Load bearing timber glass composites : A WoodWisdom-Net project for innovative building system

The aim of this three year project, which is part of the WoodWisdom-Net researchprogram, is to develop an innovative load bearing building system composed of timberglasscomposites. The structural loads applied onto these composites will be transferred to, andsupported by, the glass component, in contrary to today’s traditional solutions where glass elementsonly function as an environmental shield. Using such structural elements will make itpossible to largely increase the glass surface in buildings, allowing the presence of more naturallight in personal homes and office buildings. Timber-glass shear walls and beams will be developed taking into consideration long-term behaviorand seismic performance. Design concepts, feasibility studies and performance assessmentsof these components will be performed in order to improve the overall performance. Theproject also includes the development of new design calculations as well as the optimization ofmanufacturing methods. Material properties of timber, glass and adhesives will be determined from small and large scaleexperimental investigations, and will be used as input for theoretical calculations and modelingwork. The projects industrial partners will function as expertise and take part in the developmentand construction of demonstration objects. The project consortium is composed of academic and industrial partners from Austria, Sweden,Germany, Turkey, Slovenia, Chile, and Brazil. This paper presents material specifications andresults from small scale testing performed by the Swedish project partners.