Habitat is the largest non-governmental organization in the shelter sector in India committed to sustainable building solutions and green and humane architecture.”

Established in 1987 in Kerala, Habitat is registered as a charitable society.

Recognized / accredited a) a nodal agency to carry out developmental works under the decentralization process in Kerala, b) Consultants to World Bank, UNDP, Carithas International, World Council of Churches, various national and international NGO’s and state governments etc.

A core group of 400 architects, Engineers and social workers with a support base of 35000 trained workers and 34 regional offices spread all over India with project offices in Nigeria, Bangladesh, SriLanka etc.

Built more than 100,000 Green buildings all over the country and abroad including townships, several disaster mitigation projects, rehabilitation and resettlement projects, public offices, schools, hospitals.

• HABITAT TECHNOLOGY GROUP IS THE PIONEER OF A GREEN HOUSING MOVEMENT BASED ON SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES IN INDIA. HABITAT GROUP HAS BEEN PROPAGATING ALL COST EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES WHICH ARE ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY, ECOLOGICALLY APPROPRIATE AND ENERGY SAVING. LARGE NUMBERS OF TECHNOLOGIES USING LOCAL BUILDING MATERIALS, RESOURCES AND TECHNOLOGIES HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED BRINGING IN SUBSTANTIAL COST REDUCTION TO THE EXTENT OF 20 – 40% IN CONSTRUCTION COST WITH OUT SACRIFICING SAFETY, DURABILITY, QUALITY AND ARCHITECTURAL EXCELLENCE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. TECHNOLOGIES WHICH ARE DISASTER RESISTANT, EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT USE OF CEMENT AND STEEIL HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED. MANY INNOVATIVE OPTIONS ON EFFICIENT WATER USE, USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY HAS BEEN APPLIED. EARTH ARCHITECTURE USING BAMBOO AND MUDBLOCKS HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTED WITH SUCCESS.
• DESIGNED AND BUILT MORE THAN 100,000 INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS USING GREEN TECHNOLOGIES WHICH IS PROBABLY A WORLD RECORD. THE PROJECTS INCLUDE TOWNSHIPS, RESETTLEMENT SCHEMES, SLUM REVITALIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONAL CAMPUSES, HOSPITALS, AND RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS APART FROM TEN THOUSANDS OF RESIDENCES.
• IT IS THE LARGEST NGO WORKING IN SHELTER SECTOR IN SOUTH ASIA WITH RESPONDING CENTERS IN INDIA AND IN OTHER DEVELOPING COUNTRIES LIKE BANGLADESH, SRILANKA AND NIGERIA.PRESENTLY IT IS A GROUP OF 400 PROFESSIONALS WITH A SUPPORT BASE OF 30000 TRAINED HABITAT WORKERS.
• BUILT THE LARGEST EARTH BUILDING IN THE WORLD- 600,000 SQ.FT IN DHAKA, BANGLADESH FOR THE CHRISTIAN COMMISSION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL BANGLADESH IN 2006.
• DESIGNED AND BUILT THE FIRST TOWNSHIP IN INDIA USING GREEN BUILDING TECHNOLGIES [600 HOUSES, COMMUNITY CENTRE ETC IN SIRUMUGAI, COIMBATORE IN 1995.
• IN THE FOREFRONT FOR BUILDING LARGE HAMLETS AND REHABILITATION HOUSING COLONIES FOR TRIBALS, DALITS AND FISHERMEN IN KERALA, TAMIL NADU, ANDHRA PRADESH AND ORISSA.THE GOUP WON THE NATIONAL AWARD CONSTITUTED BY THE GOVT OF INDIA FOR THE SLUM UPGRADATION WORKS AT VELI, TRIVANDRUM. SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION HAS BEEN ENSURED BY UTILISING THE COMMUNITY FOR THE VARIOUS CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMMES INCLUDING ENLISTING THEIR CONTRIBUTION IN CASH, KIND AND LABOUR. FURTHER MASSIVE AWARNESS, APPRECIATION AND APPLICATION OF APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGIES HAVE BEEN ENSURED AMONG THE COMMUNITY BY TAKING TECHNOLOGIES TO THE DOOR STEPS.
• COORDINATED THE TOTAL HOUSING SCHEME AT KOLLAM, KERALA [50000 HOUSES] AS A PART OF PEOPLE'S PLANNING CAMPAIGN IN 1998. IT BECAME A NATIONAL MODEL ON COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, GREEN LIVELIHOODS AND HABITAT LITERACY. THIS INVOLVED MASSIVE TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILIDING PROGRAMME AMONG THE UNSKILLED, SEMI SKILLED AND SKILLED WORK FORCE ON ALL DISASTER RESISTANT AND COST EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN AN USER FRIENDLY MANNER.
