C S Radhakrishnan
Whether it is for the daily Bread Earner or for the Well-heeled, housing is primarily a shelter. After the concern for shelter is met through availability of adequate space, the outlook of the owner towards the housing unit changes. He/she would like the house to be an expression of one’s social and economic status as well as aesthetic tastes. Thus, from middle income upwards, the housing becomes more of a personal expression that meeting the need for shelter.
The new entrants to middle income group are happy with the stereotype MIG house provided by the housing corporations or reputed builders, even though they all look alike and have very little on the exterior to distinguish each from the neighbouring ones. But the aspirational outlook of the middle class soon starts to assert and the house takes on personal stamp, after the occupants settle down. The exterior may sport a colour different from that used by the neighbours, or a curtain of leafy plants may adorn the front or visible side wall. Within the home, laces and tapestry may adorn the walls or table tops and so on.
In contrast, the upper middle class home seekers would look for a plot and build the dwelling unit, with custom design, and incorporate a wide variety of individual features reflecting the owners’ personalities.
Here again the fact that one belongs to the middle class, though slightly better off than the new entrants, works as restraint on the range of modifications sought. Individual style statements are seen more in the interior and less on the outer side.
But when it comes to the high income group, the need and practical action for securing individuality increases. You don’t find row houses or duplexes in such neighbourhoods. Each bungalow or farm house is a unique style statement. There would be an attempt to accommodate the needs and wishes of almost every individual member of the Home, with private Home Theatre area, extra swimming pools or Bath Tubs in every Bath Room, well appointed Toilet facilities etc. Collective or individual Security arrangements will make demands on the Construction.
Even in the midst of such attempts at diversity certain demands for uniformity in specific aspects may arise in common interests. These may include wifi connectivity among the Homes for emergency communication, Collective or uniform, mutually compatible energy provisions and other Utilities, Garbage Treatment facilities etc.
During the slowing trend in the economy in the past few years, a trend to develop high end residential complexes was attempted by some new entrants to the real estate business. Their logic: since there is a tight economy, the rich may not be able to afford unique design and expensive individuality, and would therefore compromise individuality in favour of economic purchases. But ironically, such mass produced high value houses remained unsold for a very long time, and had to be sold off to the upper segment of the middle class, labelling them as ‘aspirational’ housing. Such sales involved large discounts over the declared prices and brought about significant loss of credibility for the builders as business persons practising fair play.
A question arises here: Should all high income group accommodation be individualistic? Is there no scope for avoiding unnecessary extra expenditure in the name of individuality? Yes, there is. For example, if one can be sure of the quality of construction, one need not appoint one’s own independent contractor for various jobs like masonry, carpentry, painting etc. Additional workers from the same contractor in housing complex can mean many days saved in execution of work, and also saving in costs. All the new residents in a complex may discuss among themselves and adopt uniform specifications for solar panelling, share a wind turbine’s supply of power and thus have a mutually compatible integrated power distribution system. Complexes in colder climate may opt for geo-thermal energy for keeping all the homes warm.
Opportunities exist for sharing the garden maintaining service, road maintenance service etc for the complex as a whole, instead of egoistic individuality. Such services for all homes together will result in economy of scale and keep the complex equally well maintained and balanced
