* Sathya (truth) Dharma (righteousness) Santhi (peace) Prema

The Chaitanya Jyothi – a fusion of 
many cultures and architectural 
styles.

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46

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Clockwise from left:
 The architecture 
of a new building project is being 
explained to Swami.  The Stupa in 
front of Chaitanya Jyothi showing 
the delicate filigree work.  Statues of 
Buddha, Zoraster, Jesus Christ and a 
Mosque on display inside Chaitanya 
Jyothi.

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48
ECC, the Construction Division of L&T 
undertakes design and construction 
of housing projects such as high-rise 
apartments, townships and system 
housing using mass production 
techniques.  The company employs 
innovative system formwork techniques 
and mechanized construction methods 
to achieve high quality and speed.  
Proven techniques employed include 
large area wall panel forms, tunnel forms 
and slipform technique of continuous 
construction for cores high-rise 
buildings. Using these mechanized 
methods, L&T builds the reinforced walls 
and floor slabs in a continuous pour of 
concrete. All these techniques, while 
reducing construction time frames and 
cost, enables mass production of flats. 
Anticipating a mass influx of devotees 
during the 65
th
 birthday celebrations 
of Baghwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in 
1990, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust at 
Prashanthi Nilayam decided to build 240 
community flats or pilgrim quarters for 
accommodating the high profile visitors, 
mostly from foreign countries.  But, very 
short span of time was available to meet 
the deadline of November 23, 1990.  
And L&T was pressed in to service to 
carry out this noble task.  L&T with the 
leadership of A. Ramakrishna took up 
the challenge and with the grace and 
blessings of Baghwan Sri Sathya Sai 
Baba, completed the task ahead of 
schedule and handed over the project 
for other agencies to implement the 
mechanical, electrical and plumbing 
works.
What came as a small contract, this 
blossomed in to several repeat orders  
subsequently and over a period of time 
L&T designed and built more than 1000 
dwelling units at Prashanthi Nilayam, 
Puttaparthi  for Sri Sathya Sai Central 
Trust, adopting the innovativeL&T large 
area wall panel forms.  
The external façade walls are made of 
200 mm thick concrete hollow blocks 
and the internal partition walls are of 
100 mm thick concrete hollow blocks.  
Cupboards, sunshades and water tanks 
are of cast-in-situ concrete construction. 
The door and window frames were fixed 
after concreting was completed by way 
of providing openings in the formwork at 
predetermined locations. 
192 community flats, each of 450 sq.ft 
area was built in 183 days, using the 
L&T-Doka large area formwork system.  
The design and construction of these 
192 flats was entrusted to ECC in April 
1990.  This consisted of six blocks of 
four storyed  (ground + three) structures 
each having 32 flats.  On seeing the 
speed with which progress was made, 
construction of additional 48 flats was 
entrusted.  Altogether ECC built 8 blocks 
of 240 flats at Prasanthi Nilayam in the 
first phase.  Out of these 240 flats, ECC 
handed over 192 to the Trust within a 
period of six months for occupation by 
the devotees during the 65
th
 birthday 
celebrations of Bhagawan Sri Sathya 
Sai Baba in November 1990.  Work on 
the balance 48 flats, which started in 
September 1990, was completed in 
December 1990.
With the help of L&T – Doka formwork 
systems 130 mm thick reinforced 
concrete walls were cast in the first 
stage by employing the large wall panel 
forms and slabs over walls in the second 
stage by using the Flex system.  Cranes 
were used for lifting and placing as well 
A section of the typical multi-storied 
pilgrim quarters.
Dwellings for the devotees
Perspectives of Divine Construction

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50
as removing and shifting the wall formwork panels.  ECC 
also co-ordinated the execution of all services like electrical 
installations, sanitary, plumbing works.  Apart from the speed 
and quality achieved, the cost of flats ranged from Rs.350 to 
425 per sq.ft.  In all, ECC built around 1000 flats at Prasanthi 
Nilayam, in Puttaparthi.  In the second and third stage alone 
679 flats were built in 7 blocks, each consisting of 97 units.  
Unlike in the first stage, each flat had an area of 420 sq.ft.
The community flats, in two blocks, are constructed using 
tunnel form technology with RC walls and slabs. One block 
consists of twenty numbers of each 52.50 sq.m dormitories 
in ground and first floor and fifty numbers of each 26.50 Sqm 
rooms in second and third floor.  The second block consists 
of ninety flats, each having an area of 26.50 sq.m rooms.  
Every dormitory and room is provided with attached toilet 
apart from common toilets in the ground and first floors. The 
total built up area of each block is 3252 sq.m.
The structural system consists of 135mm thick RC load-
bearing walls with RC slabs spanning between the RC walls.  
The façade walls are 150mm thick in solid block work.  
The internal partition walls are 100mm thick in solid block 
work.  The RC walls and 150mm thick solid block walls are 
supported on continuous strip/wall footings.  
The walls and the slabs are built using Heated Tunnel form 
system in which the main walls and the slab were cast 
together and cured by passing steam at requisite temperature 
to enable concrete to attain sufficient strength within 24 
hours.  
The flooring is finished with mosaic tiles.  The interior surfaces 
and ceiling are painted over 1mm thick Plaster of Paris putty.  
The exterior surface is painted with 
waterproof cement paint.
These were constructed within a period of 6 months. These 
elegant flats cost around Rs.485 per sq.ft indicating its 
suitability for mass housing in urban areas of India.

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