In January 2019, the International Code Council (ICC) approved a set of proposals to allow tall wood buildings as part of the 2021 International Building Code (IBC).

Construction of the new 84-meter, 24-storey high ‘HoHo Tower‘ in Vienna, Austria – set to be the world’s tallest timber building. Image credit: Lightwood

Construction of the new 84-meter, 24-storey high ‘HoHo Tower‘ in Vienna, Austria – set to be the world’s tallest timber building. Image credit: Lightwood

Based on these proposals, the 2021 IBC will include three new construction types—Type IV-A, IV-B and IV-C—allowing the use of mass timber or non-combustible materials. These new types are based on the previous Heavy Timber construction type (renamed Type IV-HT) but with additional fire-resistance ratings and levels of required non-combustible protection.

The code will include provisions for up to 18 storeys of Type IV-A construction for Business and Residential Occupancies. Based on information first published in the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) 2018 Conference Proceedings, this paper summarises the background to these proposals, technical research that supported their adoption, and resulting changes to the IBC and product-specific standards.

For more information on tall wood buildings, and to download the 2021 International Building Code, click here: https://www.woodworks.org/wp-content/uploads/wood_solution_paper-TALL-WOOD.pdf

Source: Think Wood – Timber Trends on Track to Change Architecture in 2020