Portland Permits Tallest All-Wood US High Rise Despite String of Wooden Building Fires

Ready mixed contractors' association says 'It's a sad state of affairs when economic arguments made by politicians, rather than words of caution by fire safety professionals are used to justify certain construction method'

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Assoc. takes exception to the City of Portland granting a building permit for Framework, the first cross-laminated-timber high rise over 85 ft.
The National Ready Mixed Concrete Assoc. takes exception to the City of Portland granting a building permit for Framework, the first cross-laminated-timber high rise over 85 ft.
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Last week, officials in Portland, Oregon, approved construction permits for the first all-wood high-rise building in the United States – setting a dangerous precedent of ignoring building codes at a time of increased concern with wooden structures, according to a statement by the National Ready Mix Contractors Assoc. (NRMCA).

The State of Oregon and City of Portland granted a building permit for the first cross-laminated timber high rise over 85 ft. tall. The 12-story (148 ft.) building called Framework is designed by Lever Architecture. It will make use of a wood core structure, and offer 90,000 sq. ft. of mixed-use space. 

The NRMCA points out a number of wood-framed apartment fires this year – notably in Lowell, Mass.; Waterbury, Conn., Oakland, Calif.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Arlington, Va; College Park, Md.; Overland Park, Kan.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Maplewood, N.J. There have been dozens over the last few years.

The proposed building in Portland will be built with cross-laminated timber (CLT), which is comprised of multiple panels of lumber layered crosswise and glued together. Proponents claim the material is fire-resistant, but there are concerns that what NRMCA calls '"minimal testing" places residents and fire safety professionals at risk. 

“It’s a sad state of affairs when the economic arguments made by politicians, rather than the words of caution made by engineers and fire safety professionals, are being used to justify certain construction methods,” says Kevin Lawlor, a spokesperson for Build With Strength, a coalition of the NRMCA comprised of fire service professionals, engineers, architects and industry experts.  “Oregon state residents deserve to live free from worry that their homes and businesses aren’t unnecessarily exposed to disaster all for the sake of creating jobs and negligible cost-savings.”

Oregon Governor Kate Brown praised the building project for demonstrating how timber construction can spur employment stating “Oregon’s forests are a tried and true resource that may again be the key to economic stability for rural Oregon.”

Cities and towns like New York, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.; Maitland, Fla.; Sandy Springs and Tucker, Ga., have taken proactive steps to preemptively ban the use of combustible materials, such as wood, in this type of construction.

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