The American Wood Council (AWC) has released a new report on sound transmission, “Technical Report 15 (TR15), Calculation of Sound Transmission Parameters for Wood-Framed Assemblies.” This first version of TR15 is applicable to wood-frame floor-ceiling assemblies. A free pdf copy...

Introduction Custom kitchens, with high-end appliances, granite countertops, and central islands, are becoming more and more prevalent in the home market today. These products and finishes are heavy and the dead loads from the central islands and/or cabinets positioned along interior...

October is a busy time for the wood products industry. There are not one but three weeks dedicated to national observances important to the safe built environment. Sunday, Oct. 7 – Saturday, Oct. 13: National Fire Prevention Week The National Fire Protection Association’s Fire...

Increasing use of mass timber as a competitive building product in the construction marketplace requires sound design guidelines to ensure safe, efficient, and economic use of wood products. AWC fire research on mass timber conducted over the last year, with support from the Softwood Lumber...

My wife made furniture shopping a family event last weekend, which meant I had to go. The showroom was in a concrete tilt-up with open-web steel joists and a wood roof. My oldest son asked me who decides what construction materials are used, and why. He’s starting college in the fall and...

One of the mandates of the American Wood Council is to make the job of code officials, engineers, and designers easier.  To do this, we provide the technology that is needed to best understand the use of wood in construction. For example, we develop wood design standards to ensure the...

Generally, building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering, and technical applications to the design of buildings. Therefore, all building projects require the services of a building designer. Statutorily, the required credentials of a building’s designer vary from...

Building code officials are our security for ensuring safe building construction and they need to know a lot of information. The American Wood Council (AWC) aims to make the job of building code official a little easier when it comes to knowing about wood products and the latest wood-related...

There are products used in many buildings that are not referenced by the codes or standards. These products can affect structural strength, stability, fire resistance and other building performance attributes, which can impact public safety, health and general welfare. The International Building...

ANSI/TPI 1 is the National Design Standard that establishes the minimum requirements for the design and construction of metal-plate-connected wood trusses. Chapter 2 defines the design responsibilities. As a truss technician or a component manufacturer, you are not responsible for specifying the...