Multi-hazard resilient buildings

This project aims to review current building standards and guidance in relation to multi-hazards across Australia with a particular focus on NSW. The project aims to analyse existing building requirements and building guidelines for bushfire, flood, coastal erosion, inundation, sea level rise, heatwaves, tsunami, storm, landslide, cyclones, earthquakes, drought and tornadoes across Australia. The project will also consider national and international best practice standards for building and construction to address multiple hazards and identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. 

To achieve this, the project will: 

• analyse whether current standards should be expanded beyond existing application, (e.g. extending cyclonic controls further south or bushfire controls beyond 100m from mapped vegetation) 

• analyse of necessary building elements required under different hazard conditions. 

• identification of best practice building standards, materials and designs applicable across different jurisdictions 

• analyse how building elements and systems of those elements work together for different hazards 

• analyse testing methods of building elements for structural integrity under multi-hazard conditions and ensure potential reoccupation after a natural hazard 

• investigate the impact of exceeding test limits, comparing catastrophic failures with gradual failure (or fail-safe design). 

Frequently asked questions

Q) Are the word limits in the submission form a guideline? 

A) Each question in the submission form has a required word limit. Submissions with statements exceeding the word limit will be deemed non-compliant. 

Q) What do you mean by “Total cumulative FTE contribution over the life of the project"? 

A) This means the total FTE per person over the life of the project. Maximum total FTE for each person is 1.0. Cumulative is to add up all the personnel. 

For example: 

• If someone is contributing 1 FTE per year for three years, then their FTE is 1.000 FTE  
• If someone is contributing 0.1 FTE per year for three years, then their FTE is 0.100 FTE  
• If someone is contributing 0.05 FTE for two years of a three year project, then their FTE 0.033 FTE 
• If someone is contributing 0.5 for two years and 0.1 for 1 years of a three year project, then their FTE is 0.367 FTE 

Q) Can the Centre connect interested parties with other agencies or organisations involved in developing this project, to discuss it further and assist in developing an EOI submission?  

A) While an EOI is open for submissions, the Centre procurement processes don't allow Centre staff to connect interested parties, as this can cause conflicts of interest. However, interested parties are able to contact whomever they wish, excluding those organisations listed on the EOI, to discuss the project and explore opportunities for collaboration or potential consortium submissions. If an online project briefing has been organised for an EOI, we encourage interested parties to attend the briefing to ask questions and meet other interested parties.  

Q) Can interested parties contact the Centre with questions about the project design before submitting? 

A)  While an EOI is open for submissions, Centre procurement processes don't allow Centre staff to share knowledge of the project design directly with interested parties. However, if you have questions, you can email research@naturalhazards.com.au and you will receive a timely response if appropriate, according to our procurement processes.  

Q) Is there a preference for a project team to be from a single research organisation, or from across multiple organisations? 

A) The Centre has no preference for either a single organisation or a multi-organisation project team. EOIs will be accepted from either and will be evaluated against the evaluation criteria in the same way. 

Q) Can the proposed project team include researchers from government agencies or research consultancies, as well as university-based researchers? 

A) EOIs will be accepted from multi-organisation project teams, and project teams can include researchers at government agencies and research consultancies. The proposed project team's capacity to undertake the project will be evaluated in the same way whether researchers are university-, consultancy- or agency-based. 

Q) Would academic salaries (excluding administrative overheads) be eligible to budget? 

A) Yes, academic salaries can be included within the project budget, but only when they are direct project costs and their salary is not already covered elsewhere. E.g. the salary costs of a contract researcher who is actively working on the project can be included up to the FTE component they are contributing. However, the salary costs of a tenured academic who is already paid through the university/research organisation would be included as an in-kind contribution up to the amount of their FTE contribution to the project. 

Q) What do you mean by "peer review"? 

A) This is a quality control process. Where requested, the final report must be reviewed by someone who is an expert in the field and independent of the project.  

Q) At what rate can salary on-costs be charged? 

A) Administrative overheads are limited to direct salary-related on-costs. Indirect cost recoveries are not to be included. Other administrative overheads and indirect costs can be included as in-kind contributions. Where the salary on-cost rate exceeds 28% this will need to be justified.  

Q) Can equipment costs be included in the budget? 

A) Ordinarily, project funds are not to be used to purchase equipment. Where funds for equipment are requested, they will need to be justified. 

Q) Can international research teams apply? Alternatively, can international research teams be part of a consortium bid? 

A) International research teams can be part of research projects when they are part of a consortium submission that is led by an Australian research organisation. The international team would need to be subcontracted by the lead Australian based research organisation. Please note that all budget submissions must be in Australian dollars and the lead organisation must bear the cost of funds transfer and responsibility for due diligence as required under Australian Foreign Interference regulations. 

Q) Is there an option of registering my interest as an independent researcher that could assist a larger team or are you only able to consider proposals that address the entire project? 

A) Yes, you can submit an EOI as an independent researcher addressing part of the project requirements. In the EOI submission form, please outline which aspects of the project you can address. Once the EOI closes, we can consider linking researchers together, although whether or not we can do that will depend on a range of factors, so we can’t guarantee that outcome. Of course, the other option is to reach out to potential collaborators now about putting in a joint EOI submission that addresses the entire project. 

