Building resilient, high-quality, and affordable housing is, of course, a huge challenge in the wake of natural disasters. It is often exacerbated by the fact skilled builders are in short supply. As has been reported, there is a severe shortage of people skilled in the construction trades in devastated areas: throughout the Caribbean after Irma and Maria, in the Carolinas after Florence, and on the Florida Panhandle after Michael. And the list goes on: California as a result of devastating wildfires, and the Houston region from flooding due to hurricane Harvey.

HabiTek’s design-neutral, cutting-edge, do-it-yourself steel framing system is ideal for regions hard-hit by disasters. The erector-set like design is a faster, more efficient way to provide both short & long term solutions. Our lightweight steel framing system can be erected in days by almost any able bodied 2-person team without heavy machinery, or even power tools. After the concrete footings are poured, a pre-engineered HabiTek steel framework can be assembled in a fraction of the time it takes to pour concrete walls, set concrete blocks, or even frame using wood.

Skilled carpenters, electricians and plumbers, will, of course, be needed to fit-and-finish the resilient frame. But home-owners can take comfort in knowing that the hardest part is done – an assembled framework that will resist severe weather, and last for 100 years, or more. In California’s case, the non-combustible steel and concrete approach used in the Adapt-1, would eliminate houses as fuel for wildfires.