As homeowners across south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales continue the clean-up in the wake of overwhelming flooding, a fortunate few are expediting the recovery process thanks to flood-resilient design.

Brisbane’s Michael Mader, Tfer Newsome and their two children are one such fortunate family. After their home in Graceville, south-west of Brisbane, was ravaged by the 2011 floods, they opted to build back better and engaged JDA Co. architects to design a flood-resilient refurbishment. It’s proven to be a life-changing decision.

“In 2011, our home and lives were virtually destroyed,” Newsome explains. “Almost nothing was salvageable, and we spent endless weeks living on the floor of my parents’ house.” Fast forward to February’s flood and thanks to a well-designed refurbishment, the outcome is starkly different.

“We feel like the luckiest humans on earth to have met our architect,” she says. “This time around, nothing has been destroyed, we’ve had minimal discomfort and, pending reconnection of power and water, we should be back at home in just two weeks. We’ve experienced nowhere near the upheaval of 2011.”

JDA Co.’s flood-resilient design saw the original home raised and the addition of a new ground-floor living space with a kitchen and bathroom. Rather than trying to keep flood waters out (an oft impossible task) the design incorporates retractable doors — front and back — so that flood waters can be literally flushed out of the space.

James Davidson, JDA Co.’s Director, oversees the practice’s flood-resilient design work. He describes the studio’s strategy as follows: “Waterproof concrete flooring, resilient rendered block walls and recessed doors and windowsills all make it much easier to push water out after flooding.”

“These types of building materials are also useful to deter mould from taking hold after a major intake of moisture,” James explains. For better flood-resilience, James also suggests single-skin walls (i.e. without cavities) be prioritised because they are less likely to collect debris and go on to become breeding grounds for mould.

Resilient materials and resilient design must be prioritised, according to Libby Ba-Pe who works alongside James to deliver JDA Co.’s flood-resilient projects. “Building back like-for-like does not fortify homes against these types of weather events, instead it adds to landfill and can lead to repeated insurance claims on the same properties — these are not sustainable outcomes.”

JDA has also urged governments and local authorities to invest in flood-resilience programs as a matter of urgency. For the past four years, the JDA Co. team has worked with the Brisbane City Council and the Brisbane Sustainability Agency to deliver Australia’s largest residential flood resilience program. The program provides recommendations to adapt homes to better accommodate flooding. “Programs like these should be nationwide,” Davidson says.

Homeowners Mader and Newsome agree it’s essential to build back better. “If, like us, you want to remain living in a community you love, then building back better is the only answer. Our home is living proof it works.”

Image: Supplied

Branko Miletic

Brisbane-s-flood-resilient-homes-show-that-good-1732009089.png

Let’s connect!