The American Wood Council has released a national Mass Timber Alternative Materials and Methods Guide for use with the 2018 International Building Code. This new resource is designed to support building code officials as they review, permit and approve mass timber projects across the country.
The AMM Guide is designed to help bridge the gap between the codes adopted in each state and the newer mass timber provisions in the 2024 IBC. Adopting the most recent edition of the Building Code, like the 2024 IBC, can be a slow multi-year process for states or jurisdictions. As a result, there is sometimes a gap between what is included in the currently adopted code in a state and what is allowable based on the latest available ICC I-codes. The AMM guide serves to fill that space by offering code provisions for jurisdictions without mass timber specific guidance.
“For jurisdictions that have not yet adopted the latest I-codes, the AMM Guide is a resource to help code officials establish clear requirements for approval of new mass timber buildings as Alternative Materials and Methods projects,” said Philip Line, AWC’s vice president of codes and standards.
The guide follows last year’s release of AWC’s Florida Mass Timber AMM Guide which was tailored to mass timber projects under the 8th Edition of the Florida Building Code. The Florida-specific guide was recognized by building officials in the state as a key resource for new building projects and also supports the potential adoption of mass timber codes in the state by increasing officials’ familiarity with mass timber provisions in newer I-codes.
The Mass Timber AMM Guide and the Florida AMM Guide are available on AWC’s website along with additional wood construction standards such as the AWC/ANSI National Design Specification for Wood Construction and the Fire Design Specification for Wood Construction.
