From: stephen@sprunk.org   
      
   On 23-May-14 17:46, Nick Fotis wrote:   
   >>> On 21-May-14 01:10, Glen Labah wrote:   
   >>>> It's getting worse too.  There was an article in our local   
   >>>> paper recently about new construction methods allowing for   
   >>>> taller buildings made entirely from wood.   
   >   
   > I find it crazy to permit wooden buildings along tracks and dense   
   > neighbourhoods. Even ancient Rome was rebuilt in stone and marble   
   > after the infamous burning during Nero's reign. Never mind London   
   > fires. Yet, people still build wooden houses in dense urban   
   > concetrations. Why?   
      
   The why is simple: cost.  Wood is very, very cheap in the US.   
      
   Where I live, building codes do not permit _any_ wood on the exterior of   
   a building; all surfaces must be masonry, metal, glass, fiber-cement   
   board or other non-flammable materials (e.g. composite shingles).  The   
   frame, floor, etc. are allowed to be wood, though.  The public interest   
   is in stopping the _spread_ of fire; it's assumed/accepted that the   
   point of origin will be a total loss by the time the fire dept gets there.   
      
   S   
      
   --   
   Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein   
   CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the   
   K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking   
      
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