Homes built of cardboard and ply could provide fast access to high-quality temporary housing after disasters like the 2022 floods in Lismore.
Researchers at Southern Cross University have teamed up with government and industry partners* to develop a bio-based, low-carbon housing system using waste cardboard and under-utilised timber materials sourced from the local area.
Southern Cross University’s Professor Andrew Rose said the technology is particularly important for regions like the Northern Rivers, which is still trying to recover from the 2022 floods as a community.
“One of the biggest issues at that time was a lack of potential housing and shelter,” Professor Rose said.
“Not only is this bio-based housing product ideal as something that relates to the circular economy, but it also provides low-cost, high-quality shelter for people who have been adversely affected by disasters.”
University of Queensland’s Associate Professor Joe Gattas said the project presented a new class of structural composite product: timber-cardboard sandwich panels.
“In the current design system, the structural components consist of cardboard, which is fully recycled or sourced as a waste product, bonded to plywood skins,” Associate Professor Gattas said.
“That forms the main structural composite, and the current configuration outperforms standard foam core structurally insulated panels by about 30% for the same panel density.”
With seed funding from the NSW Decarbonisation Hub’s Land and Primary Industries Network, the research team has added a complete range of detailing features to make a full-scale prototype that is weatherproof, safe and comfortable.
Project partners include the University of Queensland and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, as well as eight industry partners – Hurford’s, Big River, Forestry Corporation, Weathertex, Australian Panels, Visy, Jowat and Ausco Modular.
We hope you have enjoyed this article. It is our pleasure being your real estate agents in Brisbane.
If you would like any assistance or advice, please feel very welcome to get in touch with our Brisbane real estate agents, Brisbane property management team, or Brisbane buyers agents.
