Relationship with work field
The students expand their structural design competences on solutions using engineered wood products, including the combination with other materials in the form of composite. Accordingly, the course content broadens the students' know-how on timber engineering, with particular emphasis on the structural design, and therefore, directed to the daily tasks of structural engineers in design offices.
Moreover, an extra lecture activity is organized on an open topic covering the use of wood as a construction material. Alternatively, an activity, promoting contact with the field through a study visit, may be organized.

The following are possible target activities complementary to the main course content:

• Guest lecture given by an expert on the field of the timber engineering with an open topic around the used of wood in the construction sector (e.g. project, execution of timber structures, fire design and safety of timber structures, durability, etc );
• Visit to a engineered wood product factory;
• Visit to a timber construction company;
• Visit to a construction site where the main structural system incorporates engineered wood products. 

Relationship with research
The Construction Engineering Research Group (CERG) of the UHasselt develops important research activities dealing with the development and implementation of integrated structural solutions that make an efficient use of the construction materials. Wood is a material recovering its important position in the construction sector due to the significant advances in the development and production of new engineered wood construction products, and its key role to support this industry to tackle the urgent needs for a change towards a greener and more resource efficient industry.
The development of innovative structural solutions making an efficient use of wood is a core research domain for CERG. The performed research activities covering experimental testing, FEM numerical simulations and translation to practical design rules, both at national and international level, have therefore an high added value to the educational program.

Sustainability
This course covers the design of structural solutions implementing engineered wood products. Wood is known to be a sustainable material. Wood engineered products are construction materials with an unique characteristic: a carbon sink. Designing performant structural solutions, where wood engineered products can have a significant structural role, is therefore, a step towards a more sustainable construction sector. Moreover, though wood is a renewable resource, where the responsible management of the forest makes it inexhaustible, the exponential growth on the demand for wood in the construction sector, requires its efficient use. Designing structural solutions which can optimize the application of wood engineered products is the core scope of this course.