Shelter Building Design

27/09/2026

Kirstie and Jeremy Thomas were at the Australian Industrial H**p Conference in Geelong this week presenting on "Growing Connections in the H**p Industry" for the H**p Building Directory. The industry has certainly grown since the first Australian Industrial H**p Conference at Geelong in 2018 and is continuing to grow.

27/09/2026

Work is well underway on this BAL FZ h**p block house in the Blue Mountsins.

19/09/2026

Kirstie was at the Everything Electric Sydney show today, helping out on the Renew stand to spread the word about what an excellent organization and magazine Renew is. Thanks to Tim Forcey from My Efficient Electric Home for the photos. Everything Electric Sydney is on again tomorrow at the Sydney Showground at Olympic Park, with a huge number of electric vehicles to check out and test drive as well as batteries, solar and more.

02/09/2026

Before heading into the lab for h**p clay materials testing Kirstie has been literally doing some backyard testing with help from expert earth builder, Earl Boyd. Test 1 was different h**p particle sizes and combinations of different sizes, using the same bagged clay. Observation - Some mixes took twice as much clay to achieve the same stickiness. Test 2 was using the same h**p with different clays using a very low amount of clay earth as the binder. The backyard test results are that drying blocks to be protected from curious possums.

31/08/2026

A great article on 3D printing using clay and h**p hurd in the current issue of Sanctuary magazine, by Kirstie's PhD supervisor Dr Kate Dunn from UNSW. Get your copy of Sanctuary magazine at your local newsagent now or even better subscribe to Sanctuary Magazine sanctuary.renew.org.au for independent information on all things sustainable building.

07/07/2026

H**p Hurd in several different sizes from several sources ready for characterization testing next week. The testing and data collection for Kirstie’s PhD researching h**p and clay building materials is about to begin.

14/06/2026

The Shelter Building Design team took to the trail for the Paddy Pallin Rogaine at Glenbrook. A fun team building exercise and a great effort from the team. Compass and map reading skills - tick. Thanks to Kirsten for leading and organising.

13/06/2026

Today at Future Build in Sydney, Kirstie from Shelter Building Design was part of the panel on the Specifying Healthy Buildings, moderated by Dr Jo Vaughn from the University of Newcastle. Other great exhibitors at the show were Viva Homes with their prefab straw panels, Jeanius denim insulation batts, Evitat sustainable specifiers and Keim mineral paints.

11/06/2026

Nothing says Passive House Certification better than the plaque from the Passive House Institute. Kirstie and Karina from Shelter Building Design with the home owner of this Passive House Plus certified house at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains. The indoor climbing wall in the background could be the first certified Passive House climbing wall in Australia.

19/05/2026

Want to learn more about building with h**p? Join Kirstie from Shelter Building Design this Thursday for as part of the H**p Building Expert Panel Webinar hosed by iH**p NSW.

🌱 We’re bringing you the iH**p NSW Expert Building Panel on 21 May 6-7pm. 🌱

Interest in building with h**p, particularly h**pcrete, is growing alongside ongoing innovation. Like any industry, it faces challenges. For supply chains to stabilise, increased uptake is essential, driven by education, advocacy, and policy.

The construction sector sits at the centre of the climate challenge. By sharing knowledge and real-world examples, we can accelerate a shift toward materials and practices that support both environmental and community outcomes.

Learn more and register today. See link in comments.