Design of Glulam & Glulam-Steel composite structures | John Woodman & Dr Farhad Darani | Oct 2025

The New Zealand Timber Design Society presents this webinar 'Design, specification and durability of Glulam and Glulam-Steel composite structures'. John Woodman and Dr Farhad Darani from the Prolam team talk about the design, treatment and durability aspects of Glulam timber products. Performance and design of composite Glulam-Steel elements and their applications in gravity and lateral-load resisting systems are also discussed. In addition, the role of different pre-engineered solutions in optimising the design and construction process are included in this presentation. John Woodman is the founder and Managing Director of Prolam, a pioneering New Zealand–based engineered timber company headquartered in Motueka, Nelson. Under his guidance, Prolam has grown from a modest local enterprise into a national leader in engineered glulam timber. Beyond his role at Prolam, John is a strong advocate for the timber industry. He actively promotes the adoption of mass timber solutions in New Zealand, particularly around embodied carbon reduction and building code reform. Dr Farhad Darani is the Sales Engineering Manager at Prolam. Farhad is a Chartered Professional Engineer with a wide range of design and assessment experience in New Zealand and overseas. Farhad has developed new structural devices and solutions and has a passion for innovation in structural and seismic engineering. Farhad has been involved in research and innovation related to seismic protection devices and their application in different structural typologies including Timber. The content of this webinar is provided for general information only, and is not to be relied on. Any views, opinions, or recommendations expressed in this webinar are given by the presenters, and not by the New Zealand Timber Design Society Incorporated (‘TDS’). TDS is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of any information provided in this webinar, which is provided without any warranties of any kind. If you choose to rely on and/or use any such information, you: should seek advice from professionals who are capable of interpreting and applying the information to your own circumstances; and otherwise do so at your own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by law, TDS excludes all liability for any loss, damage or expense, direct or indirect, arising from or in connection with any person's use of or reliance on the information provided.