SEMINAR OVERVIEW
This seminar will explore emerging approaches for assessing, repairing, and retrofitting fire-damaged mass timber structures. While mass timber is gaining momentum as a sustainable construction material, its broader adoption continues to be influenced by concerns related to fire performance and post-fire repairability.
Developing reliable assessment methods and validated repair techniques is essential for improving the resilience of mass timber buildings and supporting the continued use of timber structural components following fire exposure.
The seminar will present recent advances in post-fire assessment, repair, and rehabilitation of fire-damaged mass timber structural components. It will also highlight state-of-the-art large-scale experimental research conducted at the Lakehead University Fire Testing and Research Laboratory (LUFTRL), with a focus on structural performance and the effectiveness of repair techniques.
SEMINAR DETAILS
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM PT / 1:00 PM MT / 3:00 PM ET
Duration: 1 hour
Topic: Beyond the Burn: Repairing and Retrofitting Fire-Damaged Mass Timber for a More Resilient Future
Speaker: Dr. Sam Salem, Lakehead University
Format: Virtual (Zoom)
Join Zoom Meeting: Click here to join
https://ualberta-ca.zoom.us/j/99195869132?pwd=5hs8XAaenks8cuD9pOStE0vbivbLUG.1&jst=2
Meeting ID: 991 9586 9132
Passcode: 256934
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Sam Salem
Lakehead University
Dr. Sam Salem is a distinguished university professor at Lakehead University and the founder and director of Lakehead University’s CFI-sponsored Fire Testing and Research Laboratory (LUFTRL).
His research focuses on the fire performance of innovative building systems, particularly mass timber systems, through large-scale fire experimentation, advanced numerical modelling, and performance-based structural fire analysis and design.
Dr. Salem has secured over $3 million in competitive external research grants from provincial and federal funding agencies. His research contributions include more than 80 peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals and conference proceedings, the supervision of over 40 highly qualified personnel, and two patents in Canada and the United States.
His expertise has also supported his service on several national and international technical committees, including the ULC Standards Technical and Engagement Committee on Fire Tests (S100A) and the Standing Committee on Structural Design of the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes. He has also served as an invited speaker, session chair, co-editor, editorial board member, and technical reviewer for leading international conferences and journals in structural and fire safety engineering.
SHARE & PARTICIPATION
Thank you for your continued participation in the HQP Seminar Series under the NSERC Alliance Grant – Next-Generation Wood Construction.
Students participating in the grant are expected to attend at least 50% of the HQP Seminar Series. Please share this seminar with colleagues, collaborators, and anyone interested in mass timber, fire performance, post-fire assessment, repair, rehabilitation, and resilient timber construction.
We look forward to your participation in HQP Seminar XXXV.