Now available: Tall mass timber special inspector certification

The Assessment Center at ICC is pleased to announce the new Tall Mass Timber Special Inspector certification. The certification exam is now conveniently available via the PRONTO (Proctored Remote Online Testing Option) platform.

The term tall mass timber applies to mass timber buildings, constructed of mass timber elements, that exceed current height limits for wood buildings included in the 2018 International Building Code (IBC). Provisions allowing for the construction of tall mass timber buildings up to 18 stories will be published in the 2021 edition of the IBC, therefore making tall mass timber construction a current topic of discussion.

The Code Council has collaborated extensively with the American Wood Council to prepare for the 2021 provisions with resources and the certification exam.

• The newly released Mass Timber Buildings and the IBC, provides an overview of requirements for mass timber construction as found in the 2021 IBC. The document reviews the 2015 IBC’s recognition of cross-laminated timber, the reorganization of heavy timber provisions in the 2018 IBC, followed by the historic changes in the 2021 IBC and International Fire Code for tall mass timber construction.
• Training offered by the Learning Center at ICC includes; mass timber building and the IBC and a webinar series on mass timber construction. These offerings will give an overview of mass timber, which includes any product currently permitted for use in Type IV (heavy timber) construction. Are you preparing for the exam this fall? Start with the Mass Timber Building and the IBC online training event on Nov. 19, 2020.
• The new Special Inspector Tall Mass Timber certification is founded on the need for people experienced and knowledgeable in this new area of construction. The Code Council established an Exam Development Committee responsible for developing the certification exam for tall mass timber special inspectors, which will cover the new provisions in Chapter 17 as found in the 2021 IBC.

The Code Council has prepared a mass timber resource page to help guide you through the topic.