Architecture and Planning:

Title:           Plastic bottle masonry as alternate solution to housing problems for urban poor in India
Authors:      Dibya Jivan Pati, Riken Homma, Kazuhisa Iki
Abstract:     Use of solid waste in construction is gaining its popularity among environmentalists and other researchers in the field of low-cost housing. Plastic bottle waste has been used as an alternative to conventional construction materials like brick, in construction of small dwelling units. Though this technique was started since the year 2000 in Honduras, subsequently it has widely spread to other developing countries. In India also, some private organizations have begun constructing various small-scale projects using plastic bottle. In this paper an extensive study on cost of construction using plastic bottle waste, construction waste and low-cost roofing material replacing conventional materials, has been carried out over a single dwelling unit taking minimum carpet area as per the government norms. The paper emphasizes the cost-benefit in plastic bottle masonry in comparison to the conventional construction. Based on inadequate housing scenario in India, it was observed that such techniques can also help in the areas where urban poor face unaffordability of housing due to high land cost, high rented house and expensive construction materials. The paper further concludes that integrating the concept of plastic bottle dwelling units into the low-cost housing policy will be an added advantage for both government and urban poor groups to improve the housing condition in India.

Keywords:    Affordable, Urban Poor, Plastic Bottle, Dwelling Unit, Construction Waste, Roofing
Pages:          407-412

Download Full Paper