By Jake Green, General Manager
Since the 1950s, Australia has experienced a significant rise in fire weather conditions and longer fire seasons, with the most pronounced increases along the southern and eastern coasts[1]. The nation’s construction industry has been required to continually adapt and develop new materials to withstand the nation’s harsh weather conditions.
At Maaken we’re proud to offer a product that truly stands up to the heat – Aerated Autoclaved Concrete (AAC). Research shows that AAC can withstand temperatures of up to 1000 °C and retains remarkable structural integrity compared to traditional building materials[2].
In addition to its strong fire resistance, AAC is also a low-impact, environmentally responsible material. Our AAC product has been independently assessed by Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) and awarded the GECA certification for its superior environmental performance.
What makes AAC special?
AAC is a special kind of lightweight concrete made from a mixture of sand, cement, gypsum, water, lime and a small amount of aluminium powder. When these ingredients are combined and poured into moulds, the mixture rises like a cake and forms millions of tiny air bubbles. Then it’s steamed under pressure to harden.
These bubbles make AAC much lighter than regular concrete used in traditional builds, but they also give it incredible fire-resistant qualities. Because AAC is made from non-organic and non-combustible materials, it doesn’t catch fire or release toxic gases. The tiny air pockets slow down the transfer of heat, helping to keep homes cooler in summer.
More importantly, in the event of a fire, AAC won’t crack, explode or break apart like standard concrete – it stays strong, maintaining the structure’s integrity during and after a fire. This makes AAC an outstanding choice for homes in bushfire prone areas, particularly along Southeast Queensland.
Our AAC product in action
At Maaken, we use 75mm AAC panels for garage boundary walls on detached homes and 50mm AAC panels for dual zero-boundary walls in terrace homes. These walls form a critical protective barrier and act as the first point of contact should an external fire occur.
One of the key advantages we offer builders is a more efficient installation process. Using our hoist-assisted installation method, carpenters can complete all wall framing across the terrace pack without needing to pause their work.
Once framing is finished, our team installs the AAC panels directly into the gaps between frames. This approach eliminates trade overlap delays and ensures construction can progress smoothly from one home to the next.
Across the industry, we’re seeing rapid growth in the use of AAC for critical fire-separation applications – 50mm panels for intertenancy walls, 50mm for dual zero-boundary walls in terrace projects and 75mm panels for garage boundary walls on detached homes.
At Maaken, we’re focused on helping builders deliver homes that are safer, more efficient and built to handle Australia’s tough conditions.
[1] 2025 Australian Government | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
[2] 2025 Dasanayaka, P.W.A.S., Wijayawardane, I.S.K. | Experimental Investigation and Analysis of Fire Endurance of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Blocks.
