Glulam construction was pioneered in Germany starting in 1900. It became popular in the US after WWII. By this time traditional timber engineering was a lost art. Research in the 40's and 50's on connections was focused on connections that could be quickly and easily made with the power tools that were increasingly being used in the construction industry. This research laid the foundations for the current connection design methods in the National Design Specification (NDS) for wood construction. Code recognized traditional joinery design methods are still a few years away. An engineer experienced in traditional timber joinery is able to arrive at safe designs using a combination of the NDS and recent research sponsored in part by the Timber Framers Guild & Business Council. Glulam has been sucessfully used in combination with traditional joinery. It is strong, stable and available in almost any length. It is not a traditional looking material which is one of the reasons it is not often married to traditional joinery. Another reason being more expensive than sawn timbers. Check out Unadilla Laminated Products website for a 173' span covered bridge restoration project in Downsville, NY using full-length glulam replacement bottom chords.
