Living Lab wins national award

SOUTHERN Cross University has been recognised with a national award for its role in helping disaster-affected communities recover and adapt.

The university received the inaugural 2025 UniSuper Think Great Award at the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards for its work on Living Lab Northern Rivers, created in the wake of the 2022 floods with the University of Technology Sydney and the NSW Reconstruction Authority.

Beginning as a shopfront in Lismore, the Living Lab has brought together residents, architects, engineers, Indigenous knowledge holders and policymakers to test ideas and design recovery models shaped by community experience.

“This award is a testament to the central role that community lived experience must play in recovery and resilience building after a disaster,” Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Education Impact) Ben Roche said.

Since its launch, the initiative has staged exhibitions and forums, produced household guides for disaster preparedness, and acted as a bridge between residents and reconstruction authorities.

Among its projects is the Circular Timber initiative, which turned nine tonnes of flood-damaged hardwood into 59 pieces of furniture, sculpture and public art.

“Each piece tells a story of recovery and resilience,” Living Lab Northern Rivers engagement director Dan Etheridge said.

The lab’s collaborative model has drawn interest from international institutions including Kings College London and the University of Virginia, with its methods being studied as a blueprint for communities worldwide facing climate impacts.