Invitation to Pierre Quenneville’s Conference: « Timber structures: ductility and seismic resilience »!
We are pleased to invite you to an enriching conference by Pierre Quenneville, Professor of Timber Structural Design at the University of Auckland and Technical Director at Tectonus Ltd, titled: « Timber structures: ductility and seismic resilience».
📅 Date: January 26, 2026
🕒 Time: 3:00 PM
📍 Location: Rooms 2320–2330, Gene-H.-Kruger Pavilion
💬 Language: English
The use of construction materials significantly contributes to climate change, which has sparked growing interest in mass timber products. New projects are emerging regularly, with multi-story buildings reaching unprecedented heights. However, most lateral-load-resisting systems are still made of steel or concrete, due to a lack of timber-based solutions with demonstrated effectiveness, particularly in regions of moderate to high seismicity.
While traditional steel and concrete systems remain widely used, high-performance timber solutions are rapidly emerging, offering not only seismic resilience but also other significant benefits increasingly sought by building occupants and owners..
During this conference, Pierre Quenneville will discuss:
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General seismic engineering requirements and considerations specific to timber buildings;
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Research conducted in New Zealand on the use of resilient dampers for timber structures;
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Several case studies illustrating the practical implementation of this innovative technology.
This conference will be an excellent opportunity to explore how mass timber innovation can combine seismic performance, resilience, and sustainability in modern buildings.
All are welcome!
Speaker Biography
Pierre Quenneville is a Professor of Timber Frame Design at the University of Auckland and Technical Director at Tectonus Ltd. A structural engineer specializing in timber, he is recognized for his expertise in connections and his contributions to technical standards:
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Member of the technical committee for CSA O86 since 1992;
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Contributor to the development of the New Zealand timber structures standard since 2014, notably introducing the concept of brittle failure mechanisms.
His research on seismic connections for timber structures led to the development of a resilient damping system that enables structures to re-center after seismic events, thereby reducing the need for demolition following earthquake sequences. He co-founded Tectonus in 2016 to commercialize this technology. His work has also demonstrated the benefits of resilient systems for timber, steel, and concrete structures.
To date, this technology has been applied in over 35 new and retrofitted building projects in New Zealand, Canada, and Japan, and its benefits have been demonstrated for timber, steel, and concrete structures.
