by Brianna Crandall — February 12, 2016—In a move reflecting recent interest and technological advances within the architecture and design community that will affect those who manage the facilities, the International Code Council (ICC) Board of Directors has established an ad hoc committee to explore the building science of tall wood buildings.
“Tall wood” is a term used in the industry to identify wood construction that utilizes Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) in buildings of heights greater than six stories. CLT buildings with heights varying from seven to 12 stories are in the planning stages in Minneapolis, Portland and New York City.
ICC Board President Alex “Cash” Olszowy, III, with the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government in Lexington, KY, explains:
The ICC Board carefully considered more than 160 comments from stakeholders prior to establishing this committee. Many of the comments emphasized the need for ICC to comprehensively investigate all aspects of this new construction technology, acknowledging its design flexibility, significant sustainability attributes, and the potential economic impact to our nation’s built environment.
The scope of the ad hoc committee is to investigate the feasibility of and take action on developing proposed changes to the International Codes or I-Codes for safe and resilient construction for tall wood buildings.
In making this decision, the Board notes that the scope is to review all aspects of the building science, and conclusions must be supported by technical justification when considering any proposed changes to the I-Codes.
The committee will follow established procedures and is expected to continue through the 2018 / 2019 / 2020 Code Development Cycle. In response to stakeholder feedback, the Board acknowledges it is imperative the ad hoc function be a broad-based consensus activity, operate under existing ICC procedures, and be funded by the Code Council.
The Board-appointed ad hoc committee will include a necessary balance of industry stakeholders, with additional opportunities for interested parties to participate in work groups. Code officials, architects, engineers, fire protection experts, representatives from building construction material industries, and other related stakeholders were encouraged to apply.
