Sandy Springs, Ga., an Atlanta suburb, amended its building code to prevent buildings taller than three stories and larger than 100,000 sf from being wood-framed.
Supporters of the change cited safety, durability, and longevity as concerns regarding wood-framed construction. Georgia Forestry Association and American Wood Council officials countered that wood is a more sustainable material and said the code change would harm the wood industry.
The use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) for framing high rises is growing, particularly in Europe, where wood-framed buildings as tall as 80 stories have been proposed. Firefighting professionals around the U.S. have expressed concern about the fire resistance of wood-framed tall buildings.
CLT manufacturers say the material is just as safe as steel and concrete, and can be installed more rapidly.
Related Stories
Wood | Oct 19, 2020
Valle Wood is Norway’s largest commercial building made of solid timber
Lund+Slaatto designed the building.
Office Buildings | Jul 9, 2020
Sydney will be home to the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower
SHoP Architects, in collaboration with BVN, is designing the project.
Building Materials | Jul 5, 2020
A new report predicts significant demand growth for mass timber components
There should be plenty of wood, but production capacity needs to catch up.
Wood | Jun 24, 2020
One of Europe’s largest office and warehouse buildings is made entirely of wood
Exli designed and built the project.
Wood | Apr 1, 2020
HDR will design a mass timber Ramada Hotel
The hotel will be located in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Wood | Feb 3, 2020
Mass timber construction grows up
Mass timber is finally making a dent in commercial construction. But can it keep up with demand?
Wood | Jan 24, 2020
105,000-sf vertical mass timber expansion will cap D.C.’s 80 M Street
Hickok Cole is designing the project.
Urban Planning | Jan 13, 2020
Henning Larsen designs all-timber neighborhood for Copenhagen
The project hopes to set a standard for how modern communities can live in harmony with nature.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 12, 2019
Top Building Envelope Products for 2019
Sto's beetle-inspired exterior coating and Dörken Systems' UV-resistant vapor-permeable barrier are among the 28 new building envelope products to make Building Design+Construction's 2019 101 Top Products report.
