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
Fields of research
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
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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.
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Lisa Ottenhaus is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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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
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Doctor Philosophy
Investigation of engineered recycled hardwood and natural fibre composite products
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Joe Gattas
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Doctor Philosophy
Offsite Timber Manufacture Potential for Incremental and Transformative Housing In Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Paola Leardini
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Doctor Philosophy
Effects of decay on timber connections
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Luis Yerman
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Doctor Philosophy
Effect of moisture content changeson the performance of timber connections
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Luis Yerman
Completed supervision
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Design and Performance Evaluation of Reversible Connections for Modular Adaptable Timber Buildings
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Paola Leardini
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
A BIM-LCA Integration Framework in the Early Design Stage
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr SangHyung Ahn
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2024
Master Philosophy
Optimisation of timber selection in low-rise residential building wall frame construction
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Joe Gattas
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Moisture Safety for Energy-efficient CLT Envelopes: Pathways to Net-zero Operational Energy for Engineered Wood Multi-storey Buildings in Australian Tropical and Subtropical Climates
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Juan Hidalgo Medina, Associate Professor Paola Leardini
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Lisa Ottenhaus directly for media enquiries about:
- timber buildings
- timber education
- timber engineering
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