WASHINGTON, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report shows balanced design using concrete masonry construction to save lives and protect property from building fires is also a wise economic choice. The report has been released by the Fire Safety Construction Advisory Councils representing New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. Haas Architects and Engineers of State College, Pennsylvania were commissioned by the councils to conduct the study seeking to compare costs between light construction and noncombustible fire containment construction such as concrete masonry. Walter Schneider, PhD, PE, Principal and Chief Engineer at Haas Architects and Engineers explains, "Existing U.S. building codes, standards and construction favor the use of light construction over noncombustible fire containment construction even though fire kills more Americans annually than all other natural disasters combined. The United States has one of the worst fire safety records among industrialized nations around the world. This situation exists despite a prevalent use of detection systems, tough code requirements for sprinklers, and some of the best trained and equipped fire service and emergency response teams." David Dimmick, Executive director of the New England concrete Masonry Association added, "Too many legislators, code-officials, and design professionals think that noncombustible concrete and concrete products construction solutions are more costly than lightweight alternatives. The new cost study refutes that notion by presenting actual costs for a variety of construction types in three cities involving the use of conventional wood framing, light gauge steel framing, and several types of noncombustible concrete products. The cities involved in the study were Framingham, Massachusetts, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Towson, Maryland." "In all three cities," said Dimmick, "the cost of load bearing concrete masonry compared very favorably with both conventional wood frame and light gauge steel framing systems. There was no evidence supporting existing misperceptions about the costs of noncombustible concrete masonry products versus wood or steel. We know, intuitively, that more lives and property can be saved in building fires, when noncombustible concrete products are used," commented Dimmick. He added, "But before this study was conducted, there was no reliable published documentation available to refute the misperception of increased building costs typically associated with using a balanced design approach. That's why this report is so important." According to Robert D. Thomas, Vice President of Engineering at the National Concrete Masonry Association, "Balanced design includes three key elements; fire detection, fire suppression, and fire containment. Complete fire containment includes fire barriers, fire-rated wall assemblies and exterior walls built of substantial, noncombustible materials such as concrete masonry along with precast concrete plank floors and ceilings. Noncombustible concrete masonry construction can reduce or eliminate the spread of fire and provide additional protection and time for occupants to exit and for fire and emergency personnel to safely conduct rescue operations."
