Donovan Group has been solving entrenched construction challenges since the 1960s. We have transformed the global construction industry with fresh approaches to age-old problems and delivered a comprehensive suite of industry-defining construction innovations. We are a lab for building, continuously creating what comes next so that construction can become easier, faster, better, safer, more accessible and more green for everyone. One of our guiding principles is to drive innovation to significantly reduce the amount of carbon that the global construction industry uses. The result is achievement in four key areas: Tech Platforms; Building Products; Advanced Manufacturing; and our Construction Solutions.
Projects
Research themes
- Building Design and DFMA (1)
- Platforms and Process (1)
- Circular Economy (1)
- Energy (1)
- Environmentally Sustainable Design (1)
- Indoor Environmental Quality (1)
- Sustainable Materials & Products (1)
- Building Operation and Performance (1)
- Building Materials & Systems (1)
- Prefabrication & Advanced Manufacturing (1)
Building Design and DFMA
Projects
#112 Flexible wet cores for volumetric housing construction
#71 Automated decision making for interdisciplinary coordination during early-stage building design
#95 The Homes NSW MMC Program
#61 Building Productivity – Product, Process, People
Light House Project #13: Mixed Reality Carpentry Demonstration
Platforms and Process
Theme coordinator

Dr Duncan Maxwell
Projects
#112 Flexible wet cores for volumetric housing construction
#90 Evaluating the effectiveness of roofing work inspection using remotely piloted aircraft systems
#95 The Homes NSW MMC Program
#93 US Research Tour 2024: San Francisco and Greater Bay area
#53 Process Engineering, and Design and Estimating Automation of Fleetwood’s Product Platform
Energy
Theme coordinator

Dr Victor Bunster
Projects
#58 The Retrofit Housing Atlas
#76 Thermally active floor panels for cost effective space cooling
#105 Blockchain-powered peer-to-peer energy trading: Advancing sustainability and affordability in smart residential communities
#50 Development of Artificial Neural Network and Automated Life Cycle Assessments for Cloud Based Residential Energy Estimations
#36 Academic validation of performance gap research in energy rating systems
Indoor Environmental Quality
Theme coordinator

Dr Jenny Zhou
Projects
#58 The Retrofit Housing Atlas
#76 Thermally active floor panels for cost effective space cooling
#100 IEQ Monitoring of Aboriginal Housing Office 3D Printed Houses
Light House Project #1: Monash Smart Manufacturing Hub (mSMH) – A Digital Twin Living Lab
Light House Project #6: Malvern East Apartment Development
Sustainable Materials & Products
Theme coordinator

Dr Philip Christopher
Projects
#58 The Retrofit Housing Atlas
#70 Building Circularity 4.0: First Steps to Adoption
#76 Thermally active floor panels for cost effective space cooling
#104 Development of a solution for high-rise mass timber residences through a Post & Plate system – Phase 2 Numerical and experimental investigation
#84 Feasibility study of recycling excavated clay materials in full-scale concrete applications
Building Operation and Performance
Theme coordinator

Dr Sara Omrani
Projects
#58 The Retrofit Housing Atlas
#76 Thermally active floor panels for cost effective space cooling
#55 Towards smart contracts and smart finance in construction – Phase 1
#105 Blockchain-powered peer-to-peer energy trading: Advancing sustainability and affordability in smart residential communities
#100 IEQ Monitoring of Aboriginal Housing Office 3D Printed Houses
Building Materials & Systems
Theme coordinator

Dr Rackel San Nicolas
Projects
#58 The Retrofit Housing Atlas
#76 Thermally active floor panels for cost effective space cooling
#104 Development of a solution for high-rise mass timber residences through a Post & Plate system – Phase 2 Numerical and experimental investigation
#105 Blockchain-powered peer-to-peer energy trading: Advancing sustainability and affordability in smart residential communities
#84 Feasibility study of recycling excavated clay materials in full-scale concrete applications
Prefabrication & Advanced Manufacturing
Projects
#58 The Retrofit Housing Atlas
#104 Development of a solution for high-rise mass timber residences through a Post & Plate system – Phase 2 Numerical and experimental investigation
#84 Feasibility study of recycling excavated clay materials in full-scale concrete applications
#95 The Homes NSW MMC Program
#93 US Research Tour 2024: San Francisco and Greater Bay area
Collaborative partners
- A.G. Coombs (3)
- Fleetwood Australia (3)
- Monash University (3)
- Sumitomo Forestry Australia (3)
- Master Builders Association Victoria (3)
- BlueScope (2)
- Lendlease Digital (2)
- The University of Melbourne (2)
- Ynomia (2)
- Holmesglen Institute (2)
- Hyne & Son (2)
- Victorian Building Authority (2)
- Coresteel Buildings (1)
- Victoria State Government – Jobs, Precincts and Regions (1)
- Salesforce.com, Inc. (1)
- Queensland University of Technology (1)
- uTecture Australia (1)
- VIRIDI Group (1)
- Verton (1)
- Populous (1)
- Stockland (1)
- Standards Australia (1)
- Green Building Council of Australia (1)