Industry News News
UNBC tests the safety of steel-wood hybrid buildings

University of Northern British Columbia civil engineering assistant professor Ramla Qureshi is putting steel-wood hybrid designs to the test as part of a project funded through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grant program.

Qureshi is exploring how hybrid wood-steel buildings withstand hazards including fire and earthquakes. If her research demonstrates the buildings are reliable, she believes it could lead to more hybrid buildings being constructed.

“Engineers need to have a certain level of reliability in a structure’s performance against extreme hazards such as earthquakes and fires throughout the building’s life cycle,” Qureshi said. “Especially in places with considerable seismic activity, such as British Columbia, we need to understand and quantify the risks from such events that can cause damage to, or limit the performance of, such construction.”

The project, worth $132,000 over five years, will support research from at least five undergraduate students, three master’s students, two PhD students and potentially one post-doctoral fellow.

Read for more info: www2.unbc.ca/newsroom/unbc-stories/testing-safety-hybrid-buildings