XLAM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Head of Estonian
- Professor at Tallinn University of Technology
- Professor of Structural Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology
Alar Just is a professor at Tallinn University of Technology and a researcher at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. Dr. Just has been working as a Chief Engineer at the structural design office for 15 years where lead the design of many timber buildings and bridges. His current research is related to fire resistance of timber structures. He has conducted more than 250 fire tests. He is currently supervising 3 PhD students in the field of fire resistance of timber structures. Beside home university he has regular courses at Linneaus University and London City University. Dr. Just is reviewer for several scientific journals, in the scientific board of the conferences Structures in Fire, Wood Building Forum and Wood and Fire.
Alar Just is a head of Estonian delegation in CEN TC 250 SC 5. He is member of TC250 - SC5.T4 project team, drafting the next generation of EN 1995-1-2.
Job Titles:
- Principal & Structural Operations Leader, Northrop Consulting Engineers
Ali is a Sydney-based Principal of Northrop and Chartered Engineer with over 20 years of experience. He is national operation leads of Northrop structural division. His career portfolio includes number of national and international award-winning timber projects such as:
Australia's first mass timber commercial office building, International House at Barangaroo
Carlton Connect Initiatives at the University of Melbourne (first multistorey timber office building in Victoria)
Eric Tweeddale stadium (first timber grandstand in Australia)
The Newcastle university Q Building at Honeysuckle (first regional 6-star green star office building)
Oakhill college innovation hub (first timber composite school in Australia)
He is a recognised expert in multi-storey engineered timber buildings, with multiple academic papers and industry presentations to his credit. Ali is the board member of the ACSE and has been appointed an Adjunct Associate Professor at Griffith University.
Ali's approach is to design beyond structural engineering by analysing the overall purpose of a space, considering its users, its lifecycle and its environmental footprint.
Ali is a Sydney-based Principal of Northrop and Chartered Engineer with over 20 years of experience. He is national operation leads of Northrop structural division.
Australia's first mass timber commercial office building, International House at Barangaroo
Carlton Connect Initiatives at the University of Melbourne (first multistorey timber office building in Victoria)
Job Titles:
- CEO of Built
- CEO, Built by Nature
Amanda Sturgeon, FAIA is the CEO of Built by Nature, a network and grant-making fund dedicated to creating buildings that work in unison with nature. Previously, as the Regenerative Design and Climate Change Practice Lead at global consultancy firm Mott MacDonald, she brought regenerative design solutions to city scale projects across Australia and the Asia Pacific region. As the former CEO of the International Living Future Institute, she spent a decade creating regenerative frameworks such as the Living Building and Community Challenge programs, scaled the organization globally and created a global movement around Biophilic Design. Amanda is an award-winning architect, author of Creating Biophilic Buildings, a TED Speaker on Bringing Biophilic Design to Life and has an essay in the anthology All We Can Save: Truth, Courage and Solutions to Climate Change. In 2015 she was named as one of the top 10 women in sustainability with the Women in Sustainability Leadership Award and was elevated to a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2014.
Job Titles:
- Sustainability Manager, Derome Group
As a building engineer I have worked at building sites but I spent most of my time at Derom´s Technical department working on our technical platforms, wood and moisture. Nowadays my focus is on Research and Development, developing solutions for our house companies. I'm also Sustainability Manager for the Derome Group.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- President
- President, OWOW, USA
Andrew Ball is the President and Partner of oWOW, an Oakland, CA Real Estate firm with vertically integrated Development, Design, Construction and Property Management Divisions. oWow specializes in apartment buildings using mass timber structures that are priced for the missing middle with incomes between 80 to 120% of AMI.
He was previously President and Partner at RAD Urban, a company specializing in high rise Modular housing projects with internal divisions providing Manufacturing, Design and Construction.
Most notably he was the owner and CEO of Webcor Builders for 20 years growing the company from $20M to $1.4B with notable projects that include the California Academy of Sciences, SFMOMA, Lucas Arts Letterman campus , Electronic Arts headquarters, Oracle campus headquarters, Infinity Towers, Transbay Terminal and many more, until he sold the company to Obayashi corporation.
