A great experience and a wonderful opportunity
I consider myself very lucky to have attended WCTE 2014 in Quebec City, Canada. The trip gave me the opportunity to witness a thriving industry and meet many of the people dedicated to making timber engineering a bigger and better industry.
The conference started with a technical tour. We saw several timber structures including a football stadium, two office buildings, and a sports centre. The architecture of the stadium was breath taking. The elegant timber truss work replaced the cold steel and concrete framework typical of modern construction, making the space inviting as well as functional. One of the office buildings were constructed by two workers in four weeks. I was amazed at the time saving and aesthetics that timber can bring to engineering.
Each day started with a keynote delivered by an expert in timber engineering, one in particular discussed a case study from Indonesia where more modern structures made of steel and concrete were damaged by seismic activity while older timber structures were able to withstand the vibration. Of course design determines the durability of a structure but the example illustrated the potential of timber.
Research is being conducted to adapt timber to specific structural applications in high-rise building construction. One impressive example was work to replace the steel reinforced concrete core of a building with a wooden version. A wooden core can eliminate the use of steel and concrete making the whole structure a true biomass; sustainable and environmental friendly.
The purpose of the competition arranged by Forest and Wood Products Australia was to encourage engineering students to become more aware of and work in the timber engineering industry. I think the competition achieved its goal. I and the other students were able to connect with experienced timber engineers from around the world. It was great to meet and benefit from the experience of engineers in the field.
It was a great trip. I had the opportunity to see the state of the art in timber engineering and the passion of engineers in the field.
Université Laval - PEPS Soccer Stadium 1
Université Laval - PEPS Soccer Stadium 2
Université Laval - PEPS Soccer Stadium 3