Each year in Australia, we see homes destroyed and billions spent on rebuilding due to severe weather events. And even more troubling is that these are now occurring with more ferocity and frequency.

There have been more Category-5 cyclones in the last 20 years than in the preceding 100. Severe flooding is occurring 30% more often in the Pacific region. And calamitous bushfire seasons are starting earlier, and burning for longer.

In other words, Australian homes simply aren’t built to withstand Australian weather. In 2020 alone, 134,000 homes were damaged.

Even as you read this, there are over 100,000 homes in North Queensland that are below minimum standard for cyclone safety, and 90% of homes in bushfire-prone areas across Australia which aren’t built to standard.

Problem definition: The place Australians think of as being safest - their homes - is increasingly vulnerable to a world experiencing rapid climate change.

With a heavy reliance on coal and mining, as well as vast distances to travel, climate change is often a contentious political topic in Australia. But the reality is, we’re on the frontline of climate change. Devastating floods, cyclones and bushfires destroy hundreds of thousands of homes each year, and it’s only getting worse.

Despite the destruction, Australians have a “she’ll be alright” attitude to severe weather. They don’t think it will happen to their home. But increasingly, everyday Australians are left uninsurable in homes that just aren’t built to withstand the severity of modern storms.

Insurers bear the brunt of the problem, but are rarely seen as part of the solution. So, Suncorp Insurance created ‘One House to Save Many’ to force a much needed conversation about the need for affordable, resilient homes. And a building code that will protect us into the future.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Australian homes are destroyed or damaged

by extreme weather. And each year nothing changes. We just pick up the pieces, rebuild the same way, and hope it won’t happen again. And with the ever-increasing effects of climate change, the problem is only getting worse.

To help solve this enormous problem, Suncorp partnered with the CSIRO (science organisation), James Cook University and Room 11 Architects to create ‘One House To Save Many’. The world’s first home designed, scientifically tested, and built to withstand cyclones, floods and bushfires.

One House is the blueprint for the future of Australian housing. Enabling Australians to live in harmony with nature, and not in fear of it.

The project launched with a national ad campaign and prime time documentary. The learnings from One House were then made available to the public and presented to government institutions and national building companies.

Despite the continued devastation of cyclones, floods and bushfires, nothing really changes. We just pick up the pieces, rebuild the same way, and hope it won’t happen again. In fact, 97% of disaster funding is spent on the repair and rebuild, and only 3% is spent on the prevention.

The reality is, building codes in Australia just aren’t adequate for the ever-increasing effects of climate change. So, we realised that the only way to change this cycle of destruction, is to change the way we build our homes.

So, instead of a traditional ‘storm preparation’ campaign, we proposed to Suncorp that we design and build a resilient house that could become the blueprint of future Australian homes. One that would be affordable, could be insured, and would stand strong through future Australian conditions.

The primary audience was mid to high-income homeowners in storm-ravaged Queensland.

We brought together Australia’s smartest experts in building and weather resilience; Suncorp, The CSIRO (Australia’s leading science agency), James Cook University, and Room 11 Architects.

Together, they designed, scientifically-tested and built the world’s-first prototype house that can withstand bushfires, floods and cyclones. We called it ‘One House To Save Many’.

The project launched with a national ad campaign (TV / OOH / Radio / Press etc), PR and prime time documentary.

The learnings from One House were presented to government institutions and national building companies.

The plans were made available to the public through a website where people could explore the features and find out what they could do to make their own homes more resilient. As well as discover more about Suncorp insurance products.

IMMEDIATE OUTCOMES:

As a result of the learnings from One House, Suncorp have created an industry-first product. “Build it Back Better” applies the resilience learnings from One House to every home they rebuild.

20M+ earned impressions across national news outlets.

Documentary aired multiple times on a major broadcast network.

MID-TERM OUTCOMES:

The Federal Government has since announced a $600m resilience fund for new disaster mitigation programs.

The learnings have been applied to the homes on a vulnerable street in North Queensland.

Suncorp’s business grew significantly. With +38% Consideration amongst non-customers. +7.3% Market share in Home Insurance. +29% Total home insurance quotes. +9% Net home insurance new business.

LONGER-TERM OUTCOMES:

Led by Suncorp, the Insurance Council of Australia has launched Project Resilience - aiming to embed resilience into the National Construction Code by 2025.

Inquiries from 13 leading industry, government and research stakeholders interested in scaling ‘One House’ across the country.