Dr. Milan Vatovec, P.E., Senior Principal, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. will present “Ensuring In-Service Wood Performance – An Engineer’s Perspective” as part of the West coast circuit of the Wood Solutions Fair.

History has shown that, with proper design and maintenance, wood structures can deliver hundreds of years of reliable service. The key is careful planning and understanding of environmental loads and other external factors likely to impact a building over its lifetime. “Ensuring In-Service Wood Performance – An Engineer’s Perspective” will provide practical knowledge that architects and engineers can use to design durable buildings that avoid in-service problems related to the performance of structural and architectural wood-based components and systems. Topics will include biodeterioration mechanisms and their effects on dimensional stability, moisture-driven compatibility of displacement issues, microscopic wood species identification, in-situ grading to estimate allowable properties for design, and special construction and detailing techniques that account for wood’s unique properties.

Milan will present “Ensuring In-Service Wood Performance – An Engineer’s Perspective” at the following dates and locations:

• Long Beach Wood Solutions Fair on Feb. 29, 2012 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California.
• Portland Wood Solutions Fair on March 13, 2012 at the Oregon Convention Center, in Portland, Oregon.
• Seattle Wood Solutions Fair on March 15, 2012 at the Washington State Convention Center, in Seattle, Washington.

For more information on the Wood Solutions Fair, visit www.woodworks.org.