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ARTICLE -10 Promoting Cost- effectiveness in Housing through Good Architectural Design
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Cost has always been an issue for any building to be constructed along with quality and time taken for construction. The three remain connected, depending upon one another. Cost is known to be the major driver of the quality of construction. Time, as a component, has also major implications for the cost. Longer the time taken for construction, higher will be the cost of construction. Higher is the quality of building envisioned, more will be the cost of building. Cost of building has also been debated in term of life cycle cost and the initial cost. It is estimated that only 10% of life –cycle cost goes into making of building, whereas 90% cost goes into the operation, maintenance and upkeep of building. Thus in order to make a building really cost-effective, its life-cycle cost has to be seen and analyzed.
Cost depends upon the processes of planning, designing and construction of building. Role of architectural design in making building cost- effective, remains critical. If a building is not designed rationally, it can never be cost-effective. In addition, role of material selected, technology used for construction and structural design adopted, holds weightage in promoting costeffectiveness in building. It is said, buildings have to be design lean and smart to make them cost-effective. Adoption of passive design strategies also make buildings operationally cost-effective. Designing for proper services, both electrical, public health and HVAC also hold relevance for making building economical and cost-effective. Looking at the core of the issue of costeffectiveness, it will be critical to understand the context of good architectural design as promoter of cost-effectiveness in buildings. Good Architectural design for any cost-effective housing should be based on the principles of—
Design a compact building with minimum footprints of building Design buildings based on specified norms and standards to avoid their over/under-designing Design with least amount of waste & negative spaces. Stick to right angles and simple room shapes to minimize complexity of construction. Build multi-storied construction- since foundation and roofing costs remain comparatively high. Don't increase slab heights Plan for volume rather than floor area Don't design for additional floors/spaces , if not required Adopt a shape which leads to minimum length of walls Achieve high Building efficiency- Carpet Area-- i.e usable area x100/gross area Minimise area under walls circulation and amenities Make optimum use of space and where feasible make multiple use of space. Minimize area under walls-- using options of pre-cast concrete blocks, 71/2 “ walls instead of 9” walls Evolving design having low wall area/floor area ratio Adopt a system of Sharing --building common walls between adjoining houses to economize on space, labour, materials, time / structure. In narrower and longer plots having limited options of light – mechanism of courtyard could be used for ensuring air, light and ventilation to rooms. Courtyards ,where provided, should be effectively integrated as part/ extension of living spaces Covered balconies, where provided, should be used as extended space of the room to which attached. Design for flexibility of spaces Avoid smaller sub-division of spaces. Club public health services together--on a floor to minimize the cost of services. For multi-storeyed buildings--- repeat toilets one above other Keep your spaces that need plumbing close together or above each other to minimize cost Design all public health services near to supply / drainage network to reduce length of pipes and cost Look for life-cycle cost and not initial cost. Design Green Buildings which save lot of water and electric energy- makes building cost- effective over entire life cycle
• Provide standard sized doors with limited variations • All finishing/fittings- floor, windows, glass, paneling etc designed based on standard size products available in market- to minimise wastage etc • Build to match standard material dimensions- for example Plywood is 4' x 8'. Thus it is best to build in 4' modules. • Using pre-caste /pre-fabricated products to the extent possible- doors/ windows cupboards etc to minimize cost • Avoid fancy/false/decorative structures in building • Make your rooms versatile- to optimize space utilization-- do you really need a living room --same space can serve many uses. • A guest room can be an expensive luxury • Avoid corridors to extent possible- Corridors can be dead space-- only used for moving between adjacent spaces.
Wherever used, try to make it doubly loaded to minimize area under circulation. • Think long term --as cost of ownership spans may be many years. Some extra insulation and passive heating / cooling may be beneficial over the length of your home ownership. . • Select window placement well-- they are costly - in first cost and in energy loss---select standard window sizing. • Keep bathrooms to a minimum, --most expensive room per square foot in home. • Try to design multi use bathrooms--- with private enclosures for shower, wc and sink--allowing 3 people using one bathroom at same time. • Evolving design on optimum structural grid • Design lean --to reduce structural load to minimise use of steel/concrete • Use innovative technologies-- Rat-Trap brick walls to reduce number of bricks and mortar used, compact mud block • Use new cost- effective materials ---aerated cement concrete blocks to reduce the width of walls, number/ size of joints, use of cement etc • Use UPVC/ Aluminum Windows instead of teak wood, same goes for doors, use flush doors instead. • Use same flooring material in all rooms/ toilets, to reduce wastage. • Don't compromise on quality--reduce your requirements to fit your budget • Use local & contemporary materials in design • Make provision in the design for using materials in the natural form • Use materials having minimum wear and tear- requiring minimum maintenance and replacement • Plan properly/ rationally Electrical/Plumbing- avoid excessive provision • Plan to use lightweight bricks to CC blocks ---reduces dead load in structural design • Minimize projections and too many balconies, they remain expensive • Provide windows , sufficient for providing day lighting and ventilation in the room- avoiding glare • Plan with nature and make best use of Panchbhutas- Prithvi, Jal , Agni, Vayu and Aakash • Make optimum use of orientation to have best advantage of the sun, air and light • Make climate as the governing factor for evolving the building design • Look at the climate in three contexts--regional climate, city climate and site climate before planning and designing the buildings. • Plan living and habitable areas in the best orientation and non-living areas in the worst orientation. • Make optimum use of available flora and fauna to cut off excessive heat/hot air. • Propose flora and fauna which is local, to minimize cost of maiantenance, use of water and to ensure survival of plantation • Promote day-light harvesting to light the basements and areas having poor access to natural light • Promote passive mechanisms to minimise the use of mechanical means for heating, cooling and ventilation • Minimise the number of doors and woodwork, because they remain expensive • Make rain water harvesting and solar energy integral part of design.
