An Australian building company has held talks with local builders, engineers and architects, as it prepares to introduce a new building system to Fiji.
Representatives from Force 10, supplier of modular homes and commercial buildings that withstand cyclones, other extreme weather and termites, are in Fiji this week amid concerns that insurers are refusing to cover buildings deemed to be high risk.
Force 10 general manager Adrian Murphy said the company was meeting with local engineers to ensure their product could be built in Fiji, and that the response has been “overwhelmingly positive”.
“Fiji is in a high risk area and insurers have made it clear that they won’t cover the risk on structures that are not cyclone safe,” he explained.
Force 10 delivers the product in a ‘flat pack’ form which is then erected by local builders. Their homes, schools and commercial buildings have withstood category 5 hurricanes in Florida and the Caribbean, cyclones across the Pacific Island nations and Asia, and fires in the USA.
In New Caledonia, a country that endures regular cyclones, hundreds of Force 10 houses have been built. Local builder Luigi Lenisa called the structures “virtually indestructible”.
“The Force 10 buildings have proved themselves safe and strong in the wildest (Pacific) weather,” Mr Lenisa said.
Mr Murphy said they need local builders that want to build “a better way”.
“Local companies and organisations know they need to build with safety and strength in mind, but they also want a structure that looks modern.
Representatives from Force 10 will be in Fiji until the end of this week. Examples of the structures can be found on their websitewww.force10.com.au.
PRESS RELEASE