The Fiji National University’s College of Engineering and Technical Vocational Education & Training (CETVET) is the winner of the Vice Chancellor’s 2024 Open Day Award.
They defeated the two-time champion, the College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (CAFF).
FNU’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning & Teaching, Professor Jimaima Lako, said the judges recognised breakthroughs, innovations, creativity, originality, and potential intellectual property ownership showcased during the event.
This recognition was one of the reasons CETVET secured the award, because of their unique brick project led by Senior Lecturer Mr Viliame Sakiti.
The winning brick is Mr Sakiti’s PhD research project exploring a unique blend of sand, clay soil, and cement.
He aims to create affordable housing materials.
“This is the first of its kind in Fiji, focusing on a specific type of clay soil that integrates well with cement to achieve the required strength of 12.5 MPa (Mega Pascal).
Mr Sakiti conducted extensive soil sampling across various regions, including Ba, Dreketi, and Savusavu.
After a year of fieldwork, he is now planning a second project that will investigate the use of bamboo and coconut materials.
He also aims to promote bamboo and coconut as a sustainable alternative for construction over the next 20 years.
He said currently, a three-bedroom brick house project was underway in Dreketi and thanks to the new building materials, the project only costs $40,000 to $50,000.
The new brick is now in the market for $2 each.
It has a durability of 75 years and FNU is now working with the government to address informal settlements.
Their upcoming project is to build 350 homes for families at the Wailea Settlement in Vatuwaqa.