Q) Which standards and requirements should this project comply with—building regulations, planning requirements, Australian Standards, etc.?  

A) The project should primarily align with the National Construction Code (NCC), which serves as the overarching benchmark across all jurisdictions. While the NCC is the key focus, it's important to also consider: 

• State-specific regulations and policies that may apply 

• Relevant Australian Standards referenced by the NCC or applicable to the project scope 

• Current planning requirements as set by local authorities 

Ensure that the most up-to-date versions of all standards and requirements are referenced throughout the project. 

Q) Please expand on project outcomes vs. outputs in the EOI?  

A)  Outputs and Outcomes are derived from the program logic. See Figure 2 in the NHRA ResearchPlan24–26 04.pdf. Outputs are what the research is generating (eg project reports or publications), outcomes are the what the outputs may change (eg policy or training). The outputs tend to be what the researchers produce and the outcomes are what the participant agencies are involved in implementing.  

Q) Is there a limit on the maximum number of participants?  

A) There is no specified limit, however project teams should keep in mind the budget and that submissions are assessed on value for money. 

Q) Do applicants need to address all the hazards mentioned in the EOI or can it be some of them? 

A) Yes it can be some of them, these will be decided when the successful applicant begins collaboration with end users. Please do include your specialty in relation to hazard types in the EOI if applicable. 

Q) Why is this project predominantly focused on NSW? 

A) The project was initially proposed by NSW-based partners, which is why there is a stronger focus on NSW. However, it is designed as a national initiative, with the potential to expand and be adapted for use across other states and territories. 

Q) Are there any peak bodies currently involved in this project? 

A) Currently, there are no peak bodies directly involved in the project. However, there is potential for their involvement later in the project’s lifecycle, particularly in a project reference or advisory capacity. 

Q) Will collaboration team across different universities be considered for the project? 

A) Yes, but it is preferred that there is a clear lead organisation outlined in the proposal and other universities become subcontractors. 

Q) Is BOM, CSIRO or Australian Climate Service involved in this project any way currently, particularly from a climate hazard perspective?  

A) Currently no, not for this project, however these organisations are partners of the centre. 

Q) Is there a particular AFAC working group that findings will be shared/disseminated with? 

A) Through the centre’s connections and the connections of the Project Management Group, this project will be linked in with the appropriate working group. 

Q) Is it possible to have a discussion/call with NHRA before submitting an EOI? 

A) No, all questions need to go through research@naturalhazards.com.au 

Q) Regarding the collaborative approach: is it expected that submissions include a team of researchers and/or end-users, or is it possible to submit an application as an individual researcher?

A) Yes, it is possible to submit an application as an individual researcher, keeping in mind that applications are scored across an evaluation criteria detailed in the EOI.

Q) Will the call consider research focusing on a single hazard (e.g., earthquakes), or is the emphasis specifically on compounding damage from multiple hazards?

A) Multi-hazard in this context refers to covering a range of different hazards, rather than ONLY focussing on consecutive or concurrent disasters (as described) as an event. E.g. a case study may focus on storm and flood, which could happen separately or at the same time.

Q) Would research into cumulative damage to structures—such as corrosion from flooding or hurricanes, compounded by climate change impacts—together with earthquake hazards, be considered within the scope?

A) The selected applicant will work with the supporting organisations to determine/finalise these case studies, as stated  in the EOI: “Three case studies of multi-hazard exposure in buildings (to be determine with the supporting organisations) (e.g. cyclone & heatwave, storm & flood, fire & flood).” Therefore, It is fine to include an instance like this as an example in the application that can be revised during the codesign phase of the project.

Q) This project seems to be focused mainly on reviewing current building standards and guidance including national and international best practice standards in relation to multi-hazards to identify gaps and to propose improvements. Is this correct? Do we need to do any research on data collection, detailed statistical analyses and reliability studies or undertake experimental investigations of critical building elements?

A) Yes that is correct. It is for the research team to determine, budget and plan accordingly when proposing a methodology to deliver this project. Please review the Project EOI which goes into detail on the project description and expected outputs.

Q) For the Three case studies of multi-hazard exposure in buildings, could we consider any combination of hazards in each case study or is there any specific case we need to consider.

A) Please note that in the EOI it states that “Three case studies of multi-hazard exposure in buildings (to be determine with the supporting organisations) (e.g. cyclone & heatwave, storm & flood, fire & flood).” Therefore, the selected applicant will work with the supporting organisations to determine/finalise these case studies. It is fine to include examples in the application that can be revised during the codesign phase of the project.

Q) The first expected core output is Literature review and gap analysis of existing building requirements, guidance and standards across a range of jurisdictions (nationally & internationally) spanning a range of natural hazards. Is this strictly for multi-hazards only or for individual hazards also.

A) This can be individual hazards also, as explained in the definition of multi-hazard in FAQs.

Q) Another core output is cost benefit analysis/economic comparison outlining costs associated with different mitigation measures for a multi-hazard approach. Is this only for the three case studies involving selected buildings or in general for NSW state or nationwide.

A) The “Cost benefit analysis/economic comparison outlining costs associated with different mitigation measures for a multi-hazard approach.” Output is intended to be more general, and rather than focus on the case studies, use them to inform this output. Refining the extent of the cost benefit analysis/economic comparison output will be determined with the supporting organisations.