Mr. Ball was a four time Governor appointed California Water Commissioner, a Board member of the Bay Area Council and co-Chair of its Water Committee, and served as a Board member of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group heading up Water Policy. He has been involved in other industry organizations including the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the San Francisco Center for Economic Development, SPUR, Stanford Center for Integrated Facility Engineering, and UC Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment.
Job Titles:
- Senior Development Manager, Residential Development, Mirvac
20 yrs residential development experience as a Development Manager across the end to end development process including 10yrs as a Senior Development Manager at Mirvac
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer, Timber Development Association
Andrew has 39 years of experience in the building industry, with the last 33 years within the timber sector and 23 years as CEO of TDA.
He is educated in Civil/Structural Engineering from the University of Sydney and has a Master of Timber Engineering from Central Queensland University.
Andrew's work within the timber industry has been at the market end of the timber industry's supply. Focusing on the needs of the construction sector and matching the capacity or ability of the timber industry to meet these needs.
Technically based, he has represented the industry on numerous committees from Australian Standard, Building Industry, Government and timber industry boards and panels. He has co-chaired two international timber industry networks on the promotion and promotion of fire-safe timber buildings.
He has extensive knowledge in fire and sound timber technology and is more recently involved in introducing cross-laminated timber and mid-rise timber-framed building systems to Australia
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Founding Director of Lyons
Carey Lyon is a founding Director of Lyons, one of Australia's largest and innovative architectural design practices. Lyons is committed to the intellectual exposition of architectural practice, actively folding conceptual ideas into the realities of delivering major projects.
Carey is an acknowledged leader in design within Australia, evidenced by the multi-award-winning projects he has led and co-led, and his long-standing role as Professor of Architecture at RMIT University and peer elected positions for national architecture bodies.
Carey was National President of the Australian Institute of Architects in 2006/2007 and has also been a Board Member of the Green Building Council of Australia, as well as being a current member of the Victorian Design Review Panel. He has been awarded a Life Fellowship of the Australian Institute of Architects and the Presidential Medal from the American Institute of Architects.
His practice's work has been awarded over 100 national and international design awards, including the Victorian Architecture Medal in 2023, 2018 and 2002 and in 2023 received both the Queensland and Western Australian Medallions.
Job Titles:
- Design Leader
- Director of Emerging Building Technologies, Seattle, USA
Craig is a nationally recognized design leader with a focus on innovative, sustainable integrated design and the incorporation of emerging building technologies including mass timber and modular construction. He has extensive experience with mass timber projects including several projects currently in design at Mithun, including an 11-story mass timber condominium project, multiple buildings for the Binderholz company and commercial office structures. Craig also serves in a firmwide role, sharing knowledge across the practice and collaborating with teams on a wide range of project typologies for clients looking to explore the integration of new building technologies. He is a frequent presenter at conferences, design awards juror and architectural studio critic, supporting the advancement of mass timber and development of next generation talent. Craig spent five years at Katerra prior to joining Mithun, where he led the architecture and design division and was responsible for the development of several building platforms utilizing mass timber as the basis for design. While at Katerra, Craig was architect of record for the Catalyst building (designed to ILFI zero energy and zero carbon certification standards), and the development of the Katerra CLT factory in Spokane Valley, WA (now owned and operated by Mercer, Inc.).
Job Titles:
- Site Supervisor, ICON Construction
I am originally from Adelaide and moved to Melbourne 7 years ago. My background is metal fabrication and started in construction from year 12 in 2008 where I completed a school based apprenticeship in Adelaide.
I worked for a company in Adelaide called Tri Metal Engineering for 7 years where I worked on multiple jobs including the RAAF base in Edinburgh SA, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Convention Centre and SAHMRI (South Australia Health and Medical Research Institute).
