This project intends to develop a building system composed of timber and glass sections. It includes design concepts, feasibility studies and performance assessments of the components in order to improve the overall performance. The project also includes the development of new design calculations as well as the optimization of manufacturing methods. It is not the use of timber and glass in combination as a composite element which constitutes the innovative content of the present project - glued glass front constructions in combination with wooden elements have been applied for a long time e.g. by many window manufactures. However in these traditional solutions, the glass has not a static bearing function, it merely functions as an outer cover. In the proposed project, however, composite timber and glass sections for load bearing and stabilising purposes will be developed. Taking into consideration long-term behaviour and seismic performance the practical applications considered is to develop shear walls, beams and columns. For the development of new composite elements made of timber, glass and adhesives the identification of relevant material properties and setting up of requirement specifications for adhesive bonding of glass to timber is very significant and will be addressed in the proposed project together with issues like moisture and temperature fluctuations.
