Connection Systems for Extended Building Life
Project Description:
This project aims to create a clear and common understanding in the engineering community around connection design. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of:
- Mass timber joints
- Framing to mass timber joints
- Hybrid (steel/concrete) to mass timber joints
Using interdisciplinary approaches new knowledge will be generated on structural ULS performance of common timber joints to extend building service life. Furthermore, long-term performance, creep performance and SLS performance (stiffness, vibrations, acoustics) will be considered. Expected outcomes of this project include refined methods and improved techniques for structural design of common timber joints which will be disseminated in a technical document (e.g. Wood Solutions design guide) with worked examples. This is expected to provide significant benefits for designers and structural engineers, increase certainty, and reduce cost.
Suggested preliminary work includes an industry survey to determine the variance of understanding in industry and mapping of what resources are available in Australia and internationally – state of the art report.
Targeted industry focused outcomes
- Technical Wood Solutions Design Guide
- Implementation of results in CLT Toolbox
- The intended outcome is clear guidance and simple methods to design common timber connections in engineered timber structures, including mass timber structures, with a long-term goal to inform future revisions of AS1720.1. This will provide confidence in design, harmonised design approaches, and time (cost) savings.
- The impact will be measured qualitatively (how confident are engineers to design timber joints) and quantitatively (time savings in design). These two issues (confidence, time and associated cost) were identified by industry as the main barriers in the design of connections for engineered timber structures.
Objectives/Deliverables
- Standard connection detail library.
- Technical doc with worked examples (e.g. Wood Solutions, Q4 2028)
- API / Integration of findings as software solution (e.g. CLT Toolbox)
- Dissemination through: - Technical design guides (e.g. Wood Solutions) - Webinars on findings, (e.g. Timber Queensland, Wood Solutions) - Conferences (WCTE 2025, WCTE/INTER 2027)
- Aspiration: Input into AS/NZS1720.1 Chapter 4 revision
Project Leader/s
Lisa Ottenhaus
Node Leader - Design for Extended Building Life; Project Leader
The University of Queensland
Project Staff
Thomas Wright
Research Fellow
The University of Queensland
Project Investigators
Lisa Ottenhaus
Node Leader - Design for Extended Building Life; Project Leader
The University of Queensland
Joe Gattas
Theme Leader - Innovative Solutions; Node Leader - Manufacturing Innovation & Value-Chain Innovation
The University of Queensland
Mateo Gutierrez
Partner Investigator; Executive Board Member
AKD Softwoods
Tim Crawshaw
Tim Crawshaw
BVN
Adam Jones
Partner Investigator
CLT Toolbox
Robert Mansell
Affiliate Investigators
Hyne Timber
David Zhang
Partner Investigator
Multinail Australia Pty Ltd
Roberto Crocetti
Partner Investigator
KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Karin Lutz
Partner Investigator
Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld GmbH
Johann Gruber
Partner Investigator
SIHGA GmbH
Matt Smith
Partner Investigator
Simpson Strong-Tie
Sardar Malek
Partner Investigator
University of Victoria, Canada
Hamid Valipour
Chief Investigator
University of New South Wales
Lead Project Partner Organisation
Project Partners
