Mainstreaming Bamboo in Affordable Housing through Service Design Approach

Abstract

Affordable housing remains a major urban issue for majority of the world. In fact, affordable housing is an important global issue, more so for nations like India where the demand far exceeds the supply. The most impacted are the EWS/ LIG segments, who remain shadowed from housing schemes. Despite the urgency, not much has been done in terms of innovation to address the issue with a sense of urgency. Bamboo, a sustainable and strong material has remained underutilised in the construction industry with limited use in temporary shuttering and few structures. In spite of India being the world s second largest producer of bamboo, the full potential of the material for application in affordable housing remains unexplored. The challenges for streamlining bamboo pertain to standardisation in terms of strength variability, issues with joinery, and lack of research collaboration. This thesis attempts to explore the usage of bamboo in affordable housing. Principal strength properties of dry split samples of Bambusa bambos, a bamboo species identified as structurally suitable, are investigated; a central knowledge bank is proposed; and a standardised system of nomenclature is established. This would help exchange of information. Service Design is proposed as a framework to address the issue of affordable housing at scale deriving learnings from case studies of other domains, which could be adapted. A hybrid model, integrating traditional and modern business practices, is proposed to tackle the complexity of affordable housing. Interviews with stakeholders in the bamboo construction sector and a detailed Service Blueprint analysis highlight the need for improved collaboration and support. The thesis concludes by outlining future research directions, emphasizing the potential of a refined design solution to significantly narrow the gap between housing demand and supply, making affordable housing more accessible to those in need. newline