A new research project led by the University of East London will work towards developing a low-cost precast concrete panel system for traditional Assam/Ikra type housing in North-East India; removing reliance on wood-based materials, such as bamboo which is increasingly scarce in the region.

Salim Barbhuiya, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering at UEL and John Forth, Professor at University of Leeds have been successful in securing £50,000 in funding from the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Government of India, for the project.

Dr Barbhuiya said,

This construction technique has been used for over 200 years. The houses are built of walls consisting of bamboo woven together with a wooden frame, and plastered with cement or mud plaster, paired with a light tin roof and sometimes wooden floors; all of which combine to create a highly earthquake resistant design. However, with the increasing population and shortage of land, these types of houses are currently being replaced by new multi-story buildings made of cement and concrete.”

Due to historically high seismic action in the region any alternative building system must be as equally flood and earthquake resistant as the current design. As such, Dr Barbhuiya and his team have proposed to construct pre-cast concrete panels, which can save on construction costs, help preserve local heritage building methods, respond to planning policies, and emit less carbon than the multi-storey housing solutions.

Dr Barbhuiya explained, “A concrete material, like the precast panels we’re designing has no adverse impact on the environment and won’t deplete non-renewable resources.”

The two-year project will also facilitate a knowledge exchange between the UK and India. UEL’s researchers will work alongside researchers from the University of Leeds (UoL) known for their expertise in concrete technology, and the National Institute of Technology Meghalaya (NITM) who have expertise in Structural Engineering.

Across the project lifetime, UK academics will visit NITM, including a three-month postdoctoral research fellowship from UoL, and a course will be delivered by UEL and UoL for NITM Masters and PhD students, giving them an opportunity to contribute to the research. In return, two NITM researchers will visit the UK to conduct research in the UK university facilities, and collaborate with research colleagues.