Alternative uses for under-valued sawmill products in innovative timber structures

Investigations into the design of innovative and alternative structural timber systems and technologies that adapt ‘low value’ timber products such as sawmill offcuts, centre of log, low structural grade, high structural grade but dimensionally undervalued, and end-of-log (butts less than 1.8m in length).

A key research focus will be the consideration of timber members used at non-standard scales in comparison to conventional stud framing and roof truss construction. This approach seeks to innovate by combining non-standard sizes together in a novel way in order to achieve required overall physical and mechanical properties.

The final research objective will be to investigate the assembly of small member sizes that employ novel configurations to achieve large spans and stiffness through inherently stable geometric configurations.
 

Research Showcase

Articles

Timber pavilion featured at Melbourne Design Week 2020

The timber pavilion that was exhibited last year in Barcelona for the IASS ‘Advanced Manufacturing and Materials’ Competition was on display at the Melbourne School of Design’s Future Prototyping Exhibition as part of Melbourne Design Week 2020.

Chief Investigators of the Future Timber Hub, Kim Baber and Dr Joe Gattas presented during the Melbourne Design Week.  Kim Baber presented at a floor talk on the opening night and Dr Joe Gattas was on the panel at the Symposium on the 18th March.

Digital Tools for Innovative Timber Structures Showcase

In November 2019 the Future Timber Hub at The University of Queensland hosted a Digital Tools for Innovative Timber Structures Showcase which had over 50 public attendees which included practicing architects, engineers, BIM consultants, and computational designers working at the forefront of digital design in the built environment. 

Low-waste design blows away Barcelona judges

A timber pavilion constructed by researchers from the ARC Future Timber Hub using an innovative minimal-waste design was recognised at an international conference in Barcelona, Spain in October 2019. 

Hyne Timber - Future Timber Hub Barcelona Win

Swinburne University of Technology - Timber pavilion design made with low-value timber

Presentations

5th Pacific Timber Engineering Conference (PTEC 2019), Brisbane, Australia

Harry Mills presented at the PTEC 2019 on "The potential for underutilised timber for the built environment". The conference abstract can be viewed by clicking the image below.

Awards

Good Design Award 2020 Entry "Suspended Remnants - Timber Pavilion" 

The Timber Pavilion has been entered into the Good Design Award 2020.  

This Suspended remnants Pavilion was designed and fabricated using a bespoke computational tool that combines the generation of structurally efficient geometry with a material inventory constraint. 

Through automation, an inventory of timber members of short unique lengths, typically deemed unusable in the industry, are repurposed into high value architectural components.

Commendation given to the Future Timber Hub Pavilion on exhibition in Barcelona

​Commendation was given to the Future Timber Hub Pavilion design project which was Finalist in an international competition and exhibition held in October at Form and Force 2019, Barcelona. From over 30 entrants the Future Timber Hub Pavilion was one of only four to receive this award.

Gottstein Trust Grants Awarded in 2018

Harry Mills, ARC Future Timber Hub funded PhD student at UQ, was awarded a 2019 Gottstein Fellowship - a grant which usually covers an overseas study tour to investigate a specific topic and bring back new ideas, learnings and insights.  Harry's Topic: The Potential for Under-utilised Timber in the Built Environment.

Published Papers / Abstracts

1. Form and Force 2019, Barcelona - Inventory Constrained Funicular Modelling