Advancing Steel-Timber Hybrid Design for Composite Structures

(In-person and online options)

Net-zero carbon emissions have become a new target in the pursuit of a sustainable built environment. With such an ambitious goal, the shift requires concrete and timely actions across multiple disciplines within the construction industry. Among the strategies currently being explored, the focus is on high-performance buildings, optimization of materials, and the development of new products and advanced building technologies. This seminar will present a new design approach for building using hybrid steel-timber structural forms. These systems take advantage of the complementary properties of steel and engineered timber, resulting in composite structural assemblies that are both efficient and sustainable. Participants will be introduced to standardized composite components and high-performance connections solutions, all designed to accelerate construction, reduce costs associated with offsite fabrication, and enhance the overall structural performance of buildings. The seminar will also showcase key findings from a comprehensive multi-year research study, which includes full-scale testing on elements, performance assessment of subcomponents, and connections under several loading scenarios. From a design and manufacturing perspective, engineering aspects of such hybridization will also be elucidated. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how composite and hybrid systems can contribute to sustainable, scalable, and economically viable solutions for modern construction.

Cristiano Loss, Associate Professor, The University of British Columbia, cristiano.loss@ubc.ca

Bio

Dr. Cristiano Loss is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair at the University of British Columbia (UBC), specializing in sustainable structural systems with an emphasis on high-performance hybrid wood-based structures and performance-based optimum design procedures for a resilient built environment. Dr. Loss completed his master’s structural engineering program and obtained his Ph.D. in Engineering of Civil and Mechanical Structural Systems at the University of Trento, Italy. Before joining UBC, Dr. Loss worked with the Wood Design Engineering Research Group at the University of Northern British Columbia and other research Laboratories in Europe. Dr. Loss has an outstanding knowledge of wood in structural engineering, having conducted research within several multi-disciplinary research projects supported through funding programs in Europe, Canada, and Australia. He is a voting member in several subcommittees of the ASTM-D07, a designated member in two subcommittees of the CSA-O86 Canadian Standard, and a member of many International Scientific Committees, including the World Conference on Timber Engineering. Among successful knowledge transfers from academia to industry, he has been granted several patents.

Organiser/key contact: Dr. Dan Bompa1 & Dr. Cristiano Loss2

1d.bompa@surrey.ac.uk; 2cristiano.loss@ubc.ca

Registration options/mode of attendance: In-person and online

Agenda (In-person option)

17:30 - 18:00 Registration and refreshments

18:00 - 18:15 AGM

18:15 - 19:00 Technical talk

19:00 - 19:15 Q&A

Online event starts at 18:00.