Last reviewed 16 Sept 2026 · Facts as of 16 Sept 2026 · 10 min read
Why modern and sustainable materials?
- Speed of construction — urban housing demand, infrastructure timelines.
- Quality and precision — factory production, less site variability.
- Resource conservation — reducing topsoil use (clay bricks), river sand and natural aggregates.
- Energy and carbon — cement and steel production are energy-intensive; burnt bricks consume fuel and pollute.
- Utilisation of industrial wastes — fly ash, slag, construction and demolition waste.
- Improved performance — thermal comfort, fire resistance, seismic resistance (lighter buildings), durability.
In India, the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) evaluates and promotes new materials and technologies, and the Global Housing Technology Challenge – India (GHTC-India) under PMAY-Urban showcased alternative technologies through Light House Projects.
Masonry alternatives
| Material | Description | Merits | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks | Cement/lime, fly ash or sand, gypsum and aluminium powder (gas-forming), autoclave cured; commonly large blocks (e.g. 600 mm long) with dry densities roughly 550–800 kg/m³ | Very light (reduces dead load and seismic mass), good thermal insulation, fire resistant, accurate dimensions, fewer joints (thin-bed adhesive mortar), fast construction, uses fly ash | Higher water absorption (needs good plaster/paint systems), lower compressive strength than dense masonry, special anchors for fixing |
| Cellular lightweight concrete (CLC) blocks | Foam concrete blocks cured without autoclave | Lightweight, insulating, can be made on site | Lower strength and higher shrinkage than AAC |
| Concrete blocks (solid and hollow) | Cement, aggregates and water moulded and cured (IS 2185 series) | Strong, uniform, fast construction; hollow blocks lighter and insulating; reinforcement can be placed in cores | Heavier than AAC (solid), thermal performance moderate |
| Fly ash bricks | Fly ash, lime/cement, gypsum and sand pressed and cured | Uniform size and shape, use industrial waste, lower energy than burnt bricks, less plaster | Quality depends on production control |
| Perforated and hollow clay blocks | Burnt clay blocks with vertical perforations or horizontal cavities | Lighter, insulating, less clay and fuel per volume | Brittleness; careful handling |
| Interlocking blocks | Blocks with profiles that interlock, requiring little or no mortar | Faster, less skilled labour, less mortar | Precision required; limited height/seismic detailing |
| Compressed stabilised earth blocks (CSEB) | Local soil stabilised with cement or lime and compressed | Very low embodied energy, local materials, good thermal mass | Moisture sensitivity; quality control of soil and curing |
Gypsum-based products
- Gypsum plaster (ready-mix) — applied directly on masonry/concrete as a single-coat smooth finish; quick setting, less shrinkage cracking, no water curing; interior use only (not for wet areas without protection).
- Plaster of Paris (POP) — calcined gypsum for false ceilings, cornices and finishes.
- Gypsum boards (drywall/plasterboard) — gypsum core faced with paper — dry-wall partitions and false ceilings on light metal frames; fire resistant (moisture-resistant and fire-rated variants).
- Glass fibre reinforced gypsum (GFRG) panels — large prefabricated hollow panels of gypsum reinforced with glass fibres (developed in India with IIT Madras for mass housing); cavities can be filled with concrete (and reinforcement) for load-bearing walls and floors — fast, low-cost, uses by-product gypsum.
Prefabricated and industrialised systems
| System | Description |
|---|---|
| Precast concrete elements | Columns, beams, slabs, walls, staircases cast in factories under controlled conditions and erected on site — speed and quality |
| Hollow core slabs | Precast prestressed slabs with longitudinal voids — long spans, light weight |
| Precast sandwich wall panels | Concrete layers with insulation core |
| 3D panels (EPS core panels) | Expanded polystyrene core sandwiched between welded wire meshes connected by diagonal wires, sprayed with concrete (shotcrete) on site — light, insulated walls and slabs |
| Light gauge steel framing (LGSF) | Cold-formed galvanised steel sections forming walls and roofs, clad with boards — fast, light, precise |
| Pre-engineered buildings (PEB) | Tapered steel frames designed and fabricated in factories — warehouses, factories, sheds with large column-free spans |
| Modular / volumetric construction | Complete room modules (steel or concrete) finished in factories and assembled on site |
| Monolithic construction with aluminium formwork (e.g. "Mivan" type systems) | Walls and slabs cast together in reusable aluminium formwork — rapid repetitive mass housing, good finish |
| Tunnel formwork | Walls and slabs cast in one operation with steel tunnel forms |
| Insulated concrete forms (ICF) / stay-in-place formwork | EPS or other forms that remain as insulation after concrete is poured |
| Structural insulated panels (SIP), sandwich panels | Insulating core with structural skins — roofs, walls, cold storages |
Advantages of industrialised construction: speed, quality, reduced site labour and wastage, less dependence on weather, safer sites. Challenges: transport and handling of large elements, joint design (especially seismic and waterproofing), initial investment, need for repetition to be economical, skilled erection.
Sustainable and low-carbon materials
| Material / approach | Features |
|---|---|
| Bamboo | Fast-growing renewable, high tensile strength; treated bamboo and engineered bamboo (laminated boards, bamboo mat board, bamboo composites) for structures, panels, flooring |
| Earth construction | Rammed earth, CSEB, adobe, cob — very low embodied energy, excellent thermal mass; need protection from water |
| Recycled aggregates | From construction and demolition (C&D) waste — used in non-structural and increasingly structural concrete, paver blocks, road sub-bases |
| Industrial by-products | Fly ash (bricks, PPC, concrete), GGBS (PSC, concrete), silica fume, phosphogypsum (gypsum products), copper and steel slag (aggregates), red mud (bricks, research) |
| Low-clinker cements and binders | Blended cements, limestone calcined clay cement (LC3), geopolymer/alkali-activated binders |
| Agricultural wastes | Rice husk ash (pozzolana), bagasse boards, straw bale construction, coir and jute products |
| Natural fibre insulation and boards | Coir, jute, hemp (hempcrete), wood-wool |
| Recycled plastics | Plastic lumber, paver tiles, waste plastic in bituminous roads |
| Cool roof coatings and tiles, low-VOC paints | Reduce cooling loads and indoor pollution |
| Green roofs and walls | Vegetation layers — insulation, stormwater retention, urban heat island mitigation |
| Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) | Solar cells integrated in roofs, facades, glazing |