30th Timber Construction Statics Regulars’ Table – Anniversary Regulars’ Table on March 14, 2024 in Graz

On Thursday, March 14, 2024, the 30th Holzbau-Statiker-Stammtisch took place in the form of an anniversary get-together at the Chamber of Civil Engineers for Styria and Carinthia in Schönaugasse in Graz.

Due to current developments and future legal requirements at European and national level, the topic of deconstructability in timber construction was the focus of the presentations and discussions at this regulars’ table.

With 38 participants from the fields of structural engineering and structural design from all facets of planning and execution of timber construction, a very interesting, varied and, above all, important interdisciplinary specialist discussion on this future topic was once again held.

After the welcome and the review, the technical part of the regulars’ table began with an introductory lecture on the topic by DI Dr. Jörg Koppelhuber entitled: “Deconstructability in timber construction – current developments due to future legal requirements”. This presentation introduced the participants to the topic based on a current project at KOPPELHUBER² und Partner. A broad-based project on the topic of deconstruction and reuse in timber construction is currently being carried out by the Standards Coordination Office of the Austrian Timber Industry Association until the end of 2024 by the HFA, the IBO and the BOKU as well as the KOPPELHUBER office. Together with other timber construction experts, it is preparing a practical guide entitled “Deconstruction-oriented planning and construction in timber construction”, which will be published in fall 2024 as an aid for timber construction planners in the evaluation of timber structures, superstructures and connections suitable for deconstruction. The focus will be on dismantlability and separability.

The next lecture at the regulars’ table was given by DI Gernot Pirnbacher from the ZT office Wörle Sparowitz Ingenieure from Graz, entitled: “Deconstruction, reinforcement and reconstruction in timber construction using the example of the Graz exhibition hall”. The presentation showed the dismantling of the listed exhibition hall 11 in Graz from 1939, which was dismantled due to a large new building (Hall A) at the exhibition center in Graz, temporarily stored and rebuilt with static reinforcements in 2006. The interesting thing about dismantling is the fact that the temporary structure, which was designed 60 years ago for only 10 years, was constructed with relatively easily detachable node connections, which made it much easier to dismantle despite its age. Comprehensive documentation and extensive sampling to determine the load-bearing capacity made it possible to rebuild the truss structure with some steel reinforcement measures and tension bands in order to comply with the current load assumptions at normative level.

In a further presentation, the topic of dismantlability in timber construction was very well illustrated in outstanding and current projects. Kurt Pock from the Klagenfurt-based ZT office of the same name gave a presentation to the specialist audience entitled: “RB Energy Station – the timber house, the mobile challenge”. The Red Bull Moto GP energy station was presented in detail. The architecturally very appealing, but above all sophisticated wooden structure is built several times over the course of a year, used for a few days and then taken down again, dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere in the motorsport circuit in Europe. The sophisticated concept of the timber construction or supporting structure is available as a construction kit that has been refined down to the last detail so that it can be assembled and dismantled many times a year in a predictable, standardized, watertight and, above all, aesthetically pleasing manner. On the one hand, the lecture showed that the topic of hand drawings in detail is an absolutely necessary prerequisite for illustration at the beginning of the planning process as the language of the engineer with his colleagues, but also with the client. On the other hand, this also makes it relatively easy to dismantle and separate in a way that only becomes necessary at a much later stage in the form of 3D calculations and complex 3D representations at a time when most of the key decisions have already been made. Impressive pictures and stories about the meticulously planned construction and dismantling process as well as the presentation of follow-up projects with a similar structure and approach in the international motorsport circuit rounded off this presentation.

The various presentations not only offered insights into the topic of dismantlability in timber construction at different levels and into exemplary interdisciplinary cooperation in timber construction projects, but also stimulated intensive discussions and interpretations. The contributions to the discussion also showed that there is a need for development in the area of dismantlability and separability, for example. static connections – keyword the unscrewing of structural timber construction screws – but also the removal of adhesive bonds, for example. is a very large one for films and will become increasingly important in the coming years. The industry has already taken some initial steps in the area of dismantlability, and many manufacturers will have to follow suit due to future legal requirements.

As usual, the lively participation of the participants was followed by an informal exchange over the buffet, which concluded the evening in a pleasant atmosphere. The regulars’ table once again proved to be a very important platform for networking experts at practitioner level and for exchanging knowledge in the field of timber construction at a high level.