Mr Gregory Nolan is Director of the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW), an industry funded, strategic research facility of the School of Architecture & Design. The Centre aims to foster the use of timber as a building material that is efficient, economic, environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. Originally stemming from an active research unit, CSAW now offers a wide range of research and educational skills to the timber industry, building design professions, building industry and beyond.
CSAW is composed of a tight knit, highly experienced team of architects, engineers, wood products industry practitioners and support personnel who work closely with the building design professions throughout Australia and the Tasmanian & Australia timber industry.
It primarily operates out of offices at the School of Architecture and Design at the Inveresk campus in Launceston, Tasmania and has secondary offices at the CRC for Forestry and the University’s School of Engineering in Hobart.
As the name suggests, CSAW focuses primarily on sustainability regarding the use of wood in the architecture, engineering and building fields.
CSAW’s research focus is consolidated into two interrelated research streams:
To maintain this research profile, CSAW is equipped with a research laboratory, timber testing facilities, and maintain test buildings at the University’s Newnham campus.
The Centre is also involved in professional and educational support, particularly the preparation of high quality educational and technical publications for practicing building design professionals and the general public, in hardcopy and on the Internet. It also offers professional development seminars, technical advice, material testing and contract research services. It provides technical advice on the use of timber in building, on the phone, by e-mail and on the Internet.
With an extensive and established network of external collaborative partnerships such as those with Australian industry, research and other universities, CSAW prides itself on collaborative relationships and is largely externally funded.