The Parkville Precinct Open Door Series

Melbourne’s Parkville Precinct is a powerhouse of public and private institutions and businesses of national and global significance. This year we will open the door to some of these places. The first visit will be to the University of Melbourne’s centre for the research and development of low carbon materials. We will get a first-hand account from those leading this research and innovation and unpack the debate on cement-based concrete as a viable construction material.

The University is centre to the research and development of low-carbon materials. At the heart of its R & D is its focus on finding sustainable alternative materials to cement-based concrete, which accounts for 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions and is often in short supply as it is the world’s favourite building material. Many climate advisors say we must move away from our dependence on cement and concrete to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C. Industry is now emphasizing the adoption of biobased materials such as cross-laminated timber and alternative low-carbon concrete as substitutes for traditional building materials in structural applications

Our guide, Rackel San Nicolas, is working on reliable test methods for sustainable materials for construction durability, and to understand the relationship between low-carbon concrete microstructure, mechanical, structural properties and durability. She is also developing new smart materials for construction, such as biomodified self-healing concrete, working closely with several industries to bring this innovation to market.

We will also visit the cross-laminated timber laboratory which is gaining traction as a reliable alternative to concrete construction and is in the media spotlight for the recent approval of the 50-story C6 hybrid timber building located in Perth which will be the world’s largest hybrid timber structure when completed.