Wraps come off community-led resilient house project

A project enabling people to build affordable disaster-resilient houses has been launched by the Bushfire Building Council of Australia.

The Fortis House Project offers free architectural drawings, construction specifications and handbook guides to anyone wanting to improve the resilience of homes against bushfires or other weather disasters.

It was motivated in part by calls for help from people struggling to rebuild their homes and lives in bushfire-prone areas.

The BBCA collaborated with the Shoalhaven City Council, NRMA Insurance and other organisations to develop the project based on scientific research, engineering-first principles, community collaboration and practical advice from builders, the insurance industry and house manufacturers.

The BBCA says a feature of the Fortis house design is a protective outer shell that can be completely closed to provide disaster resilience, energy efficiency, ventilation and security.

A house built according to Fortis design is also water self-sufficient, 100 percent electric, and solar-powered.

BBCA says prefabricated Fortis Houses will also be available for purchase from $300,00 to $700,000, with a build-time as short as 12 weeks.