BRIN prepares commercialisation of earthquake-resistant modular homes
The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is preparing to commercialise earthquake-resistant modular housing technology so that it can be produced in greater numbers and used by the public, particularly in disaster-prone areas.
BRIN Head Arif Satria said the agency is currently coordinating with a number of partners to bring the earthquake-resistant modular housing technology to the production stage.
“We are continuing to coordinate with partners because BRIN is not allowed to mass-produce. We must find partners to produce these houses in larger quantities and at even lower cost,” Arif said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Friday.
Arif said the earthquake-resistant modular housing technology had previously been realised in three prototype homes built by BRIN between 2021 and 2022.
According to him, the three prototype homes remained intact when an earthquake occurred. This has become one of the bases for promoting wider use of the technology.
“Earthquake-resistant modular homes, where there are currently three BRIN prototype homes standing since 2021 to 2022 which, thank God, remained intact during the earthquake,” he said.
The effort is expected to enable earthquake-resistant homes to be produced in greater quantities while also being more affordable.
Arif said the development of earthquake-resistant homes is important because Indonesia lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire, which has many points of vulnerability to disasters.
President Prabowo Subianto, Arif said, has also stressed the importance of research and technological innovation to anticipate and provide solutions to various potential disasters in Indonesia.
“This requires study, requires technological innovations to overcome, anticipate, and continue to provide solutions,” Arif said.
In a meeting with Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta and a number of Nobel laureates, the President also specifically mentioned BRIN innovations that can be applied in the field, including earthquake-resistant modular housing technology to help earthquake-prone areas.