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Nightingale Wurru Wurru Biik on Albion St in Brunswick.

  • Builder: Markscon
  • Architect: Breathe Architecture
  • Developer: Nightingale Housing

https://www.nightingalehousing.org/project/nightingale-wurru-wurru
https://www.breathe.com.au/project/nightingale-wurru-wurru-laak-yambook-ngawan

Over 2500 square meters of Cork flooring installed to multi residential apartment building. Wurru Wurru Biik
Case Study: Supplying Sustainable Cork Flooring for Nightingale Wurru Wurru biik

Project overview

Nightingale Wurru wurru biik is a 38-unit apartment and office complex in Brunswick, Melbourne, renowned for its commitment to sustainability and community. As a project by Nightingale Housing, it was designed by Breathe Architecture with a philosophy of minimal environmental impact, which included eliminating gas and using 100% GreenPower. To meet the project's rigorous standards, a negative-carbon-footprint material was needed for the flooring.

The challenge

To align with Wurru wurru biik's overarching sustainability goals, the project required a flooring solution that was environmentally responsible from sourcing to disposal. The material needed to meet several key criteria:

  • A negative carbon footprint: To support the building's overall environmental performance.
  • Superior thermal and acoustic insulation: To reduce energy consumption and minimise noise transfer, enhancing residents' quality of life.
  • Non-toxic composition: To ensure high indoor air quality for the health and well-being of occupants.
  • Durability: To withstand daily use and ensure longevity, reducing the need for premature replacement.

Why choose cork flooring: Benefits and sustainability - LICO Australia
Mar 25,

The solution: A circular economy approach with cork

Cork, supplied by companies like Artisan Cork, was selected as the ideal flooring material. The decision was based on a full lifecycle assessment that highlighted its superior performance and environmental credentials. The supply process focused on the following key sustainability factors:

1. Ethical, renewable harvesting

The cork was sourced from responsibly managed cork oak forests in the Mediterranean, primarily Portugal. The cork bark is harvested by hand every 9–12 years without damaging the tree, allowing it to continue growing and regenerating. This process not only ensures a continuous supply of material but also promotes the growth of the cork oak forests, which are vital carbon sinks.

2. Carbon-negative lifecycle

The flooring's carbon-negative status is achieved through a closed-loop, circular economy model:

  • Carbon sequestration: As the cork oak forests regenerate their bark, they absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
  • Waste minimisation: The manufacturing process uses offcuts from the production of wine stoppers and other cork products, ensuring no material is wasted. Any remaining cork dust is used to generate biomass energy for the factory, further reducing the overall carbon footprint.
  • Minimal energy consumption: The natural composition of cork requires less energy to process compared to conventional flooring materials like engineered timber.
  • Sustainable end-of-life: At the end of its life, the cork flooring is recyclable and biodegradable, breaking down safely without releasing harmful substances.

3. Enhanced building performance and occupant health

The cork flooring provided significant in-use benefits that contributed to the building's overall sustainability:

  • Thermal insulation: Cork's cellular structure, filled with millions of tiny air-filled pockets, provides excellent natural insulation, helping to regulate internal temperatures and reducing the need for heating and cooling.
  • Acoustic dampening: The material's natural sound-absorbing qualities created a quieter environment for residents and office workers by minimising noise transfer between rooms and from outside.
  • Improved indoor air quality: By using cork-based components like those from Amorim Cork Solutions, which can have a negative carbon balance, and installing click-system flooring, the project avoided the use of glues and adhesives that emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Results

By integrating a circular-economy-based cork flooring system, the Nightingale Wurru wurru biik project achieved its goal of using low-impact, environmentally responsible materials. The flooring contributed directly to the building's enhanced performance by improving energy efficiency, reducing noise, and providing a healthy indoor environment. The use of a renewable, non-toxic, and carbon-negative product demonstrates how material specification can be a powerful tool for reducing the embodied carbon of a building and achieving high-performance sustainable outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Overview
Characteristics
Benefits
Cork Oak Forest
Corkart Products
Throughout History there have been numerous references to this product and its varied applications. In 3000 BC, cork was already being used in fishing tackle in China, Egypt, Babylon and Persia. In Italy remains dating from the 4th century BC have been found that include artefacts such as floats, stoppers for casks, women’s footwear and roofing materials. Also dating from that period is one of the first references to the cork oak, by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus who, in his botanical treatises, referred in wonder to “the ability that this tree has to renew its bark after it has been removed”. Later, in the 1st century CE, the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder made extensive reference to cork oaks in his celebrated Natural History. He explained that in Greece the trees were adored as symbols of liberty and honor, for which reason only priests were allowed to cut them down. In the same work, we can read that cork oaks were consecrated to the god of Olympus, Jupiter, and their leaves and branches were used to crown victorious athletes.