I have been working with con for the past 6 years. My first project was 601 Saint Kilda road. I started as a JR foreman on this project where I worked on the structure, façade and an intricate balustrade system. After 601 I worked on park house apartments in Richmond where I was a finishers foreman. I was also was part of the Calvary aged care facility in Caulfield south. There I was part of the residential age care building and subacute wing as the structure foreman and finishes foreman.
Job Titles:
- EGM Sales, Marketing & Corporate Affairs, Timberlink Australia
David Oliver is the EGM Sales, Marketing & Corporate Affairs for Timberlink Australia & New Zealand.
Throughout David's career he has worked with a range of Australian manufacturing companies supplying the Frame & Truss, retail Hardware, building, construction and automotive sectors in domestic and export markets. Over the last 7 years David has worked for Timberlink and has been deeply involved in the development of the NeXTimber Cross Laminated and Glue Laminated Timber business.
Job Titles:
- Centre Director, National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life
Professor, Dr. Tripti Singh has recently been appointed as Director of the Timber Durability Centre, at the University of Sunshine Coast. Dr. Singh has an extensive background in timber durability and a global reputation for research excellence. She is also affiliated as a senior scientist at Scion, New Zealand. Dr Singh has published extensively on the subject of timber durability and works closely with industry through her membership in the joint Australia/New Zealand Committee TM-012 as well as the Australasian Wood Preservation. She has also held leadership positions in the International Research Group on Wood Protection (IRG/WP) and currently serves on the Executive Committee.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner of CHM Fire Consultants Ltd
Dr. Steven Craft is a founding partner of CHM Fire Consultants Ltd located in Ottawa, Canada. He served as an Adjunct Professor in the Fire Safety Engineering Program at Carleton University from 2010- 2019 and was a Research Scientist with Canada's National Forest Products Research Institute (FPInnovations) from 2006-2011. He has an undergraduate degree in Forest Engineering from the University of New Brunswick and a PhD in Fire Safety Engineering from Carleton University. He is the Chair of the ULC Fire Test Committee, is a Vice-chair of ASTM Committee on Fire Standards and, is on the Technical Committee for the Canadian Wood Design Standard, CSA O86, where he Chairs the Task Group on Fire Resistance. Dr. Craft has been involved in over 20 significant mass timber buildings across Canada.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder & Principal, Interstice, LLC
- Co - Founder and Principal at Interstice
Eric is a Co-Founder and Principal at Interstice, LLC where he leads digital and structural optimization. He is invested in the development of sustainable and holistic AEC systems through applied research and computational design. His structural and architectural background allows him to understand the broader goals of projects and implement innovative and cost-effective solutions. Eric believes in embracing technology but only when balanced with practicality and real world constraints.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Grange Development
Job Titles:
- Technical Sales Engineer, Viridi Group
Jane's passion for innovative systems has made her an industry leader, particularly with the use of prefabrication techniques and mass timber. At Viridi, Jane applies her technical expertise in timber engineering, alongside nearly 8 years of construction in mass timber - to drive adaptable and efficient building solutions. She has a knack of communicating complex engineering problems, in simple and engaging ways.
Jane approaches each project with a passion to embrace and learn from past experiences, developing innovative solutions; and offering clients with responses that address their needs. We are driving change in the construction industry at Viridi, with sustainable, safe and smart building products at the forefront.
Job Titles:
- Project Director, Holmes Solutions, NZ
After completing study with a diverse mix of geology, economics and project management experience, I was drawn toward the technology and development company Holmes Solutions. I have worked in the construction team for six years in project director and business development roles. I seek opportunities to collaborate and drive the construction industry forward. Our team work on major projects for world-leading clients using evidence-based design to create new technologies.
At Holmes Solutions, we believe in transforming the building industry and we see mass timber as a key piece of the puzzle. We're working to understand the challenges and use innovation to overcome them. I am passionate and excited about this work and journey the sector is on.
Job Titles:
- Design Coordinator, Multiplex Australia
With a passion for sustainability and innovation, Jess is an experienced Design Coordinator in the field of construction. She boasts a strong track record of facilitating collaboration between clients, design teams, and construction professionals, effectively bridging the gap between architectural dreams and on-site practicality.
