NRMCA expresses concern for cross laminated timber in construction

 Friday, July 22, 2016

Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), released a new video expressing concern with the use of a wood product known as cross-laminated timber (CLT) in construction. The video joins an ongoing effort to inform the design / build and construction communities about the importance of utilizing strong and resilient building materials in the Seattle, Washington market.

“Within the United States, cross-laminated timber is really a new material, a new process,” said Jon Narva, Director of External Relations for the National Association of State Fire Marshals. “We still don’t know a lot about it, we’re trying to understand better how to protect the public with those buildings frankly coming into being. It’s certainly a fair statement to say we understand concrete and what it’s going to do under fire conditions better than we do cross-laminated timber.” Jon added further.

The nature of timber alone should give reason for pause; it’s prone to fire, termites, earthquakes, and humidity. At the moment, sufficient testing has not taken place to verify the durability and strength of CLT.