This webinar will review the placing of flashing and weepholes for single and multi-wythe masonry walls. A brief history, current issues & concerns, building code requirements, actual flashing applications and design details are discussed. Focus is on the importance of flashing and weephole systems

This webinar will discuss various default masonry specification formats, such as MasterSpec, and highlight areas frequently misunderstood. a default specification will be presented along with a reference masonry specification from MIM to discuss different options for materials and execution.

This webinar will review the 2" high performance cavity wall details, the most recent set of details published by the MIM Generic Wall Design Committee. The discussion on this package of details will include how to flash at several locations around a typical building, how to place insulation to minimize thermal bridging and movement control in brick veneers.

Single Wythe Masonry Design Workshop

This workshop will cover the complete design of single wythe masonry building. The prototype building will inlcude a high roof warehouse area and low roof office area. The workshop will discuss modeling masonry in Revit using Masonry iQ software, and structural design using Direct Design software

International Masonry Institute pre recorded and current webinar schedule can be found HERE.

The National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) offers webinars - HERE.

International Masonry Institute pre recorded and current webinar schedule can be found HERE.

Mason Contractors Association of America(MCAA) offers on-demand education HERE

LATEST EPISODE

The first report from a joint effort between Canadian and American designers and trade groups focused on harmonizing masonry design standards is now available. The executive summary identifies potential changes to the Canadian design standards for the harmonization efforts. Similar reports on changes to US standards will be published in the next few months. Read more.

The International Code Council (ICC) has released a new framework, however, organizations such as the New Building Institute and American Institute of Architects have spoken out against the changes. Read more here.

The power outages in Texas illustrated the importance of resilience strategies for buildings. Buildings can enhance resilience in several ways. Buildings themselves can be designed and operated to be resilient to impacts to the power and water systems. This starts with resilience planning to guide project teams to design and operate spaces that are better able to respond and adapt to these situations as they occur. A critical part of that planning includes passive survivability. The aim of passive survivability is to be prepared for when such an event may occur and to maintain safe indoor temperatures—and where possible, potable water. Read more here.

The BHoM Life Cycle Assessment Toolkit by Buro Happold has won an American Institute of Architects’ Innovation Award. This new tool, an open-source endeavor, is an accessible and data-driven framework that allows design professionals to measure embodied carbon of all elements within building design. Supported by a network of architects, engineers, and software developers who have contributed code to it, the Buildings and Habitats object Model (BHoM) boasts a range of functionality spanning multiple disciplines and represents a transformative and democratic approach to measuring embodied carbon in everyday construction materials.

Adaptive reuse has been a long-term success story in many North American cities. The process involves maximizing the use of existing buildings and materials and restoring the urban and architectural fabric to revitalize cities and places. To successfully execute a repurposing project, it can be helpful to review recent changes in the approach, early influences, and considerations for evaluating potential candidates. Read more.

Green building certifications, such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, the WELL Building Standard, and the Living Building Challenge (LBC) have pushed all built environment stakeholders, from suppliers and manufacturers to specifiers, architects, and owners, to change the way they make decisions about the materials making up a structure. One of these changes has been the push for increased transparency into the environmental and health impacts of materials

According to results of updates in 2020 to the Initial Cost of Construction Study, concrete masonry construction provides the best value and lowest initial cost compared to other building materials. Over the past several weeks there have been many stories in the news about skyrocketing costs for wood and steel, while concrete masonry costs have remained stable. The updates to the Cost Study, which was first completed in 2017, highlight these differences. Across the updates, which were completed for seven cities across the U.S., initial construction costs are less than, or equal to, wood construction for the multi-family structure evaluated in the study. 

Spring 2021

BAC Local 2 Apprenticeship Class