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Dr Lisa Ottenhaus
Dr

Lisa Ottenhaus

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 344 31399

Overview

Background

Dr Lisa Ottenhaus is a structural engineer and senior lecturer, with expertise in design of timber connections. Lisa's research interests encompass the theory, analysis, design and performance of timber connections, including detailing for timber durability. Lisa and their team research offsite timber construction using both engineered wood products and light timber framing, design for adaptability, disassembly and reuse, and reversible timber joints.

Lisa holds a PhD from the University of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand, on the seismic performance of connections in tall timber buildings, a Masters of Science in structural engineering from Delft University of Technology, and a Bachelor of Science from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

As part of the ARC Advance Timber Hub, Lisa co-leads Node 3 on Extending Building Life, and project 1.2 on timber connections. Lisa is a steering committee member of WG1 a COST Action Helen (Holistic Design of Taller Timber Buildings), and a founding member of the International Association for Mass Timber Construction.

Lisa is a committee member of TM-010 (Australian Standards technical committee on Timber Structures and Framing), and a steering committee member of the Australian Timber Construction Educator Network.

Lisa has been an invited speaker at the prefabAUS Offsite conference, the Brisbane Architecture and Design Festival, the International Holzbau Forum (Innsbruck, Austria) and has been interviewed by the Guardian, ABC Radio, Built Offsite, and the Holzmagazin.

Availability

Dr Lisa Ottenhaus is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  • Masters (Coursework) of Civil Engineering, Delft University of Technology
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Canterbury
  • Journal Editorial Board Member, Australian Journal of Civil Engineering, Australian Journal of Civil Engineering
  • Journal Editorial Board Member, Construction and Building Materials, Construction and Building Materials
  • Member, Standards Australia Technical Committee TM010, Standards Australia Technical Committee TM010

Research interests

  • Structural timber engineering

    Connection design, durability of timber connections, timber design standards, reversible connections, capacity design, connections for modular timber buildings, connections in engineered wood products. PhD and MPhil applicants please refer to Available Projects.

  • Modular and offsite construction of timber buildings

    Design for disassembly, adaptable and flexible building design, modular and offsite construction, design for circular economy, structural performance of reclaimed timber, design for repair and reuse. PhD and MPhil applicants please refer to Available Projects.

Works

Search Professor Lisa Ottenhaus’s works on UQ eSpace

48 works between 2016 and 2025

1 - 20 of 48 works

Featured

2022

Other Outputs

Tall timber buildings are exciting, but to shrink construction’s carbon footprint we need to focus on the less sexy ‘middle’

Ottenhaus, Lisa (2022, 08 15). Tall timber buildings are exciting, but to shrink construction’s carbon footprint we need to focus on the less sexy ‘middle’ The Conversation

Tall timber buildings are exciting, but to shrink construction’s carbon footprint we need to focus on the less sexy ‘middle’

Featured

2020

Journal Article

Analytical derivation and experimental verification of overstrength factors of dowel-type timber connections for capacity design

Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike, Li, Minghao and Smith, Tobias (2020). Analytical derivation and experimental verification of overstrength factors of dowel-type timber connections for capacity design. Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 26 (6), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/13632469.2020.1781711

Analytical derivation and experimental verification of overstrength factors of dowel-type timber connections for capacity design

2025

Journal Article

Evaluating the disassembly potential of timber buildings: development of calculation tool and proof of concept

Ottenhaus, L.-M., Hernández-Aldaz, M., Davies, A. and Cabrero, J. M. (2025). Evaluating the disassembly potential of timber buildings: development of calculation tool and proof of concept. Wood Material Science and Engineering, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-29. doi: 10.1080/17480272.2025.2510562

Evaluating the disassembly potential of timber buildings: development of calculation tool and proof of concept

2025

Journal Article

Circulation of structural timber for structural purposes: a review of opportunities and challenges

Novais Passarelli, Rafael, Chiletto, Tatiana De Oliveira, Brandner, Reinhard and Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike (2025). Circulation of structural timber for structural purposes: a review of opportunities and challenges. Wood Material Science & Engineering, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-22. doi: 10.1080/17480272.2025.2493711

Circulation of structural timber for structural purposes: a review of opportunities and challenges

2025

Conference Publication

URBAN TRANSITION WITH WOOD FOR ENHANCED RESILIENCE OF CITIES AND FOREST – GLOBAL VISION AND PATHWAY

Maeda, Masaki, Goto, Yutaka, Matsumoto, Naoyuki, Ottenhaus, Lisa, Jockwer, Robert, Alwashali, Hamood, Brandt, Clarissa and Stephens, Michael (2025). URBAN TRANSITION WITH WOOD FOR ENHANCED RESILIENCE OF CITIES AND FOREST – GLOBAL VISION AND PATHWAY. Brisbane, Australia: World Conference On Timber Engineering 2025. doi: 10.52202/080513-0645