• ACTIVE IN DISASTER MITIGANT BUILDING CONSTRUCTION RIGHT FROM 1991. INVOLVED IN THE REHABILITATION ACTIVITIES OF GAS VICTIMS AT BHOPAL, MADHYA PRADESH. THE GROUP HAS DESIGNED AND BUILT THOUSANDS OF BUILDINGS IN DISASTER STRUCK AREAS IN LATUR,UTTAR KASHI,ORISSA AND GUJARAT.
• IN THE FOREFRONT OF TSUNAMI REHABILITATION WORKS IN SRILANKA, MALDIVES AND THE COASTAL AREAS OF TAMIL NADU AND KERALA. THE PROJECT LEADER OF SRILANKAN RECONSTRUCTION WORKS OF 95000 HOUSES WITH THE AID OF GERMAN GOVT.
• STARTED HABITAT SCHOOL OF HOUSING IN 1995. THIS IS THE LARGEST INFORMAL SCHOOL OF HOUSING IN THE COUNTRY. OVER THE YEARS, THE TRAINEES INCLUDED ADMINISTRATORS, NGO ACTIVISTS, SOCIAL WORKERS, ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS AND ARTISANS.FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS NEARLY 15000 WORKERS HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN GREEN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. MANY PROFESSIONALS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD HAVE COME TO HABITAT FOR PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN SOCIAL ENGINEERING.
• HABITAT WOMENS INITITIVES WHICH FOCUSSES ON EMPOWERMENT OF MARGINALISED WOMEN BY ENGAGING THEM IN CONSTRUCTION RELATED ACTIVTIES. SELF HELP GROUPS HAVE BEEN FORMED IN TRIVANDRUM, VADAKARA AND WAYANAD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GREEN BUIDING COMPONENTS LIKE FERROCEMENT WATER TANKS, STABILISED EARTH BLOCKS, CONCRETE DOOR AND WINDOW FRAMES ETC.WOMEN CONSTRUCTION GROUPS ARE FORMED TO UNDERTAKE WORKS OF THE LOCAL SELF GOVT.THE INITIATIVE PROVIDES EMPLOYMENT TO 800 WOMEN AT PRESENT. MORE THAN 50% OF CONSTRUCTION WORK FORCE ARE WOMEN. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND GRASSROOTS LEVEL INVOLVEMENT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE KEY STONES OF ANY HABITAT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
• HABITAT ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVES IN 1998 TO LEAD CAMPAIGNS AGAINST UNSUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. ILLEGAL SAND MINING, EXCESSIVE USE OF TIMBER AS A BUILDING MATERIAL, ENFORCEMENT OF GREEN CONTROLS IN THE BUILDING BYELAWS WERE SOME OF THE TOPICS THE GROUP UNDERTOOK OVER THE YEARS. EVERY YEAR,THE GROUP CONDUCTS GREEN KERALA CAMPAIGNS, PLANTING MORE THAN 50,000 SAPLINGS EVERY YEAR ALL OVER THE STATE.THE GROUP ALSO CONDUCTS AWARENESS CAMPS / EXHIBITION / SEMINARS FOR STUDENTS.A NATIONAL AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION HAS BEEN INTRODUCED FROM 2005.THE FIRST EVER BAMBOO CAMPUS IN INDIA IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION TO HOUSE THE INITIATIVE.
• POPULARISED THE PRACTICE OF CONSERVATION USING VERNACULAR TECHNOLOGY. INVOLVED WITH SEVERAL CONSERVATION EFFORTS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL LIKE THE TRAVANCORE PALACE, NEW DELHI AND KRISHNAVILASOM PALACE COMPLEX AT TRIVANDRUM. ALSO ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE ACTIVITIES OF INDIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE.
• HABITAT SOCIAL INITIATIVES IN THE YEAR 2000 WHICH INITIATED PARTICIPATORY, INTEGRATED, GREEN APPROACH IN the REHABILITATION OF THE DISPLACED. FACILITATED SUCCESSFUL CULTURAL AND SOCIAL REHABILITATION OF THE TRIBALS BY ENSURING CONNECTIVITY, SHELTER SECURITY, FOOD SECURITY, LIVELIHOOD SECURITY, SOCIAL SECURITY AND ENERGY SECURITY TO ALL INHABITANTS OF THE ATTAPADY TRIBAL HAMLET IN KERALA. INCORPORATED CONCEPTS LIKE SUBSISTENCE FARMING, GREEN LIVELIHOOD, CREATION OF REVOLVING FUNDS AND NATURAL CALAMITY FUNDS IN REHABILITATION AND RECONSTRUCTION PACKAGES TO FACILITATE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. PROVIDED SUCCESSFUL RESETTLEMENT TO 3300 FAMILIES INCLUDING SQUATTERS AND LANDLESS FAMILIES WITH MINIMAL RESISTANCE FROM THE DISPLACED UNDER THE KERALA STATE TRANSPORT PROJECT. TOOK LEAD ROLE IN ENSURING SAFE WATER SUPPLY TO RURAL POOR THROUGH THE JALANIDHI PROJECT. INITIATED ACTIVITIES LIKE RECHARGING OF WELLS, RAIN WATER HARVESTING BY EMPOWERING COMMUNITY TO UNDERTAKE CONSERVATION OF EXISTING WATER SOURCES AND PROPER WATER MANAGEMENT. CONDUCTED SEVERAL STATE LEVEL WORKSHOP’S ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, WORKED WITH SEVERAL EDCUATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO HIGHLIGHT THE PROBLEM OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION. CONDUCTED SEVERAL TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGNS WITH THE HELP OF LOCAL RESIDENTS ASSOCIATIONSII.