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The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation on 25 June 2015 launched a new mission to provide Housing for All and a very important component of this mission is the ‘Technology Sub-mission’. To underline the importance of technology in making this goal achievable, on 22 January 2016, Hindustan Prefab Limited, RICS SBE and BMTPC hosted a seminar on Housing for All, under the theme - 'Using Prefab Options: Role of Precast Technology'.
Delegates from state governments, developers like Tata Housing, Supertech, Amrapalli Group, architects, students and many others participated actively in the seminar which was held at the School's campus at Noida. Dr. Nandita Chatterjee, Secretary at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, was the chief guest.
Dr. Anil Sawhney, Associate Dean and Director, School of Construction, and also a member of the Technology Sub-mission, was the programme host and coordinator. He started the programme by reminding everyone of how important it was to facilitate the adoption of modern, innovative and green technologies and building materials to accomplish the goal of Housing for All. Professor KT Ravindran, Dean Emeritus, provided a brief overview about RICS and RICS SBE, their vision & mission, and how relevant they are in today's real estate sector.
The keynote address was delivered by the chief guest, Dr. Nandita Chatterjee. She expressed her satisfaction at the keen interest being taken by the industry in prefab technology and said that it was a call to action by the engineer, architect and designer community to think out-of-the-box and find ways to adopt and implement this technology which will also bring down the cost of construction.
After the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by the dignitaries, the chief guest presided over the session where the panel of speakers explained to the participants how using factory-made building components can bring a change in the housing sector by reducing dependence on natural resources. The speakers stressed upon the point that it is possible to have sustainable technological solutions for faster and cost-effective construction of houses which are suited to the Indian climate. They also added that in the technology dominated world that we live in today, it is possible to use 3D printers and literally print a house.
The workshop session was followed by site visits to units that are already manufacturing precast components.
The attendees found the seminar to be of great value. One of the attendees while sharing his thoughts about how he he found the seminar to be, said, "It is indeed very important to have a platform where all stakeholders can come together, share their thoughts and experiences, and brainstorm together to find sustainable technological solutions leading towards providing affordable housing for all. The partnership between the government, industry and academia needs to be reinforced and utilised in the best possible way to take the next step forward."