URBAN TRANSITION WITH WOOD FOR ENHANCED RESILIENCE OF CITIES AND FOREST – GLOBAL VISION AND PATHWAY

2025

Conference Publication

EFFECT OF FUNGAL DECAY ON WITHDRAWAL CAPACITY OF TIMBER NAIL CONNECTIONS IN RADIATA PINE

Montoya, Camilo, Ottenhaus, Lisa, Singh, Tripti, Morrell, Jeffrey J and Yermán, Luis (2025). EFFECT OF FUNGAL DECAY ON WITHDRAWAL CAPACITY OF TIMBER NAIL CONNECTIONS IN RADIATA PINE. Brisbane, Australia: World Conference On Timber Engineering 2025. doi: 10.52202/080513-0363

EFFECT OF FUNGAL DECAY ON WITHDRAWAL CAPACITY OF TIMBER NAIL CONNECTIONS IN RADIATA PINE

2025

Conference Publication

EFFECT OF WOOD RELAXATION ON NAIL WITHDRAWAL CAPACITY

Zhang, Yuhao, Ottenhaus, Lisa M., Morrell, Jeffrey J., Singh, Tripti and Yermán, Luis (2025). EFFECT OF WOOD RELAXATION ON NAIL WITHDRAWAL CAPACITY. Brisbane, Australia: World Conference On Timber Engineering 2025. doi: 10.52202/080513-0204

EFFECT OF WOOD RELAXATION ON NAIL WITHDRAWAL CAPACITY

2025

Conference Publication

MULTI-PARAMETRIC EVALUATION OF INNOVATIVE CLT CONNECTIONS DEVELOPED FOR DFMA AND DFD

Rigo, Pietro, Nicolussi, Valentino, Polastri, Andrea, Casagrande, Daniele, Pozza, Luca, Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike, Sestigiani, Luca and Callegari, Ernesto (2025). MULTI-PARAMETRIC EVALUATION OF INNOVATIVE CLT CONNECTIONS DEVELOPED FOR DFMA AND DFD. Brisbane, Australia: World Conference On Timber Engineering 2025. doi: 10.52202/080513-0568

MULTI-PARAMETRIC EVALUATION OF INNOVATIVE CLT CONNECTIONS DEVELOPED FOR DFMA AND DFD

2025

Conference Publication

Implementation of adaptable design principles for high-performance light timber framed panelised buildings: an Australian case study

Yan, Zidi, Strang, Marcus, Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike, Leardini, Paola, Adams, Paul and Crews, Keith (2025). Implementation of adaptable design principles for high-performance light timber framed panelised buildings: an Australian case study. 14th World Conference on Timber Engineering 2025 (WCTE 2025), Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 22-26 June 2025. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: World Conference On Timber Engineering. doi: 10.52202/080513-0156

Implementation of adaptable design principles for high-performance light timber framed panelised buildings: an Australian case study

2025

Conference Publication

IMPACT OF TIMBER ORIGIN ON SCREW WITHDRAWAL CAPACITY

Bagley, Dylan and Ottenhaus, Lisa (2025). IMPACT OF TIMBER ORIGIN ON SCREW WITHDRAWAL CAPACITY. World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE). doi: 10.52202/080513-0474

IMPACT OF TIMBER ORIGIN ON SCREW WITHDRAWAL CAPACITY

2025

Conference Publication

Mechanical properties of recycled versus new high-density australian hardwoods

Hossy, Duncan, Manshadi, Sadaf, Gattas, Joe and Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike (2025). Mechanical properties of recycled versus new high-density australian hardwoods. 14th World Conference on Timber Engineering 2025 (WCTE 2025), Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 22-26 June 2025. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: World Conference On Timber Engineering 2025. doi: 10.52202/080513-0416

Mechanical properties of recycled versus new high-density australian hardwoods

2025

Conference Publication

Building bridges between architecture and engineering - timber education at the University of Queensland

Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike, Keys, Catherine and Baber, Kim (2025). Building bridges between architecture and engineering - timber education at the University of Queensland. 14th World Conference on Timber Engineering: Advancing Timber for the Future Built Environment, WCTE 2025, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 22 - 26 June 2025. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: World Conference On Timber Engineering 2025. doi: 10.52202/080513-0232

Building bridges between architecture and engineering - timber education at the University of Queensland

2023

Journal Article

Influence of wet-dry cycles on the withdrawal capacity and corrosion of zinc electroplated self-tapping screws in CCA-treated and untreated Southern pine

Yan, Zidi, Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike, Yermán, Luis and Scheibenreiter, Johann (2023). Influence of wet-dry cycles on the withdrawal capacity and corrosion of zinc electroplated self-tapping screws in CCA-treated and untreated Southern pine. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 19 e02429, e02429. doi: 10.1016/j.cscm.2023.e02429

Influence of wet-dry cycles on the withdrawal capacity and corrosion of zinc electroplated self-tapping screws in CCA-treated and untreated Southern pine

2023

Conference Publication

Rückbaubare Verbindungen für den Ingenieurholzbau

Ottenhaus, Lisa (2023). Rückbaubare Verbindungen für den Ingenieurholzbau. Internationales Holzbau Forum, Innsbruck, Austria, 29 November-2 December 2023.