Jess excels in navigating the intricacies of construction projects, ensuring design integrity while closely adhering to project timelines and budgets. She is widely recognized for her meticulous attention to detail and adept problem-solving skills, consistently contributing to successful project outcomes.
Jessica holds a first-class honours degree in Construction Management from Curtin University and has played a pivotal role in the success of a diverse range of projects. These include data centres, apartment complexes, defence facilities, commercial developments, and most notably, Boola Katitjin - the MET academic facility for Murdoch University.
Job Titles:
- Associate, JCB Architects
Jimmy is an Associate at Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, with over 17 years experience in the industry.
As a Senior Project Architect, Jimmy brings meticulous attention to detail and creative problem-solving skills to every project, with a particular ability to resolve complex issues and tackle project challenges head on. Throughout his career, he has worked in leading design practices in both Melbourne and Darwin, across multi residential, healthcare, education, residential, social housing, infrastructure, tropical design and remote community work.
Jimmy has a keen interest in the design and delivery process of Mass Timber structures; and is currently leading JCB's T3 Collingwood 36 Wellington St project.
Job Titles:
- Construction Manager at Hines
Jo Lees is Construction Manager at Hines and oversees the design, programming, procurement, construction and close-out of Hines development projects in Australia. With nearly two decades of experience in the construction industry and across multiple asset classes, Jo brings a track-record of delivering high-quality projects on-time and on-budget to the Hines team. In her current role, Jo is responsible for the development of the T3 Collingwood - a 15-story, 18,000 square meter concrete and timber hybrid office in the city's progressive Collingwood neighbourhood which is scheduled for completion September 2023; and 50 Ann St - a 25 storey office tower known as the State Law Building located in Brisbane's CBD.
Job Titles:
- Team Leader Mass Timber, Holmes Solutions, NZ
After many years as a mechanical engineer in the automotive, aerospace and marine engineering industries, I made a change of direction in 2019 to lead the Mass Timber Technology team at the Holmes Solutions R&D centre in Christchurch.
Job Titles:
- Event Founder, Timber Offsite Construction Conference & Exhibition
Kevin's career commenced in automotive engineering design, and progressed into a wide range of business activities including waste recycling, hardwood sawmilling, prefab timber framing, building materials, along with a marketing consultancy to a broad range of clients.
He also organised local and international events on Automotive engineering and the Australian wine industry, and created the famous ‘ezard' restaurant with his son Teage in Melbourne's CBD.
23 years ago Kevin founded the ‘Frame Australia' conference and exhibition, which was focussed on prefabricated timber framing in housing construction.
Job Titles:
- Head of Built Environment Programs, Forest & Wood Products Australia
Kevin works for Forest and Wood Products Australia and manages WoodSolutions as well as industry data management and analysis to support improved decision making throughout the sector's value chain.
Job Titles:
- Structural Engineer
- Senior Technical Engineer, XLam Australia
Kieran is an accomplished structural engineer and certified Passiv Haus Designer with extensive experience in mass timber projects. As the Senior Technical Engineer for XLAM, he is responsible for product development, technical inquiries, and design assistance for the ANZ region. He oversees the entire supply chain, from the processing of sawn timber at Hyne's Tumbarumba mill to the final certification of CLT and Glulam components on construction sites.
In his previous role as a Structural Engineer at XLAM, Kieran led several notable projects, including seven single and double-story mass timber office pods, a glulam warehouse with 36m clear spans, and a 6-storey office utilizing CLT band beams. His prior consulting experience included notable projects such as the New Sydney Fish Markets and Wynyard Place - Shell House.
Kieran's holistic understanding of building principles, coupled with his background in structural engineering, has earned him chartership in the field. He is passionate about delivering high-quality, sustainable building solutions and remains dedicated to continuing his work in the industry.
