New limits on the use of wood-frame construction imposed by the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs, Ga., are going against the trend toward wood frames, says a representative of the American Wood Council. Enacted in August, the changes in Sandy Springs’ local building code limit the use of wood framing to projects that meet two main criteria: building height of three stories or less—instead of the previous four-story maximum—and gross floor area of no more than 100,000 sq ft.
“We’ve not seen anything of this scale anywhere else in the country,” says Kenneth Bland, vice president for codes and regulations with American Wood Council (AWC). Calling it “outside of the trend” for the use of wood-frame construction nationwide, Bland adds, “We’ve seen no other attempt like this in any other jurisdiction.”