Courses and Timeline

Program Structure

The Hybrid Timber Construction Micro-Certificate requires that 4 courses be taken, each taking 2 weeks of study time. Each course will require approximately 15 hours of learner’s time, for a total of 60 hours to complete the program.

The program is offered in 2 sessions each year, one in the Fall (October – December) and one in the Winter/Spring (February/April). Students may register and complete all courses in one session or spread out the courses (in order of prerequisite requirements) over a 2-year time frame.

The program comprises one core course and three courses focusing on one specific subject each and is intended for those interested in hybrid timber-based structural applications:

• Core course
  • Course 1: Introduction to Hybrid Timber Construction
    • October 14 – 25, 2024
• Subject-oriented courses
  • Course 2: Hybrid Timber for Low-Rise Residential Buildings
    • October 28 – November 8, 2024
  • Course 3: Hybrid Timber for Large-Grid Mixed-Use Buildings
    • November 18 – 29, 2024
  • Course 4: Hybrid Timber for Large-Span Structural Applications
    • December 2 – 13, 2024

Each course includes a balanced proportion of theoretical, computational and practical context, including worked examples and case studies from the industry.

Courses must be taken in sequential order, as they build on one another, but may be taken individually, in different sessions within a two-year time frame, to receive the micro-certificate.

Timeline to Completion

Participants have the flexibility to set their own timeline to completion, within a maximum of two years.

Course Descriptions

Course 1: Introduction to Hybrid Timber Construction

This course enables participants to overview hybrid timber-based construction.

The primary learning and competency outcomes are the following:

• Become familiar with the physical and mechanical behaviour of different wood products commonly adopted in hybrid systems
• Understand the metamorphosis of hybrid timber construction, from seeking aesthetic augmentation and biophilic design of buildings to structural performance enhancements and optimization of the building components
• Be aware of possible timber-based hybrid structures and subcomponents
• Be able to select structural forms and wood products for large-span applications in relation to the design and construction requirements under both standard and complex loading conditions, as well as transportation, logistics and on-site operations

Course 2: Hybrid Timber for Low-Rise Residential Buildings

The course steps onto prefabricated hybrid timber solutions for low-rise multi-family residential buildings.

The primary learning and competency outcomes are the following:

• Perform structural analysis and detailing of multi-family residential buildings with light-frame walls and cross-laminated timber (CLT) floors
• Perform structural analysis and detailing of multi-family residential buildings with cross-laminated timber (CLT) walls and prefabricated floor cassettes
• Explore integration of members and building performance with assembly procedure via a functional connections design and connection detailing
• Become familiar with design tools available for the sizing of building components and connections

Course 3: Hybrid Timber for Large-Grid Mixed-Use Buildings

The course pushes the boundaries of conventional heavy timber and mass timber structures by providing hybrid timber design strategies for their optimum seismic performance.

The primary learning and competency outcome are the following:

• Perform structural analysis and design of hybrid timber multi-story buildings made up of heavy timber or mass timber elements combined with other non-wood components, with particular reference to their seismic design
• Be able to account for serviceability design requirements based on the different physical and mechanical properties of materials
• Gain knowledge about ductility classes for joints and connections, non-dissipative connections, steel-type-fuse elements and pre-requisites for achieving energy dissipation capabilities and reparability of the hybrid timber-based structural system
• Become familiar with input design parameters for finite-element modelling and analysis of such structures

Course 4: Hybrid Timber for Large-Span Structural Applications

This course provides insight into optimized long-span structures, including timber-concrete and steel-timber composite floors, hybrid timber-steel trusses and bridges.

The primary learning and competency outcome are the following:

• Gain knowledge on high-performance connections for hybrid timber-based systems and shear connectors for composite sections (e.g., glued-in rods, reinforced shear connectors, self-tapping screws, glued steel and FRP plates, proprietary joints)
• Understand how to analyze composite timber-based systems under partial composite action
• Apply structural design optimization procedure to refine the final cross-section of the elements

Structural analysis and design of long-span roofing and floorings, including structural solutions for bridges, with specific reference to best engineering practices in both design and construction.