Precast reduces construction costs by 15%

Precast involves lot of pre-planning which results in almost error free and high quality construction.

Precast gaining precedence
Precast is one of the most recent technologies that is gradually gaining precedence in the Indian real estate and construction sector. While the technology in itself is not new and has been widely used in some Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines, the adoption of precast is still in a nascent stage in India.
Briefing on the impact of this (precast) technology on the construction industry J. C. Sharma, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Sobha Ltd says, “Use of precast can help eliminate inefficient elements involved in the construction process that might otherwise pose a threat. With its robust nature, precast ensures quality and consistency in the project. Additionally, precast has the capacity to reduce construction costs by up to 15 per cent, which is a huge saving. More importantly, it can help overcome the problem of projects delays, as it involves less human intervention and mechanisation accelerates the speed of construction. Besides, precast involves lot of pre-planning which results in almost error free and high quality construction.”

Imperative for developers to embrace technology
With evolving customer requirement, increasing construction costs and competition, it is imperative for developers to embrace technology and become more consumer-centric. Use of technology helps developers with better control on construction costs and quality. Explaining on how precast has helped transforming the construction industry Sharma says, “Precast technology is being used in our Dream Acres project – a large scale and the biggest project till date from the house of Sobha. Additionally, it helps manage time efficiently by mechanising and reducing the number processes involved in a construction vis-à-vis conventional methods. Further, at our concrete block factory and backward integrated factories we are employing technology which is immensely helpful for construction industry.”

Saving time with precast technology
The company’s unique project ‘Sobha Dream Acres’ under a new segment – Sobha Dream Series –was launched last year at Balagere, Bengaluru. “Aligned with our ‘never compromise’ philosophy, this project is being developed using precast technology and employs best-in-class machinery imported from Germany and Italy. These machines are installed in the Sobha precast factory at the project site. Our factory is probably one of the largest and most modern set up catering to the large scale construction with unmatched quality and speed,” said Sharma while informing on how precast has added value to the business.

He adds, “Since we have adopted the precast method for this development, we are targeting the year 2019 as the completion date that is three years for phase-1, whereas, the traditional method would have taken time of 5-6 years. Therefore, time saving is one of the main USPs of this technology. More importantly, precast constructions result in better comfort through lower sound transmission, better resistance to fire and are decay proof. Maintenance costs are also low, as construction with precast avert leakage, seepage and cracks, which can be spotted in almost any house or commercial building these days.”

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