“Bridging” Theory and Practice: Experiential Learning in Timber Structure Design

This project introduces CIVL4100M Design of Timber Structures as Hong Kong’s first undergraduate timber-structure design course, addressing a local skills gap as sustainable engineered-timber construction grows; its scope is to replace mainly lecture-based teaching with an iterative experiential, project-based learning journey where students learn timber mechanics and design codes, conduct lab testing of timber members, and complete a team-based bridge design–build–test competition, supported by gamification (role-play as different professional roles, performance prediction vs. test outcomes, recognition/leaderboards and “real-world” constraints) to sustain motivation and deepen learning. The project’s main objectives are to build students’ technical mastery of timber design, strengthen analytical and reflective capabilities through prediction–feedback–redesign cycles, and develop teamwork/leadership/communication via structured collaboration, while at the broader teaching-development level evaluating how gamified experiential learning affects engagement, teamwork and outcomes, and producing transferable resources that can be adapted to other engineering and sustainability courses.