A pioneering approach to resource-efficient building design from several universities and industry partners could give people quicker access to high-quality temporary homes after disasters like flooding.

Researchers 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 professor Andrew Rose says he was proud to be collaborating on this project, saying it was incredibly important for regions like the Northern Rivers: “We’re 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.

“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.”

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.

University of Queensland’s Associate Professor Joe Gattas says 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,” Joe explains.

“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 detailed features to make a full-scale prototype that is weatherproof, safe and comfortable.