MHCC Tower Face Scrutiny

The Suva City Council has received a request for a completion certificate from the engineers of the controversial MHCC Tower in Suva. This is highlighted in a document dated May 3, 2024, in which the council is requesting the opinion of the local engineering association, Engineers Fiji, to make an informed decision on whether to issue a completion certificate to the developers.

Once the council issues a completion certificate, Carpenters Properties Pte Limited, who are the developers, will be able to lease out the 13-storey building for occupancy. The development adds to the growing Suva skyline.

However, the incidents of the past have raised concerns over the safety of the building.

The MHCC complex and the tower have been an issue over the past few years following an incident in 2018 where the council had to issue a stop work order on the high-rise building.

The building development faced issues regarding soil liquefication, environmental hazard and impact.

In October 2018, concerns were raised on the safety of the four-storey MHCC shopping plaza and car park, which are linked to the MHCC tower.

The mall and car park were temporarily closed for a few months after to cater for immediate remedial works stemming from a sinking pile foundation and floor cracks visible in the car park.

After almost seven years of constructing the tower, Carpenters is optimistic that they have met all the necessary requirements to ensure their multimillion development is compliant with the council's requirements and ready for occupancy.

Carpenters has spent around $17.4 million on undertaking remedial works, an increase from the initial estimated amount of $10.75 million.

Carpenters Fiji Managing Director Daniel Whippy said there were certain procedures that they needed to comply with, and that was being followed.

"There has been a lot of correspondence over the past four to five months as we try and comply with the conditions," Mr Whippy said.

"All developers must comply with the council's condition, that's basically what we are doing."

Mr Whippy said the company recruited an overseas-based specialist contractor and consultants.

"... they have gone through that compliance. We are at the end of the process now. The building will be finished in a couple of months and will be ready for occupation."

Minister for Local Government Maciu Katamotu said it was the responsibility of the council to issue the completion certificate.

"That rests with the building inspection team at the council," he said.

"I believe the engineers, whoever the engineers are, must have done the necessary structural requirements in terms of getting the extension off the ground, and I believe there were some extra works to anchor the footing of the building."

The MHCC Tower in Suva. Photo: Leon Lord

As far as liability is concerned, Mr Katamotu said, "it was the responsibility of the developer, in consultation with the regulatory authorities, that the building is within the building codes, that it complies with all the building requirements in Fiji."

Mr Katamotu believes the council will look at all the necessary requirements, including structural, before any green light is given. Questions sent to the Suva City Council remain unanswered.

GREEN LIGHT

Structural engineers Holmes Consulting New Zealand, through their construction monitoring professional, has endorsed the building works.

Holmes is a construction monitoring firm. It is a member of ACE New Zealand. ACE New Zealand is a firm-based membership association that represents consulting and engineering organisations.

Other overseas-based experts involved in the development that endorsed the remedial buildings works after careful review are:

Webster Drilling - contracted to drill, install, grout and test micro-piles; and

Tonkin & Taylor International Ltd - provide geotechnical design of permanent remedial works micropiles.

WHAT HAPPENED

Carpenters planned for a 17-storey building. The four-storey plaza and car park were first built with the foundation needing to take up another 13 storeys.

The bedrock in Suva's marl is about 45 metres deep. Anything above that is marine mud.

Piles drilled as foundation for the whole MHCC complex, which includes the tower, were drilled down to 24 metres only.

As a result, when construction work began for the 13-storey tower, the piles sank, causing the complex to lean toward the Nubukalou creek.

The property is bounded by Thompson Street, Renwick Road and the Nubukalou Creek in Suva.

A stop work order was later is-sued by the council following the incident in 2018. The shopping plaza and car park were temporarily closed because of the visible cracks on the floor of the four-storey shop-ping complex, and the beams that supported the car park were also affected.

As part of the council's requirement, Carpenters contracted Holmes Consulting as structural engineers to provide an immediate solution.

Holmes advised that micro piles needed to be drilled down further to ensure the foundation was strong enough for the building's construction.

The MHCC Tower was expected to open in 2019. Part of the delay was because of COVID-19.

At the time, Carpenters stated they had spent $1.3 million on the project.

Carpenters is also undertaking a $70 million hotel development along Suva's foreshore. This is expected to be completed next year.

Feedback: ivamere.nataro@fijisun.com.fj