Work on the prefab structures for the 35th National Games Village has been completed here and is ready for handover by Saturday when the Games officially open.
The Games Village comprises 365 housing units and 40 sets of chef de mission units, according to Samir Sharan, CEO, Acme Group, which is responsible for building and delivering them.
The prefab Games Village is spread over 28 acres of land and will house more than 5,000 sportspersons and officials gathering here from all parts of the country.
More than 10,000 delegates including athletes, technical officials and team officials from various states and federations are expected to take part in the 14-day event.
According to Sharan, the unique feature of the Games Village is the use of technologically advanced means of construction – prefab technology with PUF (polyurethane foam) panels.
Green option This is also considered the greenest, energy-efficient, cost-effective and time-saving technology to build structures. These features help the nation cut down its carbon footprint too.
They need minimum operation costs and can be dismantled and relocated to any other site.
Reassembling calls for additional spending only for steel flashings/trims, civil foundation, internal electrification and plumbing, hardware, floor finish and wall cladding.
The prefab housing units are of 750- to 800 sq feet in area. Legacy plan beneficiaries would need to make available a level ground of approximately 14m x 11m for installing them.
They can be mounted on terraces of existing buildings also. Acme Group has invested ₹38 crore for setting up the village. A provision for another ₹4 crore has been made for dismantling the units and relocating them.
Legacy plan The contractual agreement includes a specific clause for building, dismantling and rebuilding the units as required by the post-games legacy plan as it evolves.
The Kerala government and National Games Secretariat are jointly working on a legacy plan for the reuse and sale of prefab infrastructure, according to R Anilkumar, Coordinator, National Games Secretariat.
Various options are being looked at in this regard. Government departments, sports councils, hostels, clubs, and promoting institutions are likely beneficiaries.
The NRHM has already approached the Secretariat notifying a requirement for one lakh sq ft of prefab space as waiting space for primary health centres.
Specific locations have been identified in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts. KSEB Ltd, the state power utility, is another applicant with a requirement for prefab space as staff quarters.
The Secretariat is also working on Plan B in case the legacy plan does not work out as expected.