The archive · Public & Social · Marketing decision · 2021
Suncorp's One House survives fire, flood and cyclone — and now shapes Australia's codes
Suncorp, CSIRO, James Cook University and Room 11 Architects storm-tested a real house — then made the prototype itself the campaign for resilient rebuilding.
Suncorp Insurance
What it had to solve
Hundreds of thousands of Australian homes are destroyed or damaged by extreme weather every year, and rebuilding to the same vulnerable standards repeats the cycle. Suncorp, which pays the claims, wanted homeowners, builders and regulators to see that a survivable home is possible and buildable.
How it works
Each year hundreds of thousands of Australian homes are destroyed or damaged by extreme weather, and the usual rebuilding pattern just reproduces the vulnerability. Suncorp — the insurer paying out much of the damage — wanted to shift the national conversation from recovery to building back stronger.
Instead of making another warning ad, Suncorp partnered with the CSIRO, James Cook University and Room 11 Architects to design and scientifically test a full-scale home engineered to withstand cyclones, floods and bushfires — the world's first house designed, tested and built for all three threats at once. The prototype gave the argument for resilient design physical evidence.
One House launched in April 2021 with an integrated campaign, an online hub and a prime-time documentary that took the testing story to a mass audience. It drew coverage on all major Australian networks, was presented to government institutions and building companies, and the project is now credited with influencing the future of the country's building codes, with recognition in D&AD's 2022 awards.
Why it lands
- Building and testing a real house replaced an abstract insurance message with physical, filmable evidence.
- Putting cyclone, flood and bushfire resilience in one prototype made the problem and the fix a single story.
- The science and university partners gave the claim a credibility no advertising could buy.
- A prime-time documentary turned research into national conversation rather than industry debate.
What it did
The launch drew news coverage across Australia's major networks, put the prototype in front of government institutions and building companies, and the project is now credited with shaping the future of Australia's building codes.
What you can take
Prove the alternative instead of preaching it: a physically tested prototype gives a claim evidence, coverage, and a seat at the table where building standards get written.
Since then
One House became the anchor of Suncorp's longer resilience story: a follow-up Resilience Road campaign in 2022 documented how the ideas could reach ordinary communities, and the prototype remained the proof point as Suncorp pushed insurers, government and builders toward resilient standards. The work was recognized in D&AD's 2022 awards and cited in Cannes Lions innovation coverage as an example of a brand addressing the cause of its claims instead of marketing around them.
Sources
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