Prefabrication-Problems and Prospects

Spirally increasing housing shortage, economic disparity, low or no tent paying capacity, lack of resources and technical know-how to build faster and better to counter the increasing prices of material and labour are some of the features that characterise the housing situation in the developing nations. The imbalance between the available resources and the housing needs make it impossible to usher in a breakthrough. In absence of a better know-how, traditional techniques of construction With bricks and blocks are most prevalent and favoured for housing and other buildings in spite of the fact that unless a drastic change is made in the building practices the situation will be further aggravated. The problems related to . and the scope of prefabrication as an alternative method will be discussed in this paper keeping in view the problems of urban housing in India and other developing countries.