Australians are five times more likely to be displaced by a natural disaster than someone living in Europe. While the associated social and financial costs are growing significantly, our challenge is to explore ways of mitigating the effect of these adverse events while also addressing the cause.
The new Resilient Timber Homes Program is an initiative of Forest and Wood Products Australia Ltd, supported by a range of industry partners and organisations. Resilient Timber Homes are an efficient and sustainable solution to the challenges caused by our rapidly changing climate, which are becoming increasingly critical for our communities, environment and economy.
This program will demonstrate how timber homes can be designed and built with a resilience-focused “Code+” approach, to provide better safety and wellness to their occupants, as well as increased value for investors and the community as a whole. The program identifies solutions to deliver the benefits of resilient timber construction to Australian homeowners and occupiers.
The extreme weather events experienced in Australia recently are severely impacting our communities and economy and require more sustainable solutions when it comes to housing.
Resilient Timber Homes are likely to significantly drive growth in the demand for innovative, sustainable, and competitive wood-based products and services over a number of years. Increased demand will also result in a stronger and more resilient supply chain, a win for both the environment and the building sector.
The program is designed to engage designers, planners, developers, builders, suppliers, insurers, and authorities involved in the domestic dwellings market in a synergistic approach.
A comprehensive WoodSolutions Technical Design Guide will be developed as part of the program, along with a national design competition to inform and further support RD&E initiatives.
If you would like to get involved, more information about the new program is available from the Resilient Timber Homes program page.
Check out coverage at Timberbiz here.