Future ready homes through ‘INDIA HOMES - 2020’.

Building professionals comment and encourage the need for reviving responsible building for the future through design-build competitions.

For an Indian, building his own home is a dream come true. When he is ready, with a plot of land and money to build, the individual house builder typically does not have access to a qualified architect and structural engineer and even if he did, is unable or unwilling to afford their fees. Unable because of the prohibitive land costs eat into his budget and unwilling because he doesn't really know the importance of design and engineering in his life.

In this scenario, he relies solely on the discretion and skills of a local contractor who designs and builds what he has learnt from his experience. Asking for anything new, extra or out of the box is flatly refused as unbuildable. And he is forced to acquiesce and let his dreams remain just that.

So, here's the tragedy: thousands of hopeful architects and structural engineers wait for a chance to try sound design ideas on one side, and a huge potential market of home builders on the other, who will never get a chance to work together to make well-designed homes a reality.

Ar. Ratan Batliboi, of Ratan J Baltiboi Architects Ltd, who has seen the profession evolve, says that, "One of the best ways to educate the client is through practically demonstrating the advantages of having a qualified designer." He believes that "Houses of the future will have to demonstrate buildable ideas which can flexibly adapt to individual needs. The home owner must understand and then choose design as a necessity, not an option."

Through the upcoming RAISE: "INDIA HOMES - 2020" competition, the 'RAISE' Initiative by TATA TISCON is trying to bridge this gap. Inviting architects and engineers to design flexible future homes, that are economically built, easily customisable to individual needs (i.e. flexible) and replicable across India, they hope to draw building design professionals into opportunities of the future. At the same time, through their credibility and wide reach, they intend to awaken the Indian house builder to the potential of bringing design to their homes.

This competition is a design-build one, where winning ideas will get built. The challenge therefore is, making it buildable, yet creatively flexible. The built projects will be proof that good design can change the living environment for the better, and is yet not be elitist in nature. By testing to see if they are truly future-ready these prototypes on actual sites across India, will be the best means of opening the eyes of the public to the importance of design.

Er. Kamal Hadker, an eminent engineer was upbeat about bringing the design challenge to all Indian architects and engineers. He believes this is a step in the right direction, and with designers thinking ahead for twenty years, he is eagerly waiting to see the creative solutions this competition brings up. The definitive word on this competition, which is open to all practicing architects and engineers, comes from the venerable Er. Mahendra Raj. He says, "Competitions have been around for a long time; they are great motivators for the design community. But Initiatives like 'RAISE' turn them around on their head-back to the fundamentals of design-responsibility to people, to the environment and most importantly to life."

Mr. Bimalendra Jha, V.P., TATA TISCON, concludes by putting forth their reason for having such an innovative design-build competition. "TATA TISCON takes its responsibility towards the construction industry very seriously. There is a trust that the 'TATA TISCON' name brings and we want to take that trust forward by bringing innovative, economic, buildable solutions for our country."

Here's hoping the future-proof home designs change the housing scenario in India for the better, for a future that includes design as an essential, not an expendable entity.