3
Award-winning British structural engineer, Richard Harris, is in New Zealand to explore opportunities to collaborate on structural timber research.
Harris, who is Professor of Timber Engineering at the University of Bath, is based at Canterbury University for two months, where he is working with Professor of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, Andy Buchanan. Harris is lecturing to the university’s undergraduate timber engineering students and presenting talks around New Zealand.
He says he is excited by the ground-breaking research Andy Buchanan is conducting on pre-stressed timber technology for the Structural Timber Innovation Company (STIC). The technology was used in a multi-storey building for the first time on the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology’s new Arts and Media building, opening next year.
“I have seen some timber framed office buildings, there is one in Helsinki, but they are not common.” He says STIC’s research on developing seismic resistance in pre-stressed timber is the first of its kind in the world. “Clearly the seismic resistance and the robustness that provides is very innovative,” he says.
Richard Harris’s research interests lie in tall timber building structures. He says STIC’s research is much further progressed than research into tall building timber structures in the United Kingdom.
While in New Zealand, Richard is also presenting at the Timber Design Society’s Wood Solutions seminars.
Previously Harris was Technical Director with Buro Happold Consulting Engineers. He won the top UK award for timber structures, the UK Wood Awards Gold Award, three times in four years.
