High level research.
Street level engagement.
Next level solutions.
Living Lab Northern Rivers is a space where research and community come together to create the solutions that will allow our region to thrive in uncertainty.
A collaboration between two universities and the NSW government, our strength comes from the diversity of people we bring to the table.
What’s on
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Circular Timber: From Salvage to Showcase exhibition
15 Apr —29 May 2025
What happens to a house when it’s no longer a home? When buildings are dismantled, the materials inside them—especially timber—hold stories, history, and untapped potential.
Circular Timber: From Salvage to Showcase explores the creative and practical possibilities of reusing timber from houses in the NSW Reconstruction Authority Resilient Homes program, proving that what was once part of a house can have a second life in new and beautiful ways.
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A Guide to House Raising handbook
A Guide to House Raising is made to assist anyone considering raising their home – old or new – to protect themselves from future floods.
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Living Memory: Stories and portraits celebrating North Lismore pop-up photobooth
Living Memory is a community project exploring the stories, history and memories of North Lismore. At the heart of this work is the desire to creatively support a community experiencing a massive transformation — to tell their stories in their own words.
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Circular Timber
Apr 2024—Jun 2025
Could valuable timbers from buyback homes across the Northern Rivers be diverted from landfill and transformed into something new?
A collaboration with local reclaimed timber experts, this project will explore the best ways to repurpose timber from NSW Reconstruction Authority buyback homes that are not suitable for relocation into useful objects for the community.
Look Ahead: Community design for Lismore
Designing a path forward
Look Ahead is one of our current projects — a co-design process that brings together local knowledge and technical expertise to plan a sustainable future for Lismore. We began this process late last year because no one else was taking meaningful steps.
Focused start, greater impact
We are acutely aware there are communities across the Northern Rivers who also need future plans. Look Ahead is focusing on Lismore CBD as a starting point to show that this is the best process to help communities across the Northern Rivers build their futures.
Our founding partners
