Engineering & Design
WRD designs new timber structures, and strengthens the ones already standing
From long-span engineered timber bridges and mass-timber design to in-situ restoration with fiber systems the rest of the market can’t match, WRD engineers timber both ways, for owners on every continent.
New Construction
New timber structures, engineered to outlast steel and concrete
Timber isn’t only what we save, it’s what we build. WRD engineers new timber structures from the connection up: long-span road, rail, and pedestrian bridges, and mass-timber design for modern construction.
The same non-destructive testing, high-strength-fiber technology, and forty years of timber science that let us restore a century-old structure let us design one meant to stand for the next century.
New engineered timber bridge, glulam arch under construction
Mass timber engineering design
Engineered timber structures are lighter than conventional steel and concrete (saving on foundations and construction handling, with a significantly smaller carbon footprint, and they sequester carbon rather than emit it. Their structural performance is increasingly predictable, with superior performance in seismic events, and the biophilic benefits of building in timber reduce stress and improve wellbeing for the people inside. With the strides in timber technology and products, mass timber is the future of construction) and WRD engineers it.
Long-span timber bridges
Engineered wood products like glulam deliver long clear spans at a high strength-to-weight ratio, making timber viable for large crossings: road, rail, and pedestrian. Long-span timber bridges connect communities using a renewable resource with a lower carbon footprint than steel or concrete, and with proper detailing they’re durable, cost-effective, and low-maintenance. WRD designs them to code and to last.
Our mastery in timber engineering: timber structural design · mass-timber structures · long-span road, rail, and pedestrian bridges · advanced quantitative inspection · in-situ repair strategies · high-strength-fibre reinforcement · heritage and cultural preservation · certified timber training.
Design Methods
We engineer with fiber systems steel can’t match
WRD doesn’t sell products we design with advanced high-strength-fiber systems: Kevlar, carbon, and glass laminates that bond into a true composite with the existing timber, raising strength and stiffness and often doubling in-situ capacity where old mechanical and steel-fastener fixes can’t. Against legacy intrusive fixes that rob headroom and cap capacity, a clean in-situ laminate keeps the asset in service.
FiRP® Reinforcement
Pultruded glass-and-aramid panels epoxy-bonded to the timber, forming a true composite that raises bending strength and stiffness. Steel and mechanical fasteners never bond this way, and steel moves differently from wood under temperature and moisture.
RetroShear® Panel
FRP shear reinforcement bonded to beam faces or embedded as rods, used where increased bending capacity turns a member shear-critical.
RetroTen® Reinforcement Panel
FRP tension reinforcement for the tension face of bending members.
Pile wrap
A two-fabric, high-strength epoxy wrap that restores compression strength to a decayed pile in place.
Pile posting
Replaces only the failed section of a pile, at a fraction of full-replacement cost and equal strength.
Decaystop® decay control
A borate rod that stays dormant until moisture climbs past ~20%, then diffuses to stop decay up to 12″ from the insert, used to treat active decay or protect high-risk zones.
Capabilities
From a single connection to a whole structure
New builds & mass timber
Engineered timber design for new structures, including modern engineered timber bridges.
Repairs & restorations
Custom drawings for in-situ repair, kind-for-kind replacement, and full reconstruction.
Connection & retrofit detailing
The joints and retrofits where timber structures succeed or fail.
Forensic engineering
Failure analysis and expert investigation, a service clients specifically seek us out for.
Seismic retrofit
Growing demand on the US west coast; strengthening existing timber for seismic loads.
Engineered to standard
NDS, AASHTO LRFD, AREMA, AWPA, ASTM D07, CSA O86, CSA S6, CSA O80, plus AS 5100 / AS 1720 / AS 1170 / AS 1328 / AS 1604 (AU), signed by a professional engineer licensed in your state or province.
The Three Restoration Approaches
How the design responds to each
1
In-situ repair
Engineered strengthening that fixes the member in place, in service.
2
Kind-for-kind
Detailing that matches original materials for historic integrity.
3
Repurpose & replace
A hybrid design that salvages the sound and rebuilds the rest.
Structural Health Monitoring
We verify the engineering with data
On new construction, real-time monitoring confirms our engineered solutions perform as designed, at every connection and across the whole structure. It’s how we close the loop between engineering and reality, and how we keep restorations safe in service.
Wireless structural health monitoring sensor on a timber structure
How We Engineer a Solution
Assess to field support
1
Assess
Start from EPHOD® inspection and test data, not assumptions.
2
Model
Analyze loads, capacity, and the intended service life.
3
Engineer
Design the repair, retrofit, or new structure to code.
4
Detail
Produce the drawings and connection details for construction.
5
Support
Stay engaged in the field through delivery.
Global Reach
The know-how travels
WRD’s reach extends across more than 55 countries, from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wingspread to a FiRP® overhang at the Austria Center Vienna to bridges across the Maritimes and Queensland.
The expertise behind them (40+ patents, 200+ published papers, and Dr. Tingley’s fiber-reinforcement methods) travels wherever the structure is. Local engineering teams anchor the USA, Canada, and Australia. Choose your region below, or request a consultation from anywhere.
Engineering FAQ
Common questions
FiRP® forms a true composite with the timber, so both materials work together and share load. Steel tension systems and mechanical fasteners don’t bond into a composite, and steel moves differently from wood under temperature and moisture.
In the US: NDS for Wood Construction, AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design, AREMA, AWPA, and ASTM D07, signed by a PE licensed in your state. In Australia we work to AS5100, AS1720, and AS1170 with RPEQ / CPEng engineers.
Yes. Forensic engineering and failure investigation is a service clients specifically seek us out for, including post-incident review and dispute support.
Yes, from mass-timber buildings to modern engineered timber bridges, in addition to repairs and restorations.