"We are looking to work with forward-thinking social housing developers who have moved on from the legacy approaches that are holding back a number of more established players."
Founded by entrepreneur Rahul Nahar in 2012, Xrbia’s first project consisted of 3,500 houses forming a 120-acre ‘future-ready’ city in India. It has already built over 15,000 homes, has a pipeline of 100,000 and aims to deliver 100 future-ready cities in India by 2030.
Xrbia is now seeking joint venture opportunities with UK property developers, initially focusing on building homes in London.
Its construction technology, based on a hybrid of steel framing and concrete form work, produces homes at low cost within short timeframes. Xrbia says it has now managed to slash build times to just six months.
In addition, all utilities are delivered via renewable sources, with water, electricity and sewage recycled and controlled through customers’ smartphones. Meanwhile, Internet of Things technology powers a customer portal, access, security and billing systems.
In India, Xrbia’s standard product is a seven-storey building with apartments of 40 square meters. In London, Xrbia is setting out to deliver these ‘micro’ homes at a cost of around £80,000 and will support them with numerous finance packages, including a rent-to-own facility.
Xrbia founder, Rahul Nahar, commented: “We have been researching Western markets in depth and, given the extent of the housing crisis in the UK and dearth of affordable accommodation, feel our low-cost and technology-led construction model could have a very positive impact on the volume and type of homes being built.
“We are looking to work with forward-thinking social housing developers who have moved on from the legacy approaches that are holding back a number of more established players. To build the number of homes the UK needs is not just about bricks and mortar but fundamental changes in philosophy and process.”
