A team at RMIT University have developed new fire-safe building claddings using recycled glass, which mitigate large levels of glass being discarded.

The panels, comprising 83 percent recycled glass, were developed in conjunction with materials technology company Livefield. The university says the materials are cheap, structurally robust and fire-resistant and meets key compliance requirements.

“Experiments have proven that our claddings are fire-safe, water-resistant and cheap, and meet structural and environmentally sustainable requirements,” says RMIT Lead Researcher Dilan Robert (pictured top left).

“Glass is one of the most recyclable materials in the world as it doesn’t lose its quality or purity, and it can be recycled for multiple uses across a wide range of industries. By using high amounts of recycled glass in building claddings, while ensuring they meet fire safety and other standards, we are helping to find a solution to the very real waste challenge.”

Fire safety was a key component of the research, with the Grenfell Tower tragedy clear in the mind of the researchers.

“Building fires can happen anywhere at any time and cannot be predicted. Therefore, fire safety requirements should be embedded in the design of buildings,” Robert says.

The RMIT team behind the new cladding technology has also recently published peer-reviewed research on fire-safe compliance of materials for building claddings and the use of recycled glass in construction products.

The project was the subject of collaboration between RMIT, Cooperative Research Centres Projects grants, the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Transformation of Reclaimed Waste Resources to Engineered Materials and Solutions for a Circular Economy (TREMS), Sustainability Victoria and other industry support.

The technology was recently patented by Livefield and will now be upscaled for commercial use.

Jarrod Reedie

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