Affordable Housing Prototype by Ashok B Lall Architects

In attempting to drive down construction costs to reach the threshold of affordability while maintaining standards of sound and safe construction, with close attention to all functional needs and resolving the design towards an appreciable aesthetic, calls for innovation in construction technology, construction process and assembly and design building components for economy of material and means of fabrication. This calls for full-scale real time fabrication and testing of all aspects – design and configuration, promising options in materials, components and construction assembly. It is through such a process of trials that the most cost-effective and practicable solution is chosen. New designs for components, that are not available in the market today, are developed in collaboration with specialist manufactures and fabricators.
The construction of prototypes also becomes a dress rehearsal for actual construction on a large project. The dress rehearsal helps to resolve all details of assembly, sequencing of trades and coordination with electrical and plumbing services. It enables assessing worker skills while optimising work-motion and gives a realistic assessment of duration of construction. It is on a realistic assessment of all aspects of the design and construction that target costs for each building component and of the overall cost of the building can be stated.
It is equally important that the prototype development exercise is driven and monitored by the designers of the prototype themselves – architects, product designers, engineers – so that the process innovation and trial is driven by the design objectives.
Finally, the test of the prototype would have to be its field test by occupants – households living the full cycle of daily life and making the building an effective and happy home. To some extent it is possible to carry out such a test by enactment of all actions of living in a home by actors that constitute the household.
It is indeed opportune that Vilasini Housing has commissioned this prototype work to Ashok B Lall Architects. The process has yielded significant results and gives confidence in the prototype designs.