A Prefabrication and manufacturing automation technologies give builders and manufacturers extreme building and component precision with reduced cost and time. Partners in the Future Timber Hub possess expertise in digital fabrication, prefabrication, and manufacturing automation in the specific context of mass timber and tall timber construction. This project will seek to combine these three knowledge bases to develop new, beneficial structural components and systems suited for large-scale or modularised timber structures.
The project will include testing and analysis of feasible technologies towards full-scale utilisation, including:
- Experimental testing on system components and suggested sub-assemblies to identify critical failure behaviours.
- Numerical analysis to quantify and simulate observed failure behaviours.
- Design and construction of a pavilion demonstrating the performance of the final system.
Research Showcase
Articles
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.
UQ: Timber Engineering Innovations
The Future Timber Hub featured in the Built Offsite Magazine - Issue 18. Dr Joe Gattas, one of the Hub's Chief Investigators, showcases how the Hub has reached a number of milestones in its research on digital fabrication, prefabrication and manufacturing automation technologies.
Awards
The University of Queensland 2018 Research Week Awards
Dr Joe Gattas received the UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award for "Creating change in affordable housing construction".
Presentations
5th Pacific Timber Engineering Conference (PTEC 2019), Brisbane, Australia
Gabrielle Hodge presented at the PTEC 2019 on "Computational design of glued laminated timber trusses: a comparison of Australian Standard and Eurocode fire safety design implementations". The conference abstract can be viewed by clicking the image below.
Digital Design and Fabrication of Timber Plate Structures, Aug, 2018
Hosted by the University of Queensland’s Centre of Future Timber Structures Lab and organised by Dr. Joe Gattas and Kim Baber, the workshop featured a series of lectures and practical tutorials by guest Jun. Prof. Christoper Robeller of TU Kaiserslautern; a renowned Swiss academic and architect whose research in innovative timber structures, design for assembly and digital fabrication has been widely published in scientific journals, books, conferences and exhibitions.
Project Researchers
- Design and prototyping of new digitally-fabricated systems including new jointing methods for existing products and new mass timber products.
- Assessment of systems for market, manufacturing, performance, and construction feasibility.
- Testing and analysis of feasible technologies towards full-scale utilisation including experimental testing on system components and Background image suggested (TBC) sub-assemblies to identify critical failure behaviours.
- Numerical analysis to quantify and simulate observed failure behaviours.
- Pavilion demonstrating the performance of the final system.
