, quick to erect, low cost and solar powered school classrooms, which for 70 students would normally cost 16-17 lakhs now cost on 6-8 lakhs; a school made with ferro cement, which is reinforced plaster or mortar used over a mesh, is used in School Roger Anger in Auroville; IIT Madras had done research to make Glass Fibre Reinforced Gypsum Panels,which is a building panel product, made of calcined gypsum, plaster, reinforced with glass fibers, as a solution to the 2000 tonnes of gypsum produced as a by-product of the fertilizer industry; a small discussion on prefabricated construction in which we discussed how it had really good quality as it is made in a controlled factory environment and when making repetitive buildings it saves costs and time. A few general tips were given as an architect to help develop our ideation skills, such as sketching anything and everything that interests us,so as long as you have ideas, you can use them. While cutting down the costs of the construction of a building, the cost of maintenance should also be kept in mind. If compromises are done in the quality of the low cost materials, degradation due to time might bring in more costs than intended. To find the best cost effective solution, compare between different materials, their quality, their maintenance and lifetimes periods and calculate the cost rather than going for the cheapest material from the get go. We then delved into low cost schools and what would be the factors we’d need to consider. Most of these projects have really low budgets, so we can cut costs by using locally available materials which would in turn reduce transport costs,using local construction methods which might be known to the locals. Trying to maximize natural light would cut down on electricity bills, also trying to get good ventilation, most preferably through cross ventilation. The use of low-maintenance materials like random rubble would help cut costs by avoiding plasters and paint. Prioritizing thermal insulation and waterproofing would and spending more there in the beginning would help cut costs in the long run. Now coming back the question of whether low cost means poor quality, the answer is an obvious no, the impacts of using poor quality materials are; - Poor roof waterproofing, which then causes leakage and seepage of moisture which would damage the materials as well as promote the growth of fungus and moss which can be hazardous to health. This in turn becomes expensive to fix once done and brings down the ambience of any space. - The use of cheap paint would need to be replaced every once in a while. Rather we could compare different paints and their lifetimes and use whichever is cheaper in the long run. - Poor quality of wires and cables is a large hazard to the people in the house. - Unseasoned wood would expand and warp, which creates gaps in the frame which would lead to the intrusion of unnecessary things into a space - Metalwork with no primer and a single coat paint or less is not good as it decreases the life of the product and causes it to be replaced. - Plastic taps of cheap build cause water leaks which would increase the water usage and its bill. - Absence of a damp proof course would allow seepage of groundwater which would start peeling the plaster. When someone would tend to take these shortcuts, not only are they increasing their overall maintenance cost, they are risking the creation of a depressing ambience and the deterioration of a space. While those were things to avoid, rather these are the parts that could be rethought and cut down costs in; - Foundations - Walls - Roof - Windows/Doors/Ventilators - Flooring - Plaster/Paint - Electricals - Plumbing - Woodwork/Steelwork - Furniture Finally we discussed the brief and construction of a low cost school by Ar.Ranbir himself. His brief was to design and construct a low cost school with only nine months for design and construction. He then proceeded to show us images of the building which was designed very well while adhering to the concept of being low cost. One idea that stood out to me was the solution to build a low cost foundation in black cotton soil. He’d placed two walls across each other and built an arch between them to reduce cost rather than to fill the whole space with construction materials. His building sported a lot of creative placement of bricks to give a visually pleasing look despite being low cost. His design too had brickwork jali to take advantage of natural light to reduce electricity costs.
