Circular Timber
Exploring material reuse in the Northern Rivers
After the 2022 floods, tonnes of damaged materials ended up in landfills. Due to the urgency of the post-disaster cleanup and the absence of a well-established material recovery system, much of this material could not be repurposed or recycled.
This project, Circular Timber, aims to change that.
Many of the houses bought back through the NSW Reconstruction Authority Resilient Homes Program are constructed using locally harvested, premium- quality timbers. They hold great cultural and economic value.
With careful salvaging, components such as joists, bearers, rafters, and beams can be reused. By using careful deconstruction methods, we can recover as much of these valuable timbers as possible — to reuse locally for the benefit of the Northern Rivers community and ultimately reduce the amount going into landfill.
Our process
We’re bringing together local timber suppliers, makers, builders, architects, artists, and business owners to find ways to repurpose these materials into useful products for the community.
Local experts will work with researchers to deconstruct two houses on Tweed Street, Lismore and identify salvaged timbers. Makers will use these timbers to design and create objects that will be publicly exhibited in early 2025.
This work will also inform the development of a timber system map and timber recovery guide, outlining the methods to recovery and options for recycling and reuse of the timbers from homes identified for demolition.
Refer to the diagram below for the stages of our process.
Expression of interest
Object design and prototyping
From August to September 2024, established makers were invited to submit an expression of interest to participate in the design and prototyping stage of this project.
The categories of objects that the EOI invited makers to propose in their submission included small, medium and large.
There were 23 EOI applications with 26 proposed objects.
Submissions that fit into the above categories by makers with a history of working with timber or submission with a project parter who works with timber were accepted. A total of 15 object ideas were accepted.
Local expert workshop
In August 2024, a group of local timber suppliers, makers, builders, architects, artists, and business owners came together to share ideas, challenges and feasibility of using reclaimed timber from buyback homes to create new objects.
Three core questions were posed at this workshop:
What are the worst ideas for utilising timber?
What are the best ideas for utilising timber?
What are the challenges and solutions around using timber from deconstructed houses?
Participant responses to these solutions are outlined below.
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Economic viability
Government bureaucracy
Regulatory compliance
Safety
Slow timelines
Logistics
Fair distribution of timber
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Demolition
Large contractors taking local jobs
Lack of government communication
Strong opposition to demolition, incineration, abandonment and landfill disposal.
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There was strong support for using timber to train and educate the community through workshops and skill-building hubs.
Solutions focused on fostering a circular economy, with a community hub for training, timber processing, storage and sales.
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Small products (eg. bowls, spoons)
Mid-sized items (eg. furniture)
Larger objects (eg. tiny houses, art sculptures)
Public infrastructure (eg. playground, outdoor furniture)
Below is a selection of images of participants and their ideas captured at this workshop.
House deconstruction
With the assistance of Kris Gardner from Bigscrub Salvage, project researchers Berto Pandolfo and Angelique Milojevic inspected two partially deconstructed houses on Tweed Street, North Lismore in August 2024. They identified premium hardwood timbers including Ironbark, Bloodwood, Rosewood, Teal, Tallowwood, Blackbutt and some unknown.
Below is a selection of images of these houses.
Images by Kurt Petersen.
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Berto Pandolfo
UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY (UTS)
Berto is an industrial design academic and practitioner. His research spans the meaning and complexity associated with objects and how objects are made, the strategic value of design-led innovation for manufacturing SMEs, and the use of materials and processes towards a more sustainable object-making practice. He has a particular interest in local and small batch production. Berto has contributed to numerous research-based, university-industry collaborations that have delivered high quality design solutions back into industry.
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Angelique Milojevic
UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY (UTS)
Angelique is a multidisciplinary designer with over 20 years of experience in diverse design modalities such as web design, architecture, business design and consulting, and strategic design. Her career includes working on multimillion-dollar projects for government initiatives, property developers, and renowned architects, collaborating with diverse teams and stakeholders. Additionally, she is a published author, featuring interviews with prominent Australian entrepreneurs.
Angelique holds a Master of Design, Gradate Diploma in Design Science, Bachelor of Design (Product Design) and Diploma of Innovation.