Rückbaubare Verbindungen für den Ingenieurholzbau

2023

Journal Article

Effect of wetting and fungal degradation on the withdrawal capacity of stainless-steel screws in radiata pine

Yermán, Luis, Vargas, Juan and Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike (2023). Effect of wetting and fungal degradation on the withdrawal capacity of stainless-steel screws in radiata pine. European Journal of Wood and Wood Products, 82 (1), 15-22. doi: 10.1007/s00107-023-01988-7

Effect of wetting and fungal degradation on the withdrawal capacity of stainless-steel screws in radiata pine

2023

Journal Article

Design for adaptability, disassembly and reuse – a review of reversible timber connection systems

Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike, Yan, Zidi, Brandner, Reinhard, Leardini, Paola, Fink, Gerhard and Jockwer, Robert (2023). Design for adaptability, disassembly and reuse – a review of reversible timber connection systems. Construction and Building Materials, 400 132823, 1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.132823

Design for adaptability, disassembly and reuse – a review of reversible timber connection systems

2023

Journal Article

A parametric design framework for timber framing span tables

Jiang, Jian, Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike and Gattas, Joseph M. (2023). A parametric design framework for timber framing span tables. Australian Journal of Civil Engineering, 23 (1), 63-78. doi: 10.1080/14488353.2023.2227432

A parametric design framework for timber framing span tables

2023

Other Outputs

Timber wall frame span table datasets

Jiang, Jian, Gattas, Joe and Ottenhaus, Lisa (2023). Timber wall frame span table datasets. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/64163b4

Timber wall frame span table datasets

2023

Conference Publication

Towards adaptability and circularity of timber buildings

Jockwer, Robert, Öberg, Vera, Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike, Leardini, Paola and Goto, Yutaka (2023). Towards adaptability and circularity of timber buildings. 13th World Conference on Timber Engineering: Timber for a Livable Future, WCTE 2023, Oslo, Norway, 19-22 June 2023. As, Norway: World Conference on Timber Engineering. doi: 10.52202/069179-0203

Towards adaptability and circularity of timber buildings

2023

Conference Publication

The impacts of screw tip, inclination angles, and number of penetration layers on screw withdrawal capacity of Australian machine graded pine

Yan, Zidi, Ottenhaus, Lisa-Mareike, Lin, Jingyuan, Jockwer, Robert and Ringhofer, Andreas (2023). The impacts of screw tip, inclination angles, and number of penetration layers on screw withdrawal capacity of Australian machine graded pine. World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE), Oslo, Norway, 17-21 June 2023. As, Norway: World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE). doi: 10.52202/069179-0185

The impacts of screw tip, inclination angles, and number of penetration layers on screw withdrawal capacity of Australian machine graded pine

Funding

Current funding

  • 2023 - 2028
    ARC Research Hub to Advance Timber for Australia's Future Built Environment
    ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hubs
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2027
    Offsite manufacture reimagined for high-performance adaptable housing
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2020 - 2022
    Study Fresh: Using Citizen Science to Engage School Children with Indoor Air Quality
    Queensland Citizen Science Grants
    Open grant
  • 2020
    Establishing carbon credentials of timber in construction
    Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Dr Lisa Ottenhaus is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Investigating timber connection performance for extended building life

    This project aims to create a a clear and common understanding in the Australian engineering community around connection design through experimental performance evaluation and development of design guidance. The aim is to design connections that help extend timber building life.The following research gaps may be addressed:

    1) investigate embedment strength of dowel-type fasteners in different Australian timber species and products; derive reliable regression models for strength prediction;

    2) study of screwed connections in Australian timber species and products including engineered wood products; determine screw withdrawal parameters and develop analytical models

    3) other fundamental experimental research on timber connections to extend building life

    Formal education or equivalent professional experience in structural timber engineering is a non-negotiable prerequisite to undertake this research. If you do not meet this requirement, your application will be declined. At a minimum, applicants should have completed an undergraduate course on the basics of structural timber engineering with distinction. Applicants with a degree in timber are preferred. Previous experimental research experience is desirable (e.g. BHon or Master thesis research).

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Investigation of engineered recycled hardwood and natural fibre composite products

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Joe Gattas

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Offsite Timber Manufacture Potential for Incremental and Transformative Housing In Australia

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Paola Leardini

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Effects of decay on timber connections

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Luis Yerman

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Effect of moisture content changeson the performance of timber connections

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Luis Yerman

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Dr Lisa Ottenhaus directly for media enquiries about:

  • timber buildings
  • timber education
  • timber engineering

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au