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator, ICON Construction
I have worked in this industry for 6 years, Graduated from the double degree at Deakin University for Architecture & Construction Management. I started as an interned at an architecture firm and worked there for 3 years, then decided to move to the builders side in 2019. I worked at Probuild on T1 jobs all over Melbourne CBD where I was first exposed to Timber on Northumberland Street (54 Wellington St). At Northumberland Street I managed occupancy permit & practical completion process where I needed to understand timber structure handover with the FRV & RBS. I moved to Icon in 2022 and became the Timber Structural Coordinator at 36 Wellington Street. My job involved shop drawing coordination, fire testing execution, Logistics and installation coordination, Moisture Management plan development and execution, Crane crew & lifting equipment coordination, etc..
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Savcon
Established in 1999, Savcon Pty Ltd is one of Australia's most reputable commercial carpentry companies and leaders in Australasian Mass Timber Construction Movement. Savcon are renowned for the exceptional projects they deliver. They are the emerging national leaders in Mass Timber Installations on large scale construction projects, fast gaining a reputation in Europe and Australasia as Mass Timber Experts. We have been at the forefront of the Mass Timber Movement since it emerged into the Australian construction industry, forging valuable relationships, and collaborating with Major Australian, New Zealand and European Industry Experts.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager at Icon
- Project Manager, ICON Construction
With over 12 years' experience working in the property and construction industry, Mei Doery is a Project Manager at Icon having been with the company for nearly 7 years. Mei grew up with a love of fixing and building things with her older brother. Mei originally studied a Bachelor of Environments in Melbourne with a passion for sustainability and ambitions to become an architect. She eventually swapped to a Master of Construction and has spent time as a client side Project Manager, a Contract Administrator and now Icon Project Manager completing the delivery of 36 Wellington Street a 15 Level Commercial Office Tower. In the last 3 years, Mei has led the delivery of 480 Elizabeth Street, a 52 Level Student Accommodation Tower in the Melbourne CBD (one of the tallest student accommodation jobs in Australia), The VCCC Centre of Excellence (CoE), a PCA A grade pharmaceutical lab & GMP manufacturing facility and a highly complex health project.
Job Titles:
- Engineering Design Manager, Australian Sustainable
Nathan, Young Engineer of the Year - Victoria Winner for 2021 is a highly skilled structural engineer who genuinely believes there is a better way to build. He is passionate about mass timber design and construction and is doing what he can to make positive change in the local construction industry.
Nathan has delivered many note-worthy projects during his career, including the Royd Clan's House in Ceres, Adina Hotel's 55 Southbank Boulevard and the MASSLAM skylight at the Westfield Knox redevelopment.
Nathan joined the team at Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH) in 2021 and is developing the design and detailing capabilities of MASSLAM GLT and assisting project structural engineers to optimise designs using DfMA principles.
Job Titles:
- Technical Director
- Technical Director & Structural Practice Lead VSA, AECOM
Nigel is a Technical Director in the AECOM Melbourne Building Structures team who has worked around the world on various complex and innovative projects. He has a particular interest in designing long-span complex geometry structures, as well as in timber engineering. Nigel's timber design experience ranges from gridshells to large commercial office buildings. Notable timber experience includes leading the design of the Bunjil Place Council Facility, as well as the award winning Swinburne University Factory of the Future spherical timber meeting room structure. His commercial timber office experience began with the design of Ballarat GovHub which as a first of its size in Victoria helped pave the way for large- scale timber office buildings in the state. Nigel is currently the AECOM Project Director for T3 Collingwood, leading the multidisciplinary engineering team.
Job Titles:
- Structural Engineer
- Structural Engineer at Aurecon
Nikeesh Prasad is a Structural Engineer at Aurecon in Melbourne with a strong background in delivering building structures across various sectors like education, commercial, data centres, and sports stadiums. He became intrigued by mass timber buildings while attending the World Conference in Timber Engineering during his university years, and this interest has persisted throughout his professional career. His mass timber journey has included celebrated projects such as the CLT House and the San Clemente High School Hall. More recently, he has contributed to the design of the Boola Katitjin building, the largest mass timber building in Western Australia as well as the grandstands of the new Alliance Stadium in Sydney, not timber but still exciting!
