Will Quam is a local writer who has an appreciation of Chicago masonry. He comments that there is inherent beauty in every building material, but as materials go, brick is... read more →
WBF Construction In recognition of Black History Month, the Masonry Advisory Council proudly wishes to acknowledge its relationship with Jameel Ervin, President of WBF Construction. Jameel, built his successful masonry... read more →
As we move into February (already?) it is hard to believe that so far this winter Chicago has experienced just a few inches of snow. With artic cold temperatures and... read more →
Numerous design programs support masonry analysis and design, for both component design and finite element analysis (FEA) and design. As engineers, it is important to not only know what programs... read more →
Most contemporary masonry walls consist of two separate wythes, comprised of one wythe of brick and one wythe of concrete masonry. However, there is an alternative masonry wall design that... read more →
All masonry walls will move, primarily due to changes in temperature and moisture content. Additional movement might occur from structural concrete frame moisture loss or creep, and elastic deformation. Restraining... read more →
How to Specify Clay Structural Masonry f ’m = 4000 psi in the Midwest Did you know that simply stating f’m for your masonry walls is not enough? What is... read more →
Altgeld Family Resource Center Altgeld Gardens was originally built in 1944 by the Chicago Department of Housing and Urban Development for black veterans returning home from World War ll and... read more →
Masonry Lap Lengths Reinforcement Masonry Lap Lengths Lap splice lengths for reinforcement on masonry projects are an important specification to consider on design drawings. When a project utilizes... read more →
Efflorescence in Masonry, or Why is my building all white? Many buildings at some point in their history exhibit some form of efflorescence. What is efflorescence? Efflorescence is a white... read more →
Masonry Finite Element Modeling Finite Element Modeling, Analysis, and Design for Masonry This article is Part 1 of a series in which we will discuss the modeling and preprocessing considerations... read more →
What is a crinkle crankle wall? This is the term for a brick serpentine garden wall also called a ribbon wall, wavy wall, radius wall, or a crinkum crankum wall. ... read more →
Component-Based Masonry Design Software Software programs that design masonry using finite element analysis (FEA) are beneficial to structural engineers because they analyze the structure as a whole—the lintels, jambs,... read more →
Will County EMA The Will County Emergency Management Agency provides its community with the assurances of safe living and working environments. A pillar of safety and reliability for a community... read more →
Masonry Doesn't Burn For years folks have been saying that MASONRY DOES NOT BURN! I am here to tell you it is true! Masonry products like brick, concrete... read more →