L&T set to build india's first pre-cast residential high rise

Diversified conglomerate Larsen and Toubro (L&T) is set to build India's first residential high-rise building on a pre-cast basis, a move that may introduce a structural change in the real estate market.

"This is the first time a 'ground +23 floor' high-rise residential structure is being built on a pre-fabricated basis in the country. Though there have been ground +3 level structures and office buildings, no one has attempted a high-rise residential project because it is very complex to build a structure with so many elements (wall, windows, balcony, girders and beams)" said an official close to the development.

L&T has taken a part of the Richardson & Cuddas Ltd site at Byculla on rent to build the pre-cast elements. It has also hired a Singapore-based technology consultant to supervise the project, once production begins. The contract has been awarded by Mumbai-based Omkar realtors, which is developing six towers on the Bhoiwada site at Parel.

An e-mail to L&T went unanswered.

Kersi Cama, head (engineering, procurement and construction), Omkar Realtors, said, "For the Parel project, the size of the order book is roughly Rs 174 crore. We have already started construction at Bhoiwada, Parel. The project has not yet opened for sale. It is due to be completed in 22 months."

Though L&T does not take any contract worth less than Rs 200 crore, Omkar Realtors has awarded a bulk contract of its land at Worli, Malad and Parel to get the construction major on board for the ambitious project. The buildings at Worli and Malad, however, would be built in the conventional method.

For L&T, the project is being considered as a stepping stone to its entry into the high-rise pre-cast building segment. The engineering and construction major is keeping a tight check on the project's cost and margins, since future costs would be based on this model, the official added.

A conventional building is constructed 'cast-in-situ', or on the site, while elements for pre-cast buildings, like walls, staircases, windows, beams and grids, are built at a factory site. Pre-cast structures do not require finishing, like plastering or wall putty. Though more expensive than the conventional method, pre-cast helps put buildings together more quickly.

In India, only 27 per cent of all industrial and institutional buildings are pre-engineered, while in the United States, more than 70 per cent of all construction in industrial and institutional segments are pre-engineered.

Sushim Banerjee, director general, Institute for Steel Development and Growth, said, "Pre-cast buildings consume 1.7 times more steel than conventional buildings, since they not only use long products like reinforcement bars and structural steel, but also whole steel frames, steel sheets and plates."

A single floor comprises 344 elements, and L&T aims to build 140 elements on a daily basis, when production begins. Excavation on the site has begun, and the ground floor would be built in the conventional method.