A state-of-the-art review on sustainable low-cost housing and application of textile reinforced concrete

This article reviews the various housing schemes implemented in India post-independence. This year marking the 75 years of independence, the demand for affordable housing for economically weaker sections and low-income group are at stake in the country. In achieving “Housing for all” in the rapidly urbanizing Indian context, Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) technology promises to be environmentally and economically “affordable” consuming significantly fewer quantities of building materials with high embodied energy. Textile reinforced concrete is the most durable, lightweight, and highly ductile structural component with its non-corrosive textiles replacing the conventional steel reinforcement used, and it can be the most feasible solution to the problem of implementing affordable housing in urban India. TRC has been an excellent solution for the retrofitting and strengthening of existing infrastructures paving its progressive research direction of using this as a load-bearing structural component. With a substantially lower carbon footprint than conventional RCC structures, TRC offers better potential for sustainability. Furthermore, this article proposes a futuristic direction to enhance the research on the application of TRC as a structural component for prefabricated low-cost housing.