California is getting even more sustainable as of Thursday. A change in the California Building Code will allow for structures—both commercial and residential—to use mass timber in construction on buildings up to 18 stories tall. Per the L.A. Business Journal, currently, wood builds are limited to five stories for residential buildings and six for commercial.
Made by combining multiple kinds of soft woods into one reinforced wooden panel, mass timber has grown in popularity over use of concrete and steel.
Just last year, Fast Company called the use of mass timber the future of architecture, though it’s not without it’s critics. Especially in a fire-prone state such as California, some point to elevated risk of mass timber property destruction in the event of a wildfire.
Experts note, however, that while timber is not completely fireproof, cross-laminated timber has been found to char at a much slower rate—on average 90 minutes vs 17 minutes for a single-story wood-frame home. The added fuel of mass timber, though, could speed up the growth rate of a fire.
In terms of the change in California code, the state fire marshal endorsed the mass timber update, and comes as the International Code Council approved taller mass timber construction after what they deemed was “rigorous” testing of fire safety.
Sustainability and efficiency remain the driving factors behind the change in building code. The L.A. Business Journal notes that case studies conducted have shown mass timber can cut down construction time by about 15 percent.