CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Thursday, May 18, fire engulfed an apartment building under construction in the SouthPark area.
Two contractors talk about what goes into building a site like that, and why the fire may have spread so quickly.
What You Need To Know
- A fire engulfed a SouthPark apartment complex under construction, leaving two dead
- Phipps Masonry explains the dangers of building with wood frames and breaks down a popular building style, the 5 over 1 method
- Mecklenburg County code administrators say podium methods have been more popular over the last decade
The construction of a building takes time.
“I’d say we put in three to four hours, take a lunch, come back to it — another three to four hours in, then another hour and a half of clean up — making sure everything is good to go,” Christopher Phipps explained.
For Christopher and SaraLynn Phipps — owners of Phipps Masonry — safety is a top priority when it comes to building.
Christopher Phipps says they almost always build with concrete and steel over wood.
“The pro of using masonry is that it’s far more fireproof than wood is. Say if a fire was to break out, the extent of the damage would be much more controlled,” Christopher Phipps said.
Last Thursday, a fire spread rapidly through a wood-frame building, which is a style that’s become widely popular over the last decade in North Carolina, according to the Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement office.
“The last structure that you see remaining is the elevator shaft, the parking deck at the bottom and that’s the risk you take when putting wood up,” Christopher Phipps said.
According to SaraLynn Phipps, one of the selling points of building with wood is the cost of materials and labor.
“Something with steel and concrete versus with wood frame, I’d say about 40% less expensive to build with wood frame,” she said.
On top of the lowered costs, she says the time it takes to build is much shorter using 5-over-1 construction, which is a method of using five or four wood frames above a concrete podium. But it too doesn’t come without certain risks.
According to the developers, the SouthPark apartment that caught fire followed this model. Fire officials reported the cause of the fire was due to spray foam insulation, something Phipps says is typically required to build with wood frames. The exterior is also treated with a fire retardant, but it’s not required for the interior.
County officials say that during the construction period buildings are vulnerable, especially without fire-preventative systems in place yet, and until they’re completed, safety is always a risk no matter the material used to build.
“Collapses and fires are just as, if not more, likely to happen during the actual construction process as opposed to the finished product,” Christopher Phipps said.
Christopher Phipps says safety should remain the goal.
“The construction industry is a tough industry, but no one should go to work that day and wonder if they’re going to go home. We’re all a family here,” he said.
Officials say building codes may be amended again in 2025, but it’s unclear if that could affect the 5-over-1 method.