THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The want of time and space has landed the National Games secretariat on the idea of pre-fabricated homes for the games village. Prefab homes are made onsite by assembling various units and components. The concept behind prefab homes is to create a residential structure that can be transported to the construction site and erected there to resemble a modern architecture.The proposal for prefab housing has already been approved by the State Government. A delegation of the National Games organising committee will visit Chennai to assess the facilities at a few prefab homes and ascertain the technical feasibility of the project. The idea was mooted and approved foreseeing the delay which would result from the normal mode of constructing a games village."Also, we face a lot of hurdles in getting the approval from various authorities in setting up tall buildings for the village on the proposed sites. The prefab homes could save us a lot of money and time and we could well keep in pace with the deadlines,’’ says an official associated with the National Games organising committee.Nearly 45 acres of land has been identified adjacent to a college campus in Pallippuram for the project. The proposal is to erect the village on an area of 3 lakh square feet. The project cost is estimated at around Rs 40 crore.The implementation of the prefab homes will considerably reduce the original figures in terms of cost and space. Earlier, the games village was proposed to come up on 8 lakh square feet. "With prefab homes, the cost of construction of the games village, earlier pegged at Rs 300 crore, can be brought down to ` 40 crore. The difference is huge and could make a lot of positive difference in the total budget,’’ says the official.The cost-effective, lightweight prefab homes will have all the facilities that are incorporated inside a flat or a cottage. The structures can also be used even after the completion of the National Games. The government of Goa has already shown interest in prefab homes and the structures will be dismantled and transported to Goa for use during the National Games to be hosted by that state.The officials say that the structures can also be used as a sports hostel, rehabilitation settlement, stadium offices and for many other purposes. One of the types of prefab homes, ‘Plastocrete’, can be used for a lifetime, while other varieties like ‘Bison panel’ has a validity of 20 years.Prefab homes were used during the World Military Games held in Hyderabad in 2007 and expert advice of the Army will also be sought. The entire project, including the tender process, selection of developer and construction activities, is expected to be completed within a timespan of ten months.
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