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Technical Support & Library
Technical Support
Design Assistance
Library
Order a Masonry Cost Guide
Materials & Suppliers
Supporting Members
Participating Associates
Case Studies
Education
Continuing Education
College Students
Seminars
Union Bricklayers
Novice Trainee
Apprenticeship
Improver
Union Mason Contractors
Contractor List
About
Mission
About Us
Excellence in Masonry
Order a Masonry Cost Guide
Masonry Design
10 List of Brick Veneer on Wood Frame
– 1. You must use continuous flashing under the first course of brick under the sills and heads of windows and doors…
Adhered Veneer The 2 Most Common Uses
– There are two types of veneers predominantly used in today's built environment…
Arches
– In a recent trip to Chicago, I could not help but marvel at the workmanship involved in this masonry arch…
Brick Industry Association (BIA) Tech Notes
– The properties of fired clay brick and the clay brick masonry made from them were used to establish the recommendations…
Building Construction & Design Viewpoint
– Four fires in one major metropolitan area destroyed a total of 42 homes over…
Cavity Walls
– Aside from the finished product being of considerable beauty and formidable strength, other initial…
Ceramic Glazed Clay Units add Color to Architectural Design
– Color is good. Using color as a form of expression is like being an artist at a craft…
Cold Weather Masonry
– As we move into February (already?) it is hard to believe that so far this winter Chicago has experienced…
Component-Based Masonry Design Software
– Software programs that design masonry using finite element analysis (FEA)…
Crinkle Crankle Walls
– What is a crinkle crankle wall? This is the term for a brick serpentine garden wall also called a ribbon wall…
Design Examples of Multi-Family Housing
– Combining the inherent structural capabilities of masonry with precast hollow core slabs…
Exterior Non-bearing Wall Design Guide
– When a building has a structural frame that supports both the gravity and lateral loads, the exterior...
Finite Element Modeling
– In the January 2021 newsletter, we detailed component-based software programs for structural masonry design…
Half-High Architectural CMU
– Tall, slender structural single wythe walls for commercial applications, gymnasiums, institutional facilities & multi-family
Key Points Regarding Masonry as an Excellent Choice for Structural Systems
– Masonry has the opportunity to be used more and in better ways in ...
Lightweight CMU Advantages
– Concrete masonry is a versatile, durable material for the construction of building walls that provide…
Masonry Arches Terminology
– Following last month’s article regarding masonry arches, we provide more technical information on arch terminology…
Masonry Checklist: Reviewing Structural Plans
– This Masonry Checklist is intended to assist in the development of structural masonry design…
Masonry Flashing...Do it Right the First Time
– I like to watch DIY home shows like This Old House and Holmes on Homes…
Masonry Urbanus
– Masonry Details for Low-Rise Urban Housing…
Mortar Joint Replacement
– In Chicago today many mason contractors are devoting more of their expertise in repointing (tuckpointing) existing…
NCMA TEK Index
– This index contains a listing of all NCMA TEK Notes with links to each document…
Projecting Brick into Masonry
– In the last 6 months, the Masonry Advisory Council has had 5 calls questioning the use of projected…
Raising the Bar for the Built Environment
– This is an exciting time in the masonry industry. Joel Arthur Barker writes in Paradigms…
Re-inforced Masonry for Warehouse Construction
– Choosing a building system is not a simple process. It should be one single answer to several important questions…
Repointing Masonry
– After the winter we have experienced in Chicago this year, with extremes in cold and many freeze thaw cycles, there are numerous buildings…
School and Library Designs
– Existing facilities, depending on when they were built, have somewhat limited…
Self-Supporting Brick Without Shelf Angles
– Cavity walls have been successfully used in mid-rise and high-rise construction…
Single Wythe Concrete Masonry
– Single wythe concrete masonry construction is a durable, cost effective…
Software Review for Structural Masonry Design of Masonry
Steel Price Hikes Consider Load Bearing Masonry
– Sharp increases in steel prices are affecting architects, contractors, and builders…
Stonehenge
– Being a mason contractor and having respect for all the effort that goes into constructing a building…
Thinking Outside the Frame
– In designing a two to three story industrial or school building for a client, the structure…
Wall Cavities Design vs. Construction
– It’s important to understand how much and which types of variation from the actual design are acceptable…
What good is a Parapetto
– Looking at many older buildings in Chicago it seems like the first thing to need re-pointing…
Why Are Masonry Control Joint Locations Significant?
– When designing concrete masonry walls, one aspect that needs…
Wisdom in Building Codes
– A recent trip to my favorite Caribbean beach resort reminded me of the wisdom in the building codes…
