The concept of prefabricated houses in the construction industry in Pakistan is fairly new. The launch of Naya Pakistan Housing Program (NPHP) in the country has attracted many foreign investors and construction companies to build affordable and low-cost housing for the poor and the homeless. As per the most recent update, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has inaugurated the “Prefabricated Housing Project,” along with the Chinese envoy in Islamabad. Prefabricated houses in NPHP is the next big thing in Pakistan’s construction industry.
With the work on Naya Pakistan Housing Program entering its practical phase and the last date to register in NPHP approaching fast, people are submitting their registrations online through the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme portal.
Now, let’s begin with the definition of prefab homes.
What are prefabricated houses?
Modular homes or prefab homes feature pieces or components that are especially built in a factory. These individual construction components are then transported on the construction site where they are simply assembled. Whereas, site-built homes are constructed using conventional methods. These houses are built on the site which will be inhabited, using construction materials and equipment.
Here Is How NPHP Will Benefit From Prefabricated Housing Technology
The plant for prefabricated houses is being set up by the leading Chinese construction company Henan D.R. Construction Group in the M-3 Special Economic Zone. In the groundbreaking ceremony, PM Imran Khan also discussed how prefabricated houses will benefit and speed up the process of building affordable houses on a large scale and in the shortest possible time.
Mr Zaighum Mehmood Rizvi, who currently serves as the head of the 17-member task force formed by the PM for overseeing the government’s flagship Naya Pakistan Housing Program, shared his views about prefab houses, “We are working on using prefabricated housing technology which has met quality standards and, apart from this, international contractors from China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are also showing interest because we need large scale manufacturers who will use the latest technologies to build houses in short time.”
It is expected that Naya Pakistan Housing Program will first begin in big cities like Lahore and Karachi as these cities have more population and the land is expensive to buy here for a common man. Watch the complete video interview of Mr. Zaigham Mehmood Rizvi below and learn more about Naya Pakistan Housing Program.
How long does it take to set up prefabricated houses?
It depends upon the expertise of the crew and also on the design process and many other factors. On average, it takes around 16 to 31 weeks to build prefab homes. PM Imran Khan, at the groundbreaking ceremony, shared his views about the timeline to set up Chinese prefab homes in the Naya Pakistan Housing Program. It would only take around three to four months to set up prefabricated houses, but when constructing flats, it might take around three to four years to build high rise apartments using prefabricated housing technology.
Benefits of prefab housing
There are a number of advantages of prefab homes. Take a look at how prefabricated housing technology is the next big thing in the construction industry.
- Eco-friendly
- Saves money
- Easily transported
- Reduced construction time
- Increased quality
- Less site disruption
Eco-friendly
Construction of prefabricated houses is commended for its eco-friendliness. Conventional methods of construction require extra materials that lead to increased waste. Since the construction of prefabricated houses is mostly done in a controlled-setting within a factory, most of the materials that are not being used are recycled. Instead of sending the waste directly to a landfill, it is recycled in the factory. Moreover, as the components of prefab houses are built in a controlled setting it ensures better air filtration and more accurate construction and also allows better wall insulation which makes the houses more energy efficient.
Saves money
Modular houses saves a large chunk of your money. More often than not, prefabricated houses are constructed as part of large scale housing schemes like that of Naya Pakistan Housing Program. The manufacturers of prefabricated houses receive bulk discounts from construction material suppliers. Moreover, in the construction of prefab homes, there is no need to hire contractors and labourers. And so, the costs they would add are also saved considerably.
Easily transported
Prefabricated houses are not only flexible in their design but also can be easily transported to different sites. This saves the time and costs involved in bringing raw materials to the construction site and building everything from scratch.
Prefabricated construction units are also used in different spaces and have neutral colours and designs that can fit and merge well on any given site.
Reduced construction time
Of course, that is a given. The biggest advantage of constructing prefabricated houses is that it reduces time and effort. The reason why Chinese company Henan D.R Construction has inaugurated its plant in Pakistan to build prefabricated homes is to speed up the process of building large scale housing units in the shortest possible time. This will hugely benefit Naya Pakistan Housing Program.
Less site disruption
As many components of the building are constructed in a factory setting, there’s considerably less usage of heavy machinery and equipment that are normally used on a construction site. Building prefab homes also limits air and noise pollution, waste and other problems. Plus, people living in the vicinity of these units don’t have to face any sort of disruption in their route or routine. Similarly, the many construction hazards and risks that workers have to face on conventional construction sites are also reduced to a considerable extent.
So, these were the benefits of prefabricated housing technology which will not only reduce time and effort in building houses on a large scale but will also greatly improve the construction industry in Pakistan.
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