New “squishy concrete” to protect cultural assets during extreme weather

A Queensland University of Technology engineer has developed a building material that could be used to help galleries and museums withstand extreme weather events.
A landscape scene of stormy clouds with lighting striking some trees and buildings.

If you are reading this story, you’re likely to be an arts worker at, or an enthusiastic visitor to, one or more of Australia’s great cultural institutions, and the idea of protecting these buildings from future environmental damage is something close to your heart.

Clearly, we have some leading lights in the arts who are setting great examples of how to future-proof our assets – something we know is increasingly important given some of those assets have already suffered terrible losses from recent natural disasters (like NORPA, Queensland Theatres headquarters, the Lismore Regional Gallery and more in 2022, and Kimberley Art Centres earlier this year).

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ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).