Compelling Evidence Challenges Touted Benefits of Mass Timber Products
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sara Schuttloffel
(202) 383-4885
sschuttloffel@impact-net.org
Nation’s Construction Projects Deserve a Level Playing Field for Material Selection
Compelling Evidence Challenges Touted Benefits of Mass Timber Products
Washington – While the Washington State Legislature has been moving aggressively to subsidize and mandate mass timber and engineered wood products like Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), recent studies are casting serious doubt about the safety, resiliency, sustainability, and efficiency of such products.
Compelling evidence challenges CLT’s touted benefits and lawmakers should take pause before sanctioning mass timber products as the preferred building material in the state of Washington. Preliminary results from a state-funded pilot project raised grave concerns about CLT’s performance. The study showed that the CLT materials substantially increased construction costs, were difficult to source locally, were less energy efficient than claimed, and raised critical safety concerns. High safety standards are of utmost importance when it comes to constructing schools and community facilities.
It is essential to conduct a complete review of the state-funded school pilot projects prior to passing permanent legislation. Impulsive mandates and subsidies for CLT will almost certainly increase project costs, pose safety risks, and unfairly alter design, engineering, and construction material selection.
As more states around the country, such as Minnesota begin to jump on the “CLT bandwagon” without testing the safety, resiliency, sustainability, and efficiency of mass timber products, we must urge lawmakers to exercise extreme caution and hold them accountable.
Lawmakers nationwide must exercise extreme caution in offering preferential status to an unproven construction material. Steel, concrete and masonry out-perform CLT in sustainability, structural integrity and safety. Unproven building materials such as CLT place an undue legal burden on the public and public agencies. The Building Materials Coalition is leading the movement to support time-tested, non-combustible, structurally sound and safe building materials such as steel, concrete and masonry over unproven mass timber products and CLT.
"We're pleased to join the Building Materials Safety Coalition and lend our expertise in structural steel design and construction,” said Charles J. Carter, president, AISC. “We know that strength, resilience, and safety are of utmost importance, and we are proud to join our fellow members in the movement to support non-combustible materials."
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The Building Materials Safety Coalition (BMSC) is a partnership of construction industry leaders, building trade organizations, labor unions, non-profit associations and research institutes. The BMSC was formed to promote and prioritize safety, resiliency, sustainability and efficiency in commercial, industrial and residential construction.
CONTACT: Sara Schuttloffel Building Materials Safety Coalition 2023834885 sschuttloffel@impact-net.org