Ever wonder how the IMTA began? One day after the 2018 ICC Code Development Hearings, Rob Pickett, Doug Parsons, Bob Kenel, and Dean Crocker met to recap the events. Out of that meeting came the IMTA’s humble beginnings and mission to prove that mass timber and log homes are an energy-efficient option to traditionally built homes.
Updating the ICC400 Codes for Energy Efficiency in 2017
We added our code change proposal to the IECC Section R402.1 (IRC 1102.1) Building Thermal Envelope, “Exception 2. Log homes designed in accordance with ICC 400.” At the time, that was the 2017 edition of ICC400. Getting the exception added was a huge win, but we knew there was still a lot of work to do to secure the future of log homes. We had to prove they were energy-efficient and needed scientific data to support our claims.
The LBLA is Formed in Tennessee
So, over the next year, we formed the Log Building Leadership Alliance (LBLA) at the Honest Abe Log Homes offices in Tennessee. From that point on, Josh Beasley was our business and IT partner. We elected a Board of Directors with Bob Kenel as president, Robert Savignac as vice President, Doug Parsons as treasurer, and Rob Pickett as secretary. And we got down to work developing our next course of action.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Starts Phase I
We signed the agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to begin testing. Doug and Josh were integral parts of the ORNL effort. Dan Mitchell from Eagle CDI, Inc., Reinhard Sauter of Sauter Timber, and Element5 from Toronto contributed to CLT panels in Phase I.
Phase II Testing
During Phase II, Sterling Solutions delivered CLT panels to Honest Abe, where their crew assembled the test cubes, which were then transported to ORNL.
The IMTA’s first Mass Splinter Award Goes to…
There’s more to the story, but our purpose today is to give credit where credit is due. We want to thank Doug Parsons and Josh Beasley for their contributions and for helping us reach this point in testing. Without them, we wouldn’t have made the progress we have today.
Please join me in congratulating them on being awarded IMTA’s first Mass Timber Splinter Award!