15 October 2024
Kieran Hayes, a former Senior Technical Engineer at Xlam Australia, says that the Gottstein Trust Skills Development grant was instrumental in helping him learn more about the emerging Passiv Haus concept—an energy-efficient building standard developed in Germany—broadening his experience in structural engineering and mass timber.
“The grant opened exciting new horizons for my career, options that otherwise would have been a financial stretch,” he told Wood Central after spending two years working across various parts of the Xlam Australia business. Passiv Haus is a performance-based standard that dictates scientific targets rather than dictating specific materials or products.
The standard focuses on detailing the building envelope to cover five building science principles: airtightness, thermal insulation, mechanical ventilation heat recovery, high-performance windows, and thermal bridge-free construction.
Kieran, who is now based in Amsterdam after spending “a few months backpacking around Europe,” is ready to take on the world and noted that as a structural timber design engineer, “it is very important to understand acoustics, thermal insulation, fire, and service reticulation requirements, which are often integrated within mass timber structures.”
“After completing this course, I feel better equipped to convince clients, architects and engineers to pursue mass timber in their next project,” Kieran said. “Gottstein has allowed me to contribute to and support environmentally friendly housing solutions.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and am very grateful for the support of the Gottstein Trust. “I highly recommend the wonderful opportunities the trust offers by way of annual grants awarded through scholarships, fellowship and skills development.”
First published at https://woodcentral.com.au/why-gottstein-was-a-career-boost-for-this-globe-trotting-engineer/