A natural alternative for lining internal walls and ceilings, Durra Panel is a truly sustainable building material made entirely from reclaimed wheat straw.
Durra Panel utilises straw stubble, a by-product of annual wheat harvesting, to manufacture a compressed straw panel used in commercial and residential wall and ceiling systems.
Durra Panel uses a unique dry extrusion manufacturing process which requires no water or gas. Using only heat and pressure, a natural element within the straw is released and allows the panel core to self-bind without resins or binding agents.
This incredibly sustainable process allows Durra Panel to provide positive benefits for both humans and the environment, being 99.9% free from Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and is 100% biodegradable at the end of its useful life. Durra Panel creates spaces that embody an extraordinary natural feeling while providing healthy living and working environments.
At the forefront of sustainable building solutions, Durra Panel is redefining how the building and construction industry approaches biophilic design.
As a leader in eco-friendly construction materials, Durra Panel embodies the principles of integrating natural elements into our built environment to foster well-being, reduce stress, and boost creativity. Biophilic design, which draws on our innate connection to nature, acknowledges that incorporating natural materials and features into our spaces can have profound psychological and physiological benefits.
Derek Layfield, the Managing Director of Durra Panel has dedicated his working life to Durra Panel and being truly sustainable, believing that Biophilic Design is an integral part of a nourishing lifestyle:
“Humans have been designed to connect with nature. So to be surrounded by a straw panel. It feels good. It feels strong. It feels comfortable.”
The purpose of biophilic design is to create spaces that deliver benefits for both human health and the environment with Durra Panel doing just that, being 100% recyclable or 100% biodegradable at the end of its useful life, Durra Panel truly represents connectivity to the natural environment.
The innovation of Durra Panel is its simplicity, mimicking the natural carbon cycle by using a waste resource to produce a building material that can be returned to the earth at the end of its useful life. This represents a true cradle-to-cradle life cycle, working with nature to minimise waste, preserve natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Durra Panel is Australian-owned, with the manufacturing facility located in Bendigo, Victoria, chosen for its close proximity to the straw fields. Durra Panel sources all straw material from within 100km of the manufacturing facility through generational partnerships with local farmers, providing a secondary source of income by purchasing their waste straw.
Durra Panel has been in continuous production in Australia for 70 years, at the forefront of nature positive manufacturing by storing 8.5kg of carbon in every square metre of Durra Panel, locked away for the life of a building.
As well as possessing many sustainability benefits, Durra Panel is not a performance compromise. The densely compressed straw core provides excellent acoustic, fire resistant, thermal and durability benefits within the one product. The modular nature of Durra Panel allows for simple design and fast installation without the need for specialty tradespeople. Durra Panel lengths are made to order which minimises waste during manufacturing and on site. Durra Panel is extremely versatile and is used in a variety of applications in commercial, industrial and residential projects.
The built environment creates approximately 40% of the world’s waste. Environmentally friendly building materials are no longer a niche market but a necessity, with the industry moving strongly towards greener choices. Durra Panel presents an opportunity to change the way the world thinks about building.
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