Light House Projects
The Light House Projects (LHPs) represent a bold stride by the Indian government to transform housing construction through demonstration of innovative technologies. Initiated in 2021, these model housing projects aim to construct quality, disaster-resilient homes rapidly and affordably across diverse regions of India.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is promoting the development of six LHPs as ‘Live Laboratories’ to enable hands-on learning and transfer of technologies to the field. The key goals are to scale up adoption of modern construction methods, align with climatic conditions, and mainstream indigenous solutions.
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Salient Features of LHPs
The LHPs will construct approximately 1000 houses each using alternative technologies suitable for the geo-climatic and hazard risks of the site. The minimum house sizes will adhere to Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana guidelines. On-site infrastructure like roads, green spaces, electricity, and water supply will also be developed.
The house designs will integrate disaster resilience against earthquakes, floods, or cyclones as applicable. They will also consider climatic suitability, ventilation, storage, and aesthetics as per National Building Code 2016. LHPs will leverage convergence with other urban missions like Smart Cities, AMRUT, and Make in India.
The LHPs aim to complete construction within 12 months of site handover and approval. The state governments will enable fast-tracked approvals to achieve this timeline. The projects incentivize early completion, with bonuses for finishing ahead of schedule.
Locations and Technologies
Six diverse sites have been chosen to showcase a range of housing technologies across regions:
- Indore, MP – Prefabricated sandwich panels
- Rajkot, Gujarat – Monolithic concrete using tunnel formwork
- Chennai, TN – Precast concrete components
- Ranchi, Jharkhand – 3D volumetric precast concrete
- Agartala, Tripura – Light gauge steel structures
- Lucknow, UP – PVC stay-in-place formwork
Upon completion, the houses will be allotted to eligible beneficiaries under PMAY(Urban) guidelines.
LHPs as Live Laboratories
A defining aspect of LHPs is their conception as Live Laboratories to foster hands-on learning and technology assimilation. The objective is to encourage large-scale community participation and create technical awareness through on-site immersion.
LHPs will facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations, experimentation, and innovation to find implementable solutions. The ‘learning-by-doing’ approach will enable on-ground capacity building and feedback loops to refine technologies.
The Ministry has invited students, faculty, and professionals to enrol as ‘Technograhis’ and actively engage with LHP sites through visits, workshops, and design charrettes. They will receive continuous updates and document their learnings to disseminate knowledge.
Way Forward
The Light House Projects represent a starting point for India to move towards resilient, sustainable housing. By stimulating grassroots-level technology transfer and capacity building, LHPs can catalyze larger transformation.
Their success will depend on rigorous monitoring, knowledge sharing, and enabling policies to support scale-up. LHPs have the potential to steer construction practices from traditional to innovative methods, thereby future-proofing India’s housing. Their ‘lighthouse’ effect can illuminate the path ahead for the entire sector.