Conference Agenda 2026

Sustainable materials are reshaping how we build - this session traces them from the research lab to the building system, and asks the question that matters most: will they hold up in a fire?

The drive to decarbonise construction is rapidly changing what we build with. A new generation of sustainable and novel materials is entering the built environment - often faster than our understanding of how they perform in fire. These materials promise real environmental and productivity benefits, yet they raise pressing questions about combustibility, reaction-to-fire performance and structural resistance, and about how they behave not in isolation but as part of a complete building system.

This workshop follows that challenge across the value chain through three connected presentations and a Q&A. It opens in the research lab, with the latest developments in novel and sustainable materials and where the science is heading. It then moves to the building itself - what these materials mean for fire safety in practice, the risks engineers and designers must weigh, and how products behave within real building systems, where junctions, penetrations, passive fire protection and firestopping govern overall performance. Finally, it takes a manufacturer's and supplier's perspective on testing and certification: the evidence pathways used to characterise new products, and how they meet the National Construction Code, including the interplay between Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions and performance-based design.

Participants will leave with a clearer view of the opportunities and risks of sustainable construction materials, the practical realities of integrating them into code-compliant designs, and the collaboration - from research through to installation - needed to deliver buildings that are safe, productive and sustainable. The session is designed for fire safety engineers, structural and civil engineers, building designers, certifiers, regulators and anyone shaping the future of low-carbon, fire-safe construction.

This workshop is organised by the Society of Fire Safety (SFS), a technical society of Engineers Australia. SFS is the peak professional body for fire safety engineering in Australia, representing and supporting practitioners across the discipline. It promotes excellence and integrity in the practice of fire safety engineering through professional development, technical guidance, and the advancement of knowledge, and plays a leading role in shaping standards, competency and best practice for the profession. Through events such as this workshop, the SFS provides a forum for engineers, researchers, regulators and industry to share knowledge and advance safe, sustainable outcomes in the built environment.