Towards unification of building practices in Kerala

[federik07]

For conserving the scarce natural resources and for optimizing the construction activities, the specifications regulating construction activities and the methods used in various measurements should be standardized. Also, economical norms for materials used as input and output of labor should be evolved and an analysis of the rates for various items should be rationally prepared. Several private bodies are now taking up this work even though the results published by them need to be checked for its source and also its authenticity.

The National Building Organization (NBO) has brought out an ‘All India Standard Schedule of Rates and Specifications’ in four volumes, after incorporating the latest advances in science and technology, which should be adopted for unification of the building practices in various parts of the country. The Apartments in Kerala are mostly built according to the standards specified by the NBO. Apartments that are built according to the quality standards set by the NBO are sold out in record time.

Consider the present situation. The tastes and preferences of the people have undergone a major change. Thus house-building methodologies that was popular in earlier times has few takers today. Gone are the days when the traditional mason or the carpenter decided the design pattern for a small or medium house. The traditional building materials used in bygone years have been totally done away with and it has given way to high quality, expensive durable building construction materials that last for a lifetime. Thus the NBO is now forced to change these building specifications according to the newer trends in the market.

In earlier times, some of the building rules gave rise to several ambiguities with respect to its interpretation during specific contexts. Not only that, some of these rules and regulations gave rise to several loopholes that caused many problems for people intending to avail sanction for a building project. Also many of such building plans got mired in bureaucratic tussles resulting in cost escalation and additional burden on the common man.