Innovative Materials and Design Principles for Low-Cost Housing in Rural Areas

The paper discusses the design principle of low-cost housing in rural areas, the issue, which arises out of the process of planning, design and construction of the houses. It deals with the study of the orientations of the officials responsible for implementation and aspects like, user participation and the involvement of the villagers, accommodation requirements, the selection of site, technical parameters of the construction program, choice of materials, the cost factor and maintenance requirements and the choice of an appropriate building agency for managing the construction. The paper discusses the aspect that, the effort at coordination can be extremely beneficial to rural construction, which can form a part of development programs all over the country. The design principle of low-cost housing in rural areas should be prepared on a set of Illustrated Design. Recommendations which take into account the different climatic conditions and the construction options based on locally available materials and planning properties. The three design principles, which take into account the different types of disaster conditions, which can be regarded as typical for certain regions are,
1) conditions arising from heavy rains, cyclone and winds
2) conditions arising from cyclone winds and tidal waves
3) conditions arising from heavy rains, floods and high winds
During the process of site selection the involvement of the community/villagers is a most essential factor. The importance of community participation right from the initial stages of site selection through the construction & maintenance of the centers is critical to the success of program that the community be involved at every stage.