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager, Växjö Linnaeus
Job Titles:
- Emeritus Professor, University of Technology, Sydney
Perry has a strong mix of research, teaching, academic, managerial and practical experience obtained in the construction industry over a 45 year period. He has held senior positions in design, construction, estimating, project management and professional consultancy organisations. He has also had a broad spanning career in the University sector, primarily as the Professor of Construction Project Management at the University of Technology Sydney. He has had constant involvement in the research and development of timber construction systems, especially concerning mass timber construction and the optimisation of onsite productivity.
Job Titles:
- Group Manager ‑ Design & Innovation, Lipman
Phil joined Lipman in January 2016 with a passion for design, first-hand appreciation of buildable solutions and a drive to deliver exemplary buildings.
He has positioned himself within industry as a progressive thinker, highly collaborative by nature and committed to delivering genuine innovation.
Phil believes timber has an important place in the future of our industry. He has travelled extensively to ensure Lipman is at the frontier of this emerging construction technology.
He was instrumental in the delivery of the acclaimed Macquarie University Incubator.
In 2019, Phil commenced his current role to lead a growing team through a time of significant change for the construction industry. He is driving new levels of manufactured content into buildings delivered by Lipman, further consolidating their leadership in the delivery of innovation, quality, and value.
Job Titles:
- Director at MBM
- Director, MBM Consultancy
Richard is a Director at MBM and a highly accomplished quantity surveyor with over 25 years of experience. He firmly believes in unlocking the industry's potential for smarter, sustainable approaches, as demonstrated by his contributions to significant projects such as Barangaroo and the emergence of Parramatta as a second CBD. Specializing in social and affordable housing, timber construction, and modular schools, MBM has become an authority in these methodologies, anticipating and embracing the next wave of innovative practices.
Richard's unwavering enthusiasm for the industry plays a vital role in MBM's exceptional track record. With an unwavering commitment to sustainability and the belief that quality, cost, and time can coexist, Richard continues to champion innovation and drive the industry towards a prosperous and environmentally responsible future.
Job Titles:
- Head of Business Development, XLam Australia
Rob joined Xlam earlier this year as Head of Business Development. He has over 25 years' experience in the building and infrastructure sector in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia, with the majority of this experience in technical sales, business development and management. Rob applies his broad knowledge of building materials and industry experience to developing opportunities for mass timber construction and is enthusiastic to be a part of a growing industry focusing on innovative construction solutions. At Xlam, we are driving change in the construction industry with faster, more efficient, safer, and sustainable solutions.
Job Titles:
- General Manager, Vistek Engineers
Robert is the General Manager of Vistek, a structural engineering firm that has been at the forefront of mass timber's introduction to the Australian market. He has recently launched V-SET (Services for Engineered Timber) a design/consultancy service specifically tailored to the requirements of mass timber projects. This leverages Vistek's mass timber experience and broader industry network to help the construction industry embrace low-carbon construction methods at scale.
Job Titles:
- Technical Sales & Business Development Manager, Binderholz Australia
Stefan represents Binderholz Australia Pty Ltd, with focus on the development and supply of refined CLT and Glulam mass timber systems. Stefan has over 25 years experience in the timber and broader construction industry, in Australia and in Europe, and worked across a multitude of disciplines within the sector, ranging from Engineering, R&D, Sales through to Technology Management. Stefan found his life-long passion for working with timber by beginning his career in the European tradition, with an apprenticeship in joinery. Combining his experience and passion with undergraduate and post graduate qualifications in timber engineering and business management, he has a rare and comprehensive understanding of the applications and benefits of mass timber systems in Australia.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Director of Business Development, Hasslacher Timber Australia
Tyson Infanti is a leader in the mass timber industry, having worked in the supply chain of CLT and Glulam commercial projects since its early days in Australia.
Tyson holds a degree in structural engineering and has spent most of his career in project management and design, with a more recent move into business development with Hasslacher Timber Australia. He has a passion for timber and sustainable construction methods and appreciates the detailed planning and technical aspects of mass timber projects.