Featured Projects

The Greater Lansing Food Bank in Bath, MI, is one of 20 projects that the Masonry Institute of Michigan (MIM) has converted to Concrete Masonry Units (CMU) over the past two years using NCMA’s innovative Direct Design software, according to Philippe Ledent, P.E., S.E., the group’s executive director.

The food bank provides between 8 and 9 million meals annually to families in the region, along with some 40,000 vegetable plant “starts,” and a wide variety of other services. The new concrete masonry structure is allowing the organization to expand operations to serve the growing needs of the community.

Direct Design Helps Demonstrate Cost Savings

“Saving money was a priority for the food bank, as it is for many projects. Originally, the entire building was going to be a steel structure or tilt-up,” said Ledent, who joined MIM in 2020 and is also an adjunct professor of engineering at the University of Toledo. Ledent worked with MIM member Xtreme Mason Contractors to convert the project to block.

“Xtreme is passionate about taking projects initially designed using steel, wood frame, precast, or tilt-up wall construction, and converting them to masonry,” Ledent said. “They, like all of our members, work hard to demonstrate that masonry is affordable, resilient and one of the most sustainable products around.”

Xtreme budgeted the food bank’s office area with a decorative split-face CMU, eliminated all of the steel lintels, and converted the warehouse from poured walls to decorative CMU.

“MIM used Direct Design to perform a preliminary structural design on the food bank that highlighted the economy of masonry, and also worked with the architect to meet the Michigan Energy Code using COMcheck (a program that  makes it easy to determine whether structures meet the requirements of the IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1). CMU wound up being less expensive than precast, and both the general contractor and the food bank agreed that masonry was the way to go.” Ledent said.

Jim Conklin, operations manager at Xtreme, said the client was very pleased with the outcome of the project. “They wholeheartedly agree that masonry was the better choice thanks to the ease of construction, elimination of the steel lintels and creation of a more attractive finished product compared to poured or tilt up walls.”

Using Direct Design is Quick and Easy

The food bank project shows how Direct Design can help provide the kind of quick response needed to get masonry specified over other wall systems, Ledent said.

“Direct Design is very simple and easy to use. All you have to do is enter some basic information about window and door openings, size, etc., wind speed, and a few other parameters, and the program does the work. We’ve been able to be very responsive to the needs of our members and the design and building community.”

“We can react very quickly, sometimes in a couple of hours,” Ledent said, adding that when it comes to trying to convert a building from another system to masonry, time is often of the essence.

Built on TMS Direct Design Protocol

CMHA’s Direct Design software is built using the protocols of The Masonry Society’s Direct Design Handbook (TMS 403).

The software makes it easy to provide draftsmen and contractors with fully-detailed wall elevation drawings, up to the latest consensus standards. It fully automates the Direct Design approach and provides detailing of every block and reinforcing bar. The program is also transparent – providing users with the detailed calculations that produced the design.

Click here to find out more about Direct Design.

Architectural concrete masonry — combined with innovative design and craftsmanship — has delivered in a big way on the expansion of Pittsburgh’s St. Clair Hospital, a vital healthcare provider with ties to the prestigious Mayo Clinic.

St. Clair’s outpatient volume grew by 130 percent from 2006 to 2018, making it the fastest growing hospital in Pittsburgh and driving the need for the creation of the 280,000 sf Dunlap Outpatient Center, which opened its doors in the spring of 2021.

St. Clair’s Dunlap Center puts all the hospital’s outpatient services and procedures under one roof. The building includes:

• a floor that offers comprehensive diagnostic services, including lab, radiology, and medical imaging
• a procedural floor offering 10 operating rooms for outpatient surgery
• an endoscopy (GI) suite with six procedure rooms
• a floor that houses clinical programs and multidisciplinary physician offices
• shared waiting space with multiple seating options
• designated family consultation space that’s easily accessible

The Dunlap Center was designed by IKM, Pittsburgh, while PJ Dick, Pittsburgh served as the general contractor and MARSA, Inc. was the mason contractor. CMHA member York Building Products, York, PA, supplied the architectural block.

Architectural Block Provides a Beautiful, Durable, and Cost-Effective Solution

Tami Greene, IKM’s project manager on the Dunlap Center, and now a principal at the firm, said that architectural block veneer — in a carefully planned pattern of four different colors and three different size units — delivered on aesthetics, functionality, and value.

“We wanted the center to blend with the neighborhood, which includes a nearby school and houses, and we also wanted the new facility to blend with and complement the existing buildings on the St. Clair Campus. The other buildings feature a lot of masonry, and generally have a beige or neutral palette. We also had to be careful about cost, because the center itself is a very large undertaking, housing a wide range of very expensive medical equipment,” she said.

Initial planning for the project began in 2016. As designers considered their material options, they came across a building in Arizona which made use of several different sizes and colors of architectural CMU.  They decided to use a similar approach on the front of the St. Clair project.

Planning and Preparation Are Keys to Success

Greene credits attention to detail and planning — in both the design and installation phases — as keys to the concept’s success.

‘“We wound up with 55 percent of the architectural block being parchment, 15 percent arctic white, 15 percent putty, and 15 percent a custom color that was designed to match the other buildings on the campus — in a combination of 4, 8, and 12-inch units. We worked to blend the rows. We tried to overlap our accent lines so that the patterns flowed naturally,” she said.

Designers devised “A” and “B” patterns in 10-by-40-foot wall sections. “Coordination of the patterns was a pretty large undertaking. We actually drew the patterns out for the whole building.  And when construction was underway, the block was palletized in the patterns to make installation faster and minimize the chance of mistakes,” Greene said. Metal panels in blue and copper penny also helped tie the Dunlap center into the main hospital visually, she added, noting that the back of the building made use of standard size 8x8x16” architectural block.

“The colors, the different sizes, and use of the patterns allowed us to get the result we wanted. It worked out well for us in terms of both aesthetics and cost,” Greene said.

“The Dunlap Family Outpatient Center has been described as a bridge between St. Clair’s proud past and bright future,” said Tim Dunlap, son of benefactors Anna and Edward Dunlap Jr., prior to the May 6, 2021 ribbon cutting for the facility. “Our family could not be more proud of the transition.”

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said in a video message delivered at the event that “during this past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us just how important our healthcare field is, and we need to ensure that we are keeping up with its changing demands. So thank you for putting the needs of your patients above everything else.”

And thanks in part to durable, beautiful architectural concrete masonry, the Dunlap Outpatient Center will be doing that for many years to come.

A high-tech, insulated concrete masonry wall system — along with a synergistic effort by the block producer, architect, engineers, contractors, industry experts, and the building’s owner — have created a state-of-the-art Vision Health and Wellness Center for The Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) in Syracuse, NY.

The building is a true testament to the power of simple, well-designed concrete masonry construction. It features a single-wythe, structural, integrally-insulated concrete masonry wall system, with exposed surfaces on both interior and exterior faces. The Vision Health and Wellness Center is a CMU success story of collaboration and innovation. The entire team — the building owner, architects, mason contractor, construction manager, and engineer, believed in a structural masonry solution. And that belief, and a lot of interdisciplinary cooperation, paid off handsomely.

CABVI, founded in Utica, NY in 1926, helps the blind and visually impaired achieve their highest levels of independence. The 26,000 sf Vision Health and Wellness Center is a multi-functional facility containing offices, living quarters, educational space, rehabilitation rooms, and a swimming pool. Rudy D’Amico, president and CEO