Collaboration to Strength Grade Native Timber Species
The College of Science and Technology (CST), ETH Zurich, the Department of Forest and Park
Services (DoFPS) and the Natural Resource Development Corporation Limited (NRDCL) are
collaborating to strength grade native timber species in the country.
This is the first ever exercise to assess and determine the engineering and mechanical properties
critical for the use of timber from native species as a structural material for buildings (MET) and
in other civil engineering applications.
The DoFPS and NRDCL are providing the resources and logistical support necessary for the
provision of the specimens required for the investigation. Sampling works from various growth
regions across the country and scientific investigations are underway.
The laboratory test works are being carried out at the recently operationalised structural timber
testing and research facility established at CST with the support from Druk Holding and
Investments (DHI), Society Switzerland Bhutan (SSB), and the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB).
This collaboration is part of the overall initiatives for research and industrial partnership to
facilitate rational, responsible and optimal use of the timber resource in the county as a modern
engineered building material.
The present investigations are carried out within the framework of a faculty member’s research
project under the technical guidance of Prof Dr Andrea Frangi, the Chair of Timber Structures at
ETH Zurich and Dr Andreas Galmarini, the Managing Director at WaltGalamarini in Zurich, a
structural engineering expert with prior involvement in several landmark civil engineering projects
in country.
Concurrently, collaboration with the Department of Human Settlements (DHS), Ministry of
Infrastructure and Transport (MoIT) is also underway to further enhance the laboratory’s
capabilities and to explore opportunities for capacity building and education in timber
engineering.
Building up on these initiatives, the college is also working to introduce courses in structural
timber design and engineering in the civil and architectural programmes.
