Better Buildings · Homes & Materials

Building a better future.

Discover the materials, technologies and construction systems reshaping how we build, with independent research into their performance, environmental impact, practical applications and limitations.

Global innovation. Australian expertise. Independent research.

Explore by category

Eight areas of residential construction where new materials and methods are being tested.

  • Foundations & Concrete

    Alternative foundations, low-carbon concrete, recycled aggregates and material-efficient structural solutions.

    Low-carbon concrete and efficient foundations.

  • Structural Systems

    Innovative framing, engineered timber and efficient structural technologies.

    Engineered timber and efficient framing.

  • Walls & Cladding

    Alternative wall systems, sustainable cladding and innovative building envelopes.

    Alternative walls, cladding and envelopes.

  • Insulation & Thermal Performance

    Natural insulation, high-performance glazing and technologies that improve building comfort and efficiency.

    Natural insulation and high-performance glazing.

  • Recycled & Renewable Materials

    Building products manufactured from recovered waste, agricultural by-products and renewable resources.

    Products made from waste and renewable resources.

  • Prefabrication & Modular Construction

    Off-site manufacturing, modular buildings, panelised systems and efficient construction methods.

    Off-site, modular and panelised building.

  • Water & Resource Efficiency

    Rainwater harvesting, water recycling, resource recovery and efficient building services.

    Rainwater, recycling and efficient services.

  • Emerging Technologies

    New materials, construction robotics, additive manufacturing and promising future technologies.

    New materials, robotics and 3D printing.

Featured research profiles

The first three in-depth profiles. Each separates independently verified evidence from manufacturer claims, and records what is still unknown.

  • Research profile Australia

    BIAX Foundations

    Rethinking concrete foundations.

    Recycled plastic void formers with a stackable, interlocking design, offered as an alternative to expanded polystyrene waffle pods.

    Emerging commercial solution

    Foundations & Concrete · Recycled & Renewable Materials

    Read the research profile

  • Research profile Australia

    Durra Panel

    Building with agricultural waste.

    Compressed wheat straw building panels that make productive use of agricultural by-products.

    Established technology

    Recycled & Renewable Materials · Water & Resource Efficiency

    Read the research profile

  • Research profile Australia / International

    HempBLOCK

    Building with renewable materials.

    Hemp-based interlocking wall systems offering an alternative approach to building envelopes and insulation.

    Emerging commercial solution

    Walls & Cladding · Insulation & Thermal Performance · Recycled & Renewable Materials

    Read the research profile

Product directory

Search and filter by category. Products with a research profile are marked; the others link to the manufacturer while profiles are developed.

  • Walls & Cladding +2 Australia / International

    HempBLOCK

    Building with renewable materials.

    Hemp-based interlocking wall systems offering an alternative approach to building envelopes and insulation.

    Emerging commercial solution

    Read the research profile Manufacturer site

  • Foundations & Concrete +1 Australia / New Zealand

    CLEVA POD

    An alternative to waffle pods.

    Recycled plastic foundation systems designed to replace expanded polystyrene waffle pods.

    Listed · profile in development

    Visit manufacturer site

  • Foundations & Concrete +1 Australia / International

    CUPOLEX

    Building foundations with less material.

    Modular recycled plastic void formers for concrete floor and foundation systems.

    Listed · profile in development

    Visit manufacturer site

  • Structural Systems +1 Germany / International

    Cobiax

    Reducing the weight of concrete structures.

    Voided concrete slab technology designed to reduce structural weight and concrete consumption.

    Listed · profile in development

    Visit manufacturer site

  • Foundations & Concrete +1 Italy

    Geoplast Geopod

    Material-efficient foundation systems.

    Modular permanent formwork for raft foundations manufactured using recycled plastic.

    Listed · profile in development

    Visit manufacturer site

  • Foundations & Concrete +1 Australia

    Polyrok

    Turning soft plastics into construction materials.

    Recycled soft plastic aggregate designed to replace a portion of conventional aggregate in concrete.

    Listed · profile in development

    Visit manufacturer site

  • Recycled & Renewable Materials Australia / New Zealand

    saveBOARD

    Giving packaging waste a second life.

    Building boards manufactured from recovered beverage cartons and composite packaging.

    Listed · profile in development

    Visit manufacturer site

Ideas shaping the way we build.

These are ideas for future articles. None has been written yet. See the Research Notebook for what is in progress.

  • Foundations & Concrete Idea

    Beyond Polystyrene: Rethinking Residential Foundations

    A look at the alternatives to expanded polystyrene waffle pods, and what changes on site.

  • Recycled & Renewable Materials Idea

    BIAX vs CUPOLEX vs CLEVA POD

    Three recycled plastic foundation systems, compared on the same terms.

  • Walls & Cladding Idea

    Building with Agricultural Waste: The Durra Panel Story

    How wheat straw becomes a building panel, and where it fits.

  • Hemp Construction: Where Does It Fit in Australia's Building Industry? Idea
  • Understanding Low-Carbon Concrete Idea
  • Designing Buildings for a Circular Economy Idea
  • Understanding Environmental Product Declarations Idea

Already published: What is embodied carbon, and which building choices can reduce it?

Our approach

Discover. Compare. Apply.

  1. Discover

    Find materials and systems from Australia and around the world, grouped by what they do.

  2. Compare

    See each product's evidence side by side: what is independently verified, what the manufacturer says and what is missing.

  3. Apply

    Understand where a product fits, what it needs on site and what to ask before specifying it.

How we label evidence

Every claim in a research profile carries a numbered reference and a source class, so you can see how much weight it deserves. Linking to a source is not endorsement, and maturity labels describe how established a product is, not how good the evidence is. See how Circular Abundance labels evidence.

  • Independent third-party verification. Documents reviewed by an independent verifier or programme operator, such as a registered Environmental Product Declaration. Verification confirms the method and data, not that a product is better than an alternative, or a certificate issued by an accredited certification body (for example a CodeMark certificate).
  • Independent academic research. Peer-reviewed papers, conference papers and university research with no commercial tie to the product. A study of a material class does not necessarily describe one manufacturer's product.
  • Manufacturer information. Websites, brochures, datasheets and media releases published by the manufacturer. Useful for specifications, but claims are the manufacturer's own.
  • Commercial partners and distributors. Builders, suppliers, licensors and consultants with a commercial relationship to the product. Often first-hand, but not independent.
  • Trade and editorial media. Magazines, news sites and directories that publish product coverage. Some of it is sponsored or supplied by the manufacturer; each entry says so where known.
  • Retail pricing. Prices listed by retailers on a stated date. Indicative only; not installed or whole-system cost.
  • Government and industry directories. Public registers and directories (for example recycled-content directories and patent records). Entries are often supplier-declared.