Degree

Master of Business Administration

Faculty / School

School of Business Studies (SBS)

Advisor

Dr. Shahid Mir, Assistant Professor, Department of Management

Project Coordinator (External)

Mr. Mansoor Syed

Committee Member 1

Dr. Shahid Mir Assistant Professor Business Administration - Academic Affairs Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi

Project Type

MBA Research Project

Keywords

https://ir.iba.edu.pk/do/search/?q=Sound%20insulation&start=0&context=8598587&facet=">Sound insulation, Pakistan housing, low-cost housing, green construction, steel frame technology, light gauge steel housing, sustainable housing, scalable housing, green construction

Abstract / Summary

Housing is a very important topic for the people of Pakistan. It is linked to cultural values and people generally tend to spend their life savings on constructing their houses as it is costly. It is also a source of promoting social stability and is linked to social and health issues (Pollack, Griffin, & Lynch, 2010). The backlog of unmet demand is expected to further rise up to 17 million by 2025 (Naqvi, 2020), hence implementation of LSFT has the potential to reduce the supply-demand backlog. Literature review elaborates on how the technology ensures scalability and allows large scale production on the back of fast and relatively easy manufacturing processes (Yang W., 2017).

A focus group and survey has been conducted for our primary research. The aim of the focus group of 10 was to gather insights of the participants with respect to acceptability and feasibility of using Light Steel Framing Technology (LSFT) for constructing low-cost housing to mid-rise structures. Survey of more than 200 participants was conducted as well. Results from the quantitative research showed that quality is the most important factor followed by cost and then time. Participants of the focus group mutually agreed that other stakeholders, especially the case builders and experts should be involved in such decisions, and it is imperative to introduce the concept and advantages of using Light Steel Framing Technology to them as majority of the common people going for construct new houses go to them for advice.

Some participants of the focus group were reluctant to opt for Light Steel Framing Technology as there are other low-cost options available and used in Pakistan like tile beam and tier girder. These options have higher acceptability as compared to Light Steel Framing Technology, and participants argued that why would people opt for it when other options are available, except for the reason it is offers better competitive pricing. Unfortunately, right now raw material costs are higher than that of traditional construction methods. Low construction costs were the major focus of all the participants of the focus group who highlighted that majority of the population of the country cannot afford bullet payments and hence prefer slow construction to ease the cash flow cycle.

Based on the findings, we would recommend that there is a huge demand and supply gap so it can be reduced through this technology. Government can enforce the use of this technology at national level meanwhile give subsidy to domestic steel manufacturing companies and promote related industry like cement board manufacturer. This leads to economies of scale which results in reduction in the final construction cost. Finally, spreading awareness is very important through different platforms i.e., government officials, architectures, dealers and brokers. Eventually we do believe this technology can be the future of construction in Pakistan, if the issues associated with the construction cost and general acceptability of the Pakistani public are addressed.

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Available for download on Thursday, July 15, 2027

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