For ten years, a unique function on the WoodSolutions website has enabled members of the public and the design and build industry, to have their questions answered quickly, and by leading experts.
During the past decade, the FWPA WoodSolutions program has been responsible for creating a vast array of innovative approaches to improve knowledge amongst the design and construction industry about the nature and performance of wood.
Thanks to an innovative website feature, tailored expertise around the use of timber in design and construction is freely and readily available to everyone, no matter how obscure the question might be!
Through the website’s Ask an Expert function, more than 1,700 wood-related questions have been asked and answered during its ten years. An average of ten to twelve additional questions and answers are added to the growing online repository of information every week, making it a vital resource.
Specifiers, including building surveyors, engineers, architects, designers and builders, commonly ask questions relating to standards, codes and compliance, in particular regarding fire ratings.
Do you have a question relating to the use of wood in construction? Simply head to the Expert Advice area of the WoodSolutions website and type it in. If a similar question has already been asked and answered, it will appear. If not, your question will be forwarded to a relevant industry expert, and responses are normally received within 24 hours.
New WoodSolutions Campus course launched
WoodSolutions Campus provides free online timber education to the design and build sector. The program was initially developed in response to a perceived lack of knowledge about the nature and performance of wood and wood products.
There was a recognition by the industry that sales opportunities may be restricted by this lack of knowledge, and customer dissatisfaction could result with the inappropriate selection, recommendation or supply of products.
New courses are continually added on a multitude of topics, to the benefit of the hundreds of students and professionals enrolled. And now, this impressive suite of online timber education courses has been expanded once again.
Structural Timber Engineering is the latest course added to the roster. It provides a fundamental background in timber engineering and a focus on the engineering design of three structural systems – timber-frame, mass-timber, and post and beam.
The nine course modules cover a range of topics, from wood products to lateral stability systems. Each session uses a combination of presentation slides and embedded video clips, showing experiments and props to explain key concepts.
By completing this series of courses, engineers and design professionals will be equipped with an understanding of the key considerations for timber engineering design. They will also be well-placed to identify topics they need to research to further grow their skills in timber engineering.
Eileen Newbury, Program Manager of WoodSolutions and National Marketing and Communications Manager at FWPA, said WoodSolutions Campus has earned a strong reputation amongst the supply chain and construction, design and build sector as the go-to for timber education.
“We are so excited to have added yet another vital aspect of timber construction to this increasingly popular and important suite of resources,” Newbury said.
WoodSolutions is now on LinkedIn!
Keep up-to-date with all the latest from WoodSolutions by following our newly launched LinkedIn page!
Join this growing online community and be amongst the first to hear about new technical publications and design guides, as well as opportunities for education and development through professional seminars, expert advice and online learning tools.
