Developers are turning to wood framing as a more affordable building material, but officials are warning of some dangers after reports of several wood-frame buildings catching fire across the country.
Wood framing is increasingly being used in apartment construction and is largely considered safe once construction is completed. But wood framing can be vulnerable to fires before the interior wallboard and other safety features—like sprinklers and alarms—have been installed,
The Wall Street Journal reports.
The number of multifamily units built using wood framing increased to 235,000 in 2016 from 105,000 in 2011, according to U.S. census data. The number of multifamily units constructed with steel frames went up too, increasing to 28,000 from 25,000. Developers are increasingly turning to wood framing because of rising construction costs.
“Quite simply, to build buildings where the rent is affordable to a market-rate renter and most certainly an affordable-housing renter you almost need to make it out of wood frame,” Toby Bozzuto, chief executive of construction company owner Bozzuto Group of Greenbelt, Md., told
The Wall Street Journal.
However, a growing number of fires across the country sparked within wood-framed projects are prompting officials to question whether proper safety protocols are being followed.
“You have nothing but a vertical lumber yard with very limited protection,” Joseph Finn, Boston's fire commissioner, told
The Wall Street Journal about uncompleted wood-frame construction projects. “I think it's a significant risk.”
In Waltham, Mass., last month, a 264-unit, wood-frame apartment complex under construction caught fire and damaged nearby buildings. The fire caused an estimated $110 million in damages. Similar fires have been recently reported to wooden buildings in Maryland and North Carolina.
In another recent case, a developer in Oakland, Calif., reported his 105-unit apartment unit being constructed went up in flames before the sprinkler system had been installed. Rick Holliday told
The Wall Street Journal that he suspected foul play. He began a $15 million rebuilding job and used wood framing in order to get the project completed as soon as possible. But at a similar point in construction, the building burned a second time. Investigators deemed it arson, and Holliday plans to rebuild a third time using metal studs.
In Maryland, a state senator has introduced legislation that would mandate 24-hour on-site wardens at wood-framed buildings with more than three floors during construction.
“We’re doing a lot of construction in places we haven't been present—high density, urban cores,” Paula Cino with the National Multifamily Housing Council, told
The Wall Street Journal. “That really changes the fire potential. You’re much closer to other buildings.”
Source: “Apartment Fires Are Tied to Cheaper, Wood-Based Construction,” The Wall Street Journal (Aug. 18, 2017) [Login required.]