In Pompeii, the Roman city destroyed by the brutal eruption of Mount Vesuvius, wine amphorae sealed with cork have also been found. Later, during the Age of Discoveries, the builders of the Portuguese ships and caravels that set sail in search of new worlds used cork oak wood for the parts that were most exposed to inclement weather. They claimed that the "sôvaro", as it was called then, was the best wood for masts and yards: besides being exceptionally strong, it never rotted.
Cork is the outer bark of the evergreen cork oak (Quercus suber). This variety of oak grows mainly in Portugal, Spain, southern France, Italy, and the Maghreb. It consists of a tight web of up to 40 million cells per cubic centimetre. The cell membranes retain gas, giving cork its capacity to float, insulate and re-expand quickly after compression.
Cork is natural raw material, 100% recyclable and biodegradable. It is a very light raw material, it can float. It is very flexible and has elastic memory: it can be compressed to around half its thickness, without losing any flexibility, and decompressed returning to its original shape. It is also practically impermeable to liquids and gases. It is very decay resistant, namely to moisture. It is an excellent thermal, acoustic and vibration insulator. In construction, it has clear advantages in regard to the quality of buildings, indoor air and comfort, and may be used in the waterproofing of infrastructures, foundations and underlays, in acoustic and thermal insulation and the final coverings for floors, walls, ceilings and roofs.
Due to its characteristics, cork is ideal for a large number of applications, such as a closure for wine and spirits, cork is used in industries as diverse as floors (floating floor and cork tiles), shoe manufacturing, construction (insulator planks), automotive (gaskets), leisure (fishing rods), upholstery (cork textile) and a wide range of cork finished articles (handbags, wallets, accessories).
Once the trunk’s circumference has reached 70 centimeters, the cork can be stripped. The tree is then harvested in regular cycles throughout its lifespan. Each cork oak provides an average of 16 bark strippings. Traditionally the first stripping of the cork barks occurs when the cork oak is 25 years old and the process can be repeated every 9 years. The cork oak can live up to 250 years old and each tree can produce up to 1000 kg of raw material in a lifetime.
Cork is natural, recyclable and biodegradable. No natural or man-made material replicates its properties. In a world of growing environmental awareness, the cork oak survives without the use of chemical herbicides, fertilizers or irrigation. Moreover, it’s the only tree that regenerates after harvesting. Cork retains unique qualities of flexibility, elasticity and compressibility. Its extreme resilience, impermeability, lightness and insulating efficiency make it ideal for a wide range of applications.
Yes. Research carried out by University of Porto reveal that cork has antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties. When applied to flooring and footwear, cork contributes to improve posture and reduce physical effort.
Cork oak forests are delicately-balanced ecosystems, very specific that persist only in the Mediterranean region (Algeria and Morocco) and particularly in the south of Europe as in Portugal, where is the largest cork oak tree area (around 730 thousand hectares representing 33% of the whole cork in the world).
In Portugal, cork oak forests represent around 21% of the total forested area and are responsible for the production of more than 50% of the cork consumed throughout the world. These forests have species designated by Quercus (Quercus National Association for Nature Conservation) – large areas of holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia), small areas of Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica) and, above all, cork oaks (Quercus suber L). Of the entire flora in cork oak forests, the cork oak is the most numerous specie and can be found throughout the country, from Minho in the north to the Algarve in the south, except in the harshest areas of Trás-os-Montes and the coldest hilltops and slopes of north Portugal. However, cork oaks are, most commonly, associated with the landscape of the Alentejo, where they indeed grow on a large scale.
From early as the 13th century, Portugal can be proud to have been a pioneer in environmental legislation where the first agrarian laws protecting cork forests have been enacted in 1209.

Considered a national heritage, cork oak forests have been legally protected for centuries (Decree-Law 169/2001). Today, the trees may not be cut down and incentives are available for the planting and management of cork oak forests. This initiative, pioneered by Portugal, was clearly a good decision, since the harvesting of cork has become an industry of great economic importance and Portugal has become the main international cork exporter.
Yes. Natural cork flooring is a great alternative for allergy suffers since dust, mold, mildew and insects are unable to establish themselves as they do in carpet.
Yes. Cork has what is referred to as “cellular memory”. Just like “memory foam mattresses”, cork will spring back after being heavily compressed. In fact, it will regain 95% of its original form after being compressed down to 50% of its thickness. There is no other natural flooring product that can do that. But like other flooring options we recommend you protect your floors by using furniture coasters under your semi-permanent furniture (sofa, stove, refrigerator, armoire, china cabinet, etc.) and self-adhesive felt pads under your moveable furniture (chair legs, TV trays, etc.).
Yes. Just like wood, cork floors are subject to expansion and contraction due to climate.
No. Just like oak flooring (cork being in the oak tree family) comes in many shades. You need to keep in mind that each cork tree sheds its cork-bark in its own unique way. Shade variations are an inherent and attractive. This is a standing characteristic of natural products – whether cork, wood, bamboo, slate, marble or granite; color variations are to be expected.
Yes. Cork fades when exposed to UV light. Direct sunlight produces the most dramatic changes whereas indirect sunlight will also have an effect. Natural cork floors show the greatest changes. Colored, or stained cork, is more likely to retain its color for a much longer frame of time.
Air. The cellular nature of cork means it is full of air. Air is a semi-conductor…or in our case, a semi-insulator. This allows it to insulate against temperature and sound. This makes for warmth underfoot and almost silent footfalls.
You can use a slightly damp mop with a non-abrasive pH neutral floor cleaner. Stay away from the heavy-duty cleaning products. They will dull your finish much faster. A glue down tile cork floor is considered “waterproof”. With this floor you can use more water.
Cork can be installed anywhere in a home or office.

A few simple rules will help you decide on which application is appropriate (floating flooring or glue down):
Bathrooms and Laundry areas: Glue Down application.
Basements: Glue Down application.
Kitchens: either application works.
Bedrooms/ living rooms/ hallways: either application will work.
Walls and ceilings: glue down application (wall tiles or glue down floor tiles).
Stairs: either application works
Important: After install another coat of varnish is necessary in order to seal the joints (kitchens specially).
Vinyl floor is a great option for most homes as it can be installed on all hard surfaces. When laid and cared for correctly, it’s an extremely har wearing floor and is available across a variety of systems.
Kitchens : It can be installed in existing kitchens without having to remove kickboards or scotia.
Hallways: Perfect for entrance and hallways, vinyl will withstand the constant movement and traffic with its hardwearing properties.
Bedrooms: A good choice for bedrooms, vinyl will work well in this space.
Bathrooms and Laundry areas: Providing the bathroom has good ventilation and temperature ranges do not move outside of recommended conditions, vinyl can be used in these spaces.
Lounge: Vinyl is well suited for lounges and living spaces
Most vinyl floor is compatible with underfloor heating systems. To avoid damaging the planks or tiles, there are maximum heat setting recommendations and best practice guides to follow.
Even if using waterproof vinyl flooring, we do not recommend vinyl flooring for outside or semi-outside areas. UV rays can cause fading and continuous weather can damage the flooring over time.
Some vinyl flooring like Corkart will not expand and contract like other flooring types unless under extreme conditions. We will recommend leaving a small expansion gap around the perimeter for such extreme conditions, but the likelihood for expansion is very small.
Vinyl flooring cannot be installed over any high pile carpet. The “squish” of a plush carpet will prevent vinyl planks from locking properly. However, if the carpet is a tight, low pile style, then thicker, tighter locking, vinyl planks may be suitable for installation.
If you’re installing over a concrete subfloor, a vapor barrier should be used. Vapor barriers should also be used when installing in moisture-prone areas.
There are a few different methods for cutting luxury vinyl flooring.

Vinyl flooring can be cut by hand using a sharp utility knife; simply score the vinyl flooring for a clean break. Vinyl flooring can also be cut using a power saw, or even a tile cutter.
Some products have an underlayment attached, so you will not need to purchase additional underlayment with those products.

If there is no one attached, cork is a popular choice for vinyl flooring. Underlayment has sound dampening properties, protects your subfloor and flooring, and makes your vinyl flooring softer underfoot.
Contact adhesive should be applied to the substrate and, also, to the tiles. This type of glue could be used in every glue down systems.
The planks are cut using a sharp utility knife and a straight edge.
A few simple rules will help you decide on which application is appropriate (floating flooring or glue down):
Bathrooms and Laundry areas: Glue down application.
Basements: Glue down application.
Kitchens: either application works.
Bedrooms/ living rooms/ hallways: either application will work.
Walls and ceilings: glue down application (wall tiles or glue down floor tiles).
Stairs: either application works.
Contact adhesive should be applied to the substrate and, also, to the tiles. This type of glue could be used in every glue down systems.
Contact adhesive. Contact adhesive should be applied to the wall and, also, to the panels.
Absolutely. Cork is widely used for sound reduction in buildings. It is an ecological, economical and effective way for sound control. Cork underlay can be used under tile, marble, laminate, cork and hardwood floors. For rooms with high ceilings, cork flooring with cork underlay is a perfect choice to eliminate the echoing quality that cathedral ceilings create.
Still have questions?
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    The Floor Shop

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