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Component Manufacturing dverti$er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
Adverti$er
January 2020 #12246 Page #98
AWC Successes in Mass Timber, Fire Engagement Mark 2019 Robert Glowinski is the President & CEO of the American Wood Council (AWC).
T
he American Wood Council (AWC) is prepared for an active 2020, but first, we look back at the challenges and resulting accomplishments over the course of 2019.
Last year was marked by successes in the building codes development process, establishing lines of communications with the fire service industry, educating federal and state legislative bodies about the performance of wood products, and reducing the regulatory burden on industry manufacturing.
Codes and Standards 2019 was the last year of ICC’s triennial code development cycle for the 2021 I-codes. To ensure positive outcomes for wood, AWC reviewed and established positions on over 1300 code change proposals in April for ICC’s Committee hearings and then 350 proposals brought forward to public comment hearings in October. Significant victories included defeating four AWC-opposed proposals submitted by the concrete industry, and nine AWC-opposed proposals submitted by others that sought to limit wood use. While holding off opposition groups, five AWC-proposed changes were approved, several of which will allow, for the first time, use of protected concealed spaces in heavy timber construction. And to make it easier for designers to specify wood, AWC also conducted a successful fire test to demonstrate for the first time that an exterior wood-frame wall built with 2x6 studs spaced at 24 inches on-center with fiberglass insulation could pass the ASTM E119 1-hour fire endurance test.
Fire Service Engagement In 2019, AWC also established the Fire Service Advisory Council, a distinguished group of fire service experts from all over the United States. The role of this group is to advise AWC on fire safety strategies and tactics regarding wood-frame construction, mass timber, and other wood products and ensure an ongoing dialogue between industry and this critical regulatory segment. The Council held its first in-person meeting in 2019 to discuss priorities. The WoodAware website was relaunched this year, dedicated to educating the fire service and public on wood-frame construction, mass timber, and other wood products. The website provides an array of sources, including fire safety and testing, examples of wood construction in all types of structures, and anything else one might need to be knowledgeable about wood products for construction. The relaunched website also includes a section completely dedicated to the newly approved 2021 International Building Code tall mass timber code provisions. Continued next page
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