Research Title:
Design Methodology for Mass Timber Columns Exposed to Real Fires
Main Supervisor:
Associate Professor Anthony Abu
Co-supervisor:
Emeritus Professor Andy Buchanan
Research Interests:
Cameron Douglas is a Structural Fire Engineer at PTL | Structural & Fire in Christchurch, New Zealand (https://ptlnz.com/), and is currently completing a part-time Master of Engineering in Fire Engineering (MEFE). He has a strong interest in the numerical analysis of structural mechanics and the behaviour of construction materials, including steel, concrete, timber, and hybrid systems, to support the design and performance optimisation of structures under various conditions.
For his master’s research, Cameron is analysing the behaviour of timber columns exposed to realistic fire scenarios, which have been shown to be susceptible to buckling even after a fire has been extinguished. The outcome of this work will be a design methodology to assist engineers in assessing timber columns following fire exposure.
Personal Interests:
Cameron is an avid field hockey fan and currently plays for the Premier Men’s team of the Southern United Hockey Club (SUHC). He has also represented the Senior Canterbury Men’s A team (Canterbury Cavaliers). Outside of hockey, he enjoys running, good coffee, and watching cricket.
Academic History:
Bachelor of Civil Engineering with Honours (BE(hons)), University of Canterbury: 2018-2021.
Publications:
2025 (Author): Structural Design of Timber Columns in Realistic Fires. WCTE 2025 Brisbane Conference Proceedings. C. Douglas, D. Pau, A. Buchanan, and D. Moroder.
2025 (Author): SH26 Onetai Stream Bridge – The First Modern Timber Bridge on a State Highway in Decades in NZ. ICTB 2025 Rotorua Conference Proceedings. C. Douglas, L. Edwards, D. Moroder, and A. Buchanan.
2024 (Co-author): Application of Iterative Fire Severity Analysis to Fire Safety Design of Multi-storey Mass Timber Structures. Wood & Fire Safety (p. 265-274). D. Pau, A. Buchanan, and C. Douglas. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-59177-8_31.
2021 (Author): Allowing for Phase Effects in the Displacement-Based Seismic Design of Structures with Viscous Dampers. Civil and Natural Resources Engineering (CNRE). Final Year Project. C. Douglas and J. Wang. Supervised by T.J. Sullivan.
