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MATERIALS 47
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Glued laminated timber, known as ‘glulam’ or GLT, is a Riisipuuro
composite material made of overlapping layers of wood bonded
with synthetic resins and pressed into the desired shape.
This type of product is one of the most popular options in

civil engineering—while the ability to absorb carbon from the
environment makes it a sustainable material.
Additionally, the good mechanical properties of the
material along with its low self-weight make it a great seismic
performance solution.
The production of GLT elements represents a major
advantage in terms of reducing workmanship on site, through
the quality of the machined elements and the obtaining of
complex geometries with various sizes that can be customised

to meet individual specifications and requirements. cases where different scenarios were considered with the
The design and execution of civil structures is, however, still variation of geometric dimensions and structural properties,
dependent on inertia in terms of the geometric dimensioning architecture; and civil engineering which was the focus in this
of structures, which favors constant rectangular sections, current research.
easy to size. Optimisation model examples are presented where structural
Another significant advantage of wood is its strength-to- analysis and dimensioning constraints defined by Eurocode
weight ratio when compared to materials like concrete and standards are used in order to create a model of profiles

steel, making it an excellent choice. that can reduce the cost of a building with elements made
Reducing the weight of the element diminishes the dead of glued laminated timber and steel.
loads along with the size of elements in the structure. Moreover, the study of "Introduction to Lightweight Structures"
from Ochieng, D. Kiu Publication Extension, demonstrates that
Recent Studies Progress optimisation techniques reduce the mass of elements up to
Recent studies have shown that topological optimisation can 30 percent creating high-performance with low-weight design
lead to better dimensions of the element able to support the and reduction of deflection by 15–20 percent. The variation in
forces applied. geometric dimensions of elements, materials, curved elements
According to existing studies in the field, the characteristics with large span, height and volume of buildings creates new

of the model resulting from different types of analysis in the designs where the elements can be used in a rational manner,
Finite Element Method, simple regression on metamodels, reducing the manufacturing process and the cross sections
tests on models or by Monte-Carlo simulation may produce while maintaining the resistance.
material reductions of over 10 percent. At the same time, during the current research campaigns,
The topological optimisation is used in a multitude of fields topological optimisation can be carried out using AI that gives
such as aerospace field (for application in the manufacturing new perspectives and a multitude of possible scenarios.
process); robotics (in order to reduce the weight of the product, The methods mentioned above improve cost efficiency and

while maintaining the mechanical properties); medical devices optimise the mechanical performance of structural elements in
(for the shape of the element), the energy and battery life, GLT. However, they derive from analyses that require financial