How Tall Mass Timber Touches the Sky and Matches the Fire Performance of Traditional Non-Combustible Construction Types

With the adoption of the 2021 International Building Code (IBC), municipalities across the United States will have the ability to build wood buildings taller than ever before. With three new types of construction, Type IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C, mass timber buildings will allow design professionals to erect wood buildings up to 18 stories in height. Figure 1 represents the maximum permitted number of stories under the Type IV-A code change. While these structures are constructed from wood, they are not conventional light-frame construction, and the structural behavior and fire resistance of mass timber structures are not comparable to light-frame construction. …