Apartment Trends Magazine September 2017 | Page 41

mately, will be passed down to residents in apartment communities and
result in higher rents.
Recently, trade associations for the construction and building in-
dustry have stepped in to address the issues exposed in the media and
to provide practical guidance that NAA members may find helpful. The
American Wood Council (AWC) hosted a webinar in July, “BCD235-
Fire Protection During Construction”. Similarly, experts from the
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the ICC have ad-
dressed apartment construction fires and best practices, focusing on fire
prevention on construction sites, including during hot work.
AWC, NFPA and ICC are taking important steps to show builders
are proactively working to prevent future construction fires. Like the
construction and building industry, NAA is working to ensure that
apartment developers and owners can continue to build reasonably
priced housing for families. NAA and NMHC actively promoted
sprinkler standards for wood in multifamily construction through the
ICC code process to ensure these apartment communities are safe for
residents and any possible fires would be contained. Also, NAA is work-
ing with the AWC to provide guidance to affiliates during the review
process for local building codes and legislative discussions on fire safe-
ty.
NAA continues to protect the apartment industry’s ability to utilize
wood construction as its use plays a pivotal role for the industry to meet
ever-increasing housing demands. Wood-framed construction projects
also tend to move at a faster pace than projects which utilize concrete
or steel as a base. In line with the NAA/NMHC demand survey, which
states that 4.6 million apartments will be needed by 2030, developers
will need to use all forms of building construction, including wood, to
meet these needs.
Please contact Holly Charlesworth, Manager of Government Affairs
at 703-797-0630 if fire safety discussions related to wood construction
come up locally. Holly can provide more information on the NAA re-
sources available to affiliates and members.
Visit www.naahq.org for more information on how NAA and NMHC supports the
multifamily industry.
www.aamdhq.org
SEPTEMBER 2017 • TRENDS | 39