Concrete Masonry Design Awards of Excellence Accepting Entries

The National Concrete Masonry Association, along with Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, is now accepting entries for the Concrete Masonry Design Awards of Excellence program. Awards are presented for commercial, residential, landscape and sustainability. The deadline for submittals is Sept. 4, 2013.

“The Concrete Masonry Design Awards program gives the design community the opportunity to highlight all that concrete masonry has to offer," says NCMA Chairman of the Board Charles Newsome of Johnson Concrete Co. Inc. "The program recognizes those projects that excel in design using concrete masonry and hardscapes for commercial, residential and landscape applications. We are excited that this year’s program will also include manufactured stone veneer projects.”

Winners will be nationally recognized through trade show exhibits, publications and media.
 
For complete information about the Concrete Masonry Design Awards of Excellence and entry forms, visit www.ncma.org/designawards.

Major Funding for BIM-Masonry

Organizations representing craftworkers, contractors, manufacturers and suppliers have agreed to $400,000 to fund the next phase of implementation of the Building Information Modeling for Masonry (BIM-M) roadmap that was developed recently in conjunction with the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Digital Building Laboratory. 

The roadmap is a total immersion of all aspects of masonry, from architectural and engineering coordination through masonry materials and properties to construction management and mason contracting functions. The Roadmap is available at: www.ncma.org/foundation/programs/Lists/Funded%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships/Attachments/102/BIM-M%20Roadmap%20for%20Distribution%2031%20January%202013.pdf.

The lead contributors for the funding and development of the roadmap are the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC); the International Masonry Institute (IMI); the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) and the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA).

For further information on the roadmap and/or National BIM-M Initiative, contact David Biggs at biggsconsulting@att.net.

Masons and The Software Revolution

By Jennifer Morrell

Almost six years ago, when I first entered the world of masonry, I was highly impressed with the different types of software available to contractors and project managers. Then came the rounds of estimating software, which really changed the way contractors do business – right there on the jobsite. And then, the configuring was done on a laptop. Today, it’s more likely an iPad.

As of late, I’ve been blown away again by the software ingenuity in our industry. This time, it’s a little different. Not only are software companies staying atop their game, but also manufacturers are leaving their footprints. Super-sophisticated applications (apps) for mobile devices seem to be popping up everywhere. The creativity is amazing. From Holcim’s Weather App that tells masons if conditions are right to lay brick that day, to General Shale’s new app that allows users to browse product colors and sizes in brick, thin brick and pavers, and then email favorite selections or final cost calculations without leaving the app. The innovation is growing by leaps and bounds.

Of course, we have the big, tall, fat, imposing elephant in the room: Building Information Modeling (BIM). The old saying, “Get on board or get out of the way,” applies here. BIM is prevalent for architects and engineers who are designing buildings. But masonry is not currently an option as A&E look at different available wall systems. But that is about to change.

But that’s going to change. Thanks to six determined and dedicated funding organizations, masonry is knocking at the BIM door. The Mason Contractors Association ofAmerica (MCAA), the National Concrete Manufacturer’s Association (NCMA), the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC), Western States Clay Products Association, the International Masonry Institute (IMI) and The Masonry Society (TMS) have banded together to urge software developers to include masonry in BIM software. To do this, the groups are working with The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), which is creating a “roadmap” that has just been completed. 

Masonry will update you on this roadmap in our May issue. Stay tuned. Technology is changing your world, like it or not. And, from what I’ve seen, there’s plenty to like about it. 

Jennifer Morrell is editor of Masonry Magazine.

Cronholm Earns Certified Masonry Contractor Credential

Josh Cronholm, VP of Ammex Masonry, has earned the Certified Masonry Contractor (CMC) credential from the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute, a nonprofit trade association of more than 100 companies throughout Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Principals and supervisory employees with at least five years of experience in masonry construction are eligible to enroll in the CMC credential program, which consists of 12 one- and two-day courses covering
every aspect of masonry design, construction, safety and management. Expert instructors have been recruited from the top ranks of the masonry research and industry community, including the Brick Industry Association, National Concrete Masonry Association and The Masonry Society.

Participants who attend all of the courses and pass the comprehensive examinations are awarded the designation of Certified Masonry Contractor. Certified Masonry Contractors are eligible to display the CMC logo on their business materials and are eligible to bid on projects that specify a certified masonry contractor.

Lang Receives ASTM Award

Nicholas R. Lang, manager of the Research and Development Laboratory at the National Concrete Masonry Association in Herndon, Va., has received the 2011 President’s Leadership Award from ASTM International.

Established in 2007, the President’s Leadership Award recognizes individuals early in their ASTM careers who have significantly advanced the Society’s mission through extraordinary accomplishment, example and vision. T. Russell Gentry, Ph.D., an associate professor in the School of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga., also was honored this year.

Lang has been a member of ASTM International since 2006. He serves as a member at large on Committees C12 on Mortars and Grouts for Unit Masonry and C15 on Manufactured Masonry Units, and is chairman of Subcommittee C15.03 on Concrete Masonry Units and Related Units. He has chaired several C12 and C15 task groups, and also is a member of Committees C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates and E06 on Performance of Buildings.

After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering, Lang accepted the position of laboratory inspector at the ASTM International Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory (CCRL) in Gaithersburg, Md. In 2006, he joined the National Concrete Masonry Association as a research engineer, and he assumed his current role in 2008. As manager of the Research and Development Laboratory, he oversees a staff of technicians and masons in evaluating the performance of concrete masonry products and wall systems in both a contract capacity and on behalf of the concrete masonry industry.