Lectures

1. Overview of the historical development, applications in building structures, and future perspectives of timber structures. Properties of wood and wood-based materials relevant to use in structural applications.
2. Materials for timber structures.
3. Fundamental principles of structural design of timber and steel structures. Limit states in timber structures. Design principles for structural members and components in timber and steel structures.
4. Design and verification of timber structural members (bar elements). Differences in the design of timber and steel structural members.
5. Connections and joints in timber structures. Differences in the design of joints and connections in timber and steel structures
6. Design and verification of basic types of carpentry joints and mechanical fasteners.
7. Structural systems of timber-framed buildings I (post-and-beam systems, skeletal frames): structural layout and basic construction details.
8. Structural systems of timber-framed buildings II (panel systems, log and timber block construction): structural layout and basic construction details.
9. Roof structures – flat and pitched roofs: types, configurations, and key structural detailing.
10. Multi-storey timber panel and modular buildings: structural layout and characteristic details.
11. Timber and steel column and arch structural systems.
12. Manufacturing, assembly, protection, and maintenance of timber structures.
13. Defects, failures, and rehabilitation of timber structures.

Tutorials

1. Properties of wood and wood-based materials in relation to their use in structural applications; basic requirements for the design and verification of timber load-bearing structures and their components (load-bearing capacity, serviceability).
2. Design and verification of timber bar elements: members subjected to axial tension, bending, shear, and torsion.
3. Design and verification of timber bar elements considering stability loss: members under axial compression, bending, and combined compression and bending.
4. Design and verification of joints, connections, and construction details.
5. Project assignment: geometric and structural layout of a selected load-bearing timber structure, spatial rigidity.
6. Loading of elements and components of the roof structure.
7. –13. Dimensioning of selected structural elements of the building, including key construction details; ongoing consultations.

Learning results

• Knowledge

Students will gain an overview of materials used for load-bearing timber structures and their properties. They will learn the fundamental principles and methods for designing and assessing selected (basic) types of structural timber elements, joints, and construction details. Additionally, the student will become familiar with the layout and configuration of typical timber structural systems used in buildings and roof structures.

• Skills

The student will be able to independently design and assess basic types of timber connections. They will be capable of designing and verifying timber load-bearing elements under fundamental loading cases, including possible combinations. Furthermore, the student will be able to independently design and assess structural members considering potential stability loss (buckling and lateral-torsional buckling).

• Competences

The student will be capable of independently solving basic design tasks related to timber structures in building construction, particularly in the design of members with solid cross-sections and their characteristic detailing. Upon completion of the course, the student will be qualified to pursue further education in advanced topics concerning the design of more complex timber structures.