STIC

Our Programme

STIC is conducting research and development (R&D) in a number of key areas to provide a new competitive edge for structural timber buildings in the commercial and industrial building sectors.

The techniques being developed and tested will provide building owners and developers with a new highly competitive, state-of-the-art timber building option that meets the needs of open plan layout with minimal internal load bearing walls, carbon neutrality and lower over-all whole of life carbon footprint.

STIC is developing design guidelines, analysis packages, recommendations and supporting data sets that will provide Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Fabricators and Constructors with the information they need to design and construct these next generation timber buildings with confidence and minimal inconvenience.

In broad terms the scope of the research, development and commercialisation activities includes:

• Pre-stressed Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) and Glue Laminated (Glulam) timber building frames
• Pre-stressed cantilevered LVL and Glulam shear walls for large buildings
• Low noise / vibration damped LVL and Glulam floor systems
• Rapidly assembled LVL and Glulam portal frames and roofs for long-span industrial buildings

To support these timber construction systems STIC is also developing a portfolio that includes:

• Design guidelines and span tables
• Analysis software
• Material properties
• Fire resistance rating achievement recommendations
• Sound transmission class rating achievement recommendations
• Impact insulation class rating achievement recommendations
• Embodied energy and sustainable building information
• Durability information and specifications

The current R&D programme is being carried out in 3 parallel objectives:

Objective 1

'Single storey timber roofs and portal frames', is being conducted at University of Auckland and is being managed by Prof. Pierre Quenneville. 

Objective 2

'Timber floors for multi-storey timber buildings', is being conducted at University of Technology, Sydney and is being managed by Prof. Keith Crews. 

Objective 3

'Timber frames for multi-storey timber buildings', is being conducted at University of Canterbury and is being managed by Prof. Stefano Pampanin.

Additional benefits associated with selecting a STIC structural timber building system include superior seismic and wind load resistance; a building structure which laboratory tests are showing is able to sustain major earthquake events without structural damage and is able to return to original position without permanent off-set or tilt.