It’s hard to believe that 2020 is coming to an end. As we close out this year, I can't help but wonder what 2021 has in store for all us. This past year has been a whirlwind, but we forged ahead and will continue to move onward and upward.
Here is to a bright New Year and a farewell to the last; here is to things that are yet to come and to the memories that we hold. I hope to see more of you in 2021!
Happy Holidays,
Amanda Bedian
Director, Upstate Masonry Institute
UPCOMING EDUCATION OPTIONS
A variety of continuing education to build better buildings using Masonry.
TMS will continue this winter with a strength design course. Richard M. Bennett and John M. Hochwalt, authors of TMS's newest and best-selling new guide: Strength Design of Masonry
The course will include six sessions introducing strength design of masonry, review code requirements, and examine designs of common masonry elements including, beams, walls, columns, and pilasters.
International Masonry Institute pre recorded and current webinar schedule can be found HERE.
The National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) offers webinars - HERE.
For BAC Contractors:
International Masonry Institute pre recorded and current webinar schedule can be found HERE.
Mason Contractors Association of America(MCAA) offers on-demand education HERE
UNDER DEVELOPMENT:
UMI will be hosting a Masonry Restoration Webinar Series. Details coming out soon!
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The Masonry Society (TMS) has begun development of a Masonry Education Hub & Learning Management System to allow designers, professors, students and other users to obtain on-demand masonry education.
USGBC All In will serve as the roadmap for how USGBC will lead on equity and includes a series of commitments and actions that the organization will make to ensure we work with our stakeholders to address social, health and economic disparities, while we continue to listen, learn and evolve as an organization.
NEW FEMA Report
Building codes save lives and money as shown in the new FEMA report, but they are the MINIMUM allowed by law. For property protection & resiliency you need ABOVE code in many cases: non-combustible construction in wildfires and multi-family construction; reinforced masonry construction in seismic and high wind; flood resistant materials; masonry is inherently resilient.
Whole-building LCA Guidelines and Benchmarking Initiative
ATHENA SMI
The Athena Institute is working to harmonize the practice of whole-building life cycle assessment (WB-LCA) and develop robust WB-LCA benchmarks. This work fills two big gaps in the technical infrastructure that supports WB-LCA. The guidelines will improve quality, consistency and comparability of WB-LCA results, which in turn enables benchmarking. The benchmarking system will provide a statistically valid basis for comparisons, which in turn supports LCA-based policy like embodied carbon regulations. For more information, see a detailed description of the initiative here.
PCA to establish carbon neutrality roadmap
CONCRETE PRODUCTS
The Portland Cement Association is facilitating the development of a carbon neutrality road map to help producers achieve carbon neutrality across the concrete value chain in the next 30 years. The goal is to produce the document by the end of next year.
MASONRY SPOTLIGHT
Gerald R.H Solomon
Saratoga National Cemetery
Owner
Department of Veterans Affairs
Mason Contractor
AJS Masonry
Photo Credit - AJS Masonry
COMING SOON:
An interview style podcast:
Masonry Principles.
Your hosts Phil Ledent, Executive Director of Masonry Institute of Michigan and Amanda Bedian, Director of Upstate Masonry Institute (New York) talk with industry experts and get candid about the sometimes frustrating, always educational and certainly challenging aspects of building better buildings using masonry.
Our first episode will be released on January 6th!
