Interview with Dr. Andy Buchanan

In this episode of the Speak Up blog I’m talking to Emeritus Professor Dr. Andy Buchanan about the mass timber in the construction of high-rise buildings, its fire resistance and overall performance.

Dr. Andy Buchanan is one of the pioneers of modern timber construction. For many years Dr. Buchanan has worked in the field of timber engineering, earthquake engineering, and fire engineering converting research results into industry solutions.

He has been the President of the New Zealand Timber Design Society. Dr. Andy Buchanan is an author of Structural Design for Fire Safety and the New Zealand Timber Design Guide.

In this interview Dr. Buchanan is elaborating on:

• 2:59-6:57 the report of John Hopkins University on the performance of mass timber in high rise buildings.

• 6:57-10:00 New Zealand compliance parameters in comparison to other international standards.

• 10:01-10:25 compliance requirements versus cost efficiency

• 11:05-13:42 mass timber encapsulation: plasterboard versus intumescent paint.