FIND A CONTRACTOR BUYER'S GUIDE
BECOME AN INDUSTRY PARTNER
MCAA Logo
MEMBER LOGIN JOIN
NEWS
Join Us For The 75th Anniversary Midyear Meeting Sep 7-11 ↗

Keep the Public Safe From Tall Wood Buildings

Words: Hector KarrmasonryThe International Code Council soon will vote on proposed code changes that among other things would allow tall wood buildings to be built up to 18 stories, despite a lack of rigorous scientific or in-the-field fire and structural testing.

NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE ACTION by urging the ICC to say no to these dangerous proposals that are up for a final vote which closes on Nov 27, 2018. Join the public hearing process to let your voices be heard. This highly combustible mass timber must be stopped!

There are two key ways you can take action:
  1. The most effective action is to encourage designers, code officials, and concerned building owners you know to SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENTS in opposition to these changes. Act fast! The public comment period is open until July 16, 2018. Comments must be submitted through the ICC's cdpACCESS website. Click here for a printable set of detailed instructions and suggested talking points.

  2. You can also submit public comments yourself. See above for information on submitting comments and suggested talking points.

Why should these TALL WOOD proposals for mass timber construction be stopped?

UNTESTED: Wood-industry funded tests performed in the U.S. and Canada were completely inadequate, failing to examine real-world structural risk factors, potential firefighting safety impacts from weather, and material-related risk factors to public health and safety.

UNPROVEN: While non-combustible concrete and steel have been used for centuries to build tall buildings and structures, mass timber products, like cross-laminated timber, are unknown and unproven construction materials.

UNSOUND: Common sense knows, and history shows, that TALL WOOD buildings are high-risk and dangerous to public health and safety when it comes to natural and man-made disasters like hurricanes and wildfires.

To download a full set of talking points, click here.
About: Legislative
 0
Chairman's Message: REFLECTIONS SPANNING SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS
September 2025

MCAA has been posting lots of wonderful old photos from decades of records as we celebrate our 75th Anniversary. Many of these photos are black and white and show people at our MCAA events with men wearing suits and ties while the women wore dressy gowns

Dick Dentinger
Chairman’s Message
Read More
Business Building: What Are You Doing To Develop Future Leaders?
September 2025

When I ask my coaching clients if they have anyone in their construction company who could potentially move up from field superintendent to estimator or project manager, the typical answer is “No!” The same answer is usually given when asked if they have

George Hedley
Business Building
Read More
Building More: Smoke Signals or Fire Extinguishers
September 2025

Ever watch a hot-potato game break out on your jobsite? It usually starts small. Somebody spots a crooked door frame, mutters, “I’ll make a note,” and flicks the issue to the next trade like it’s radioactive. By the time that frame comes back around, dryw

Corey Adams
Building More
Read More
MASONRY STRONG Podcast, Episode 27 Recap: Rob McKay, Chief Operating Officer at Instone
September 2025

On this episode of the MASONRY STRONG Podcast, Rob McKay from Instone joins the show to talk about his story as well as the processes and procedures of manufacturing natural stone. Getting Started in Masonry: Rob’s Story Rob entered the masonry field by

Justin Stengel
The MASONRY STRONG Podcast
Read More