CLICK DESIGN
Delivering fingertip knowledge to enable service life performance
specification of wood
Specifications for the use of wood in various construction applications are found in mostly outdated criteria-based standard documents. In order to bridge the gap between outdated criteria-based specifications and newer performance-based specifications, these standards instead refer to vague terms such as “a reasonable working life”. Wood engineers using, for example Eurocode 5; find the ineffective terminology does not stand up to deeper, critical examination and is therefore of little value.
Awareness of the cultural legacy as well as the traditional uses and skills used in wood constructions around us are constant reminders of the enduring possibility of wood. When such knowledge is applied, including knowledge of species and material properties, knowledge of design details and construction skills, and knowledge of local climatic conditions, the sustainable use of wood is ensured for generations to come. However, this knowledge is fragmented, localised, and in some cases difficult to analyse and use, especially by non-wood experts. CLICK DESIGN aims to put this knowledge at the fingertips of the wood user, in their language, in order for more designers, architects, engineers, and visionaries to meet their ambitions to deliver low carbon construction, through performance-based wood design. CLICK DESIGN will therefore essentially provide a software tool for architects and specifiers with embedded service-life performance specification for wood utilisation.
CLICK DESIGN - delivering fingertip knowledge to enable service-life performance specification of wood.
The key scientific and technological objectives of this joint-project are to:
- Provide the scientific understanding of how the inherent properties of a wood material and in-service environmental exposure are related to the response (performance) linked to defined limit states for the product. The work will corral and extract existing knowledge from research models and clarify the significance of gaps in understanding.
- Understand and bring together for the first time the models and performance databases associatedwith decay and integrity, aesthetic function and insect/termite performance to create a holistic pan-European approach.
- Validate a set of models using real-case studies (buildings, structures) from across Europe in collaboration with expert witness and engineering bureaus.
- Inspire new wood-based design solutions and specifications and support a new generation of ‘timber savvy’ designers by taking an important step towards digitalization of knowledge and specification.
- Deliver a software tool into pilot usage following the open source standard (IFS, ISC) for BIM readiness via consideration of information template, databook entry and plug-ins.