MAIN&FRANK

Can Farmers Grow the Building Materials of the Future?

13 Aug 2026

The most resilient building on the planet is grown, not mined. We build in fire country with materials that burn, and in a house fire the toxic smoke kills before the flame does. GreenhousebyJoost modules were built at the CSIRO facility at Mallacoota and put through a Major Fire Front simulation in 2012 and again in 2024. At 1,000°C outside, internal temperature rose to just 32°C, with no toxic load. If a straw building can survive a firestorm, what else is the industry wrong about?

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