Structural Behavior of Wood Diaphragms: From Rigid to Flexible

Sub Title Goes Here

When designing light-frame wood buildings, it’s essential to consider the flexibility and deflection characteristics of horizontal diaphragms, which can have a critical impact on a structure’s performance, safety, and serviceability. This webinar examines how the classification of diaphragms as rigid, flexible, or semi-rigid impacts load distribution and overall building behavior.

Attendees will gain insight into the interaction between diaphragms and vertical shear walls, understanding how diaphragm flexibility and wall layout influence lateral force paths. The presentation will also cover design strategies and detailing methods to increase diaphragm stiffness and reduce deflections when necessary, ensuring code compliance, occupant safety, and long-term building performance.

Location:: Online
Date/Time:: December 10, 2025 | 1:00pm-2:00pm ET
Credits:: Attendees can earn 1.0 AIA/CES HSW LU, 1.0 PDH credit or 0.10 ICC credit

Bonus content – Attendees are invited to stay after for the webinar for a non-accredited bonus session featuring WoodWorks Partner RedBuilt for a manufacturer Q&A. Learn more about their products and services and how they can be a resource on your next project.

Speakers

Karen Gesa, PE | WoodWorks

Karen has been a consulting structural engineer, project manager and team leader for over twenty-seven years. Her experience includes new construction, additions, renovations, historic preservation, blast and progressive collapse, finite element modeling, and structural investigation and repair for government and private facilities from concept through construction. Projects have included health care, office, retail, K-12 and higher education, religious, theater, historical, industrial, military, multi-family, parking, residential and mixed-use buildings. Karen is a registered professional engineer in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, and has a BAE, Structural Emphasis, from Pennsylvania State University.

Taylor Landry, PE, MLSE | WoodWorks

Taylor is a licensed professional engineer with a broad range of structural engineering experience. Having worked in a traditional consulting role focusing on low and mid-rise structures and with an engineered wood products supplier working on complex custom homes, he developed a specialty in light wood-frame and mass timber construction. Taylor received a Bachelor of Science degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Engineering from The University of Connecticut.