Three in Four Americans Think Tall Wood is Threat to Public Safety – Poll

Washington, D.C., Aug. 14, 2018 – Three in four Americans say proposals to allow taller buildings to be constructed with wood raise serious concerns for public safety, according to a new national public opinion poll.

The poll. commissioned by the Portland Cement Association (PCA), queried public opinion on proposals to change the nation’s model building codes to raise to 18 the number of stories that can be built using wood products. Most respondents (74%) expressed concerns over building structure and fire safety.

Building Codes change proposals will be voted on in October by the International Code Council (ICC), which develops the model building code.

“Most people don’t know what materials were used to build their home, school, hospital or office building – so the building codes that shaped those construction decisions are way off their radar,” said Portland Cement Association (PCA) President and CEO Michael Ireland.

“We wanted to take the pulse of Americans to learn what they think about proposals to build taller structures using wood, and we got a very clear picture: they don’t like it.”

The nationwide poll was conducted by Hart Research on behalf of PCA.

The results suggest three in four respondents think it’s a bad idea to allow high-rise construction using wood. Many also said they’d be personally uncomfortable in buildings built with wood products, such as cross-laminated timber.

According to the poll results, when asked why they had concerns about such proposals, the following percentage of respondents volunteered these reasons:

• Wood is less strong than other building materials like steel and concrete, it’s not as sturdy or durable and could break (52%)
• Wood is more flammable, more likely to burn, and presents a greater fire hazard (31%)
• Wood is more susceptible to weather damage and weather events (including earthquakes & hurricanes), it is less safe and will decompose or rot faster than other materials (18%)

“It’s time Americans were made aware of this threat, and that they can have a say in whether the wood industry gets a fast-tracked path to being able to build high-rise buildings across the country,” Ireland said, urging people to visit https://stoptallwood.com to get engaged.

Source: Portland Cement Association