CHENNAI: January 19, 2005: HFH India
has devised a concept core house as part of its response to reconstruction
after the December tsunami.
The proposal is for a 250 sq. ft. footprint
home. It would feature a single room (13ft by 11ft) and an adjacent cooking
or "wet" area (6ft 9 inches by 4ft 9 inches), plus space for an additional
room. The concept is designed for discussion with government, corporate
and non-governmental organization partners. It would be used also by Habitat
teams of builders.
"We would envisage each unit costing around U$1,500 all told," said Rick Hathaway, Habitat for Humanity's Asia-Pacific regional program director. "The specifics of the design could change according to local conditions. One option would be to build twin units or units of four homes, as well as individual homes."
Multiple units could cost about five per cent less to build.
The design calls for a main room with three panel concrete "jalli" or slatted windows for ventilation and a door of steel sheet panel in a pre-cast concrete frame. There would also be an enclosed corner partitioned with shelves.
The cookery/wet also would have concrete jalli ventilators and a steel sheet shutter for privacy.
The building's walls would be made of concrete blocks with cement plastering. The floor would use cement granolithic flooring with blue metal.
HFH India envisages establishing up to six building and training centers as a key part of its tsunami reconstruction initiative.
The centers would initially be manned by Habitat staff and specialist volunteers such as site supervisors, engineers, architects, project managers, volunteer co-ordinators and others. They would provide construction and design expertise and training to support on-the-ground building whether undertaken by Habitat teams, families or partner organizations.
Premises could be shared with partner organizations specializing in community and livelihood issues.
Later, the centers could be transformed into more conventional centers, like the one in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, with the emphasis on the sustained production of low-cost building materials, skills training and local fund raising through sales of excess output.