AWC’s Leadership In Protecting And Expanding Mass Timber Across The U.S.
By Jackson Morrill
President & CEO of the American Wood Council
It is remarkable to take stock of how far we have come in the U.S. with regard to mass timber adoption since its inclusion in the 2021 I-codes. In only four years’ time, there are 41 states where either the whole state or one or more jurisdictions within the state have adopted either the 2021 or the 2024 I-code mass timber provisions. AWC has been at the forefront of this effort, including most recently in Michigan, where AWC led a training on mass timber for members of the state’s Bureau of Construction Code staff and the Fire Inspectors Society.
The strategic work in Michigan is just one example of many where AWC has played a lead role in facilitating code adoption. Just as each state has different code adoption procedures, AWC has had to shift its approach to find success. For example, in states where there is a track record of strong political opposition to code updates, AWC has pivoted to develop the National Mass Timber Alternative Materials and Methods (AMM) Guide. The AMM Guide is designed to support building code officials as they review and permit mass timber projects in areas where mass timber provisions have not yet been formally adopted. Many states still use the 2018 IBC, and the AMM Guide is designed to integrate the 2021 and 2024 mass timber provisions into the 2018 code, making it a critical step to familiarize building officials with mass timber construction. Developers have also shared that the Guide facilitates their efforts to get code approval for mass timber structures in jurisdictions that have not yet adopted the 2021 or 2024 I-codes because it compiles all of the relevant provisions into one document, making the review process significantly less cumbersome.
Even as AWC is pressing forward in its support for mass timber code adoption across the U.S., our code staff must still make sure that the gains made on mass timber are not rolled back through future I-code updates. Earlier this year, AWC successfully defeated a first-round attempt to roll back previously passed code provisions for mass timber. Competing material groups put forth a proposal during April’s code hearings for the 2027 I-codes that would have reduced the already approved allowances for exposed mass timber ceilings in the 2024 IBC. AWC worked with allies ahead of the hearing to refute the unfounded claims against mass timber’s fire performance, and at the hearing, the proposal was ultimately disapproved in a landslide. While similar proposals in the future may be submitted throughout the I-code development process, AWC and its partners are ready to respond to competing materials attempts by pointing to robust performance criteria that were considered and accepted during the hearings for the 2021 and 2024 IBC.
AWC’s work to protect and support mass timber in the I-codes and its adoption across the U.S. continues unabated. We still have a way to go to get to our goal, which is universal adoption in all 50 states. That said, it is worth pausing to appreciate the progress made to date and to continue the effort to seek creative means – like the AMM Guide – to help support more mass timber construction in the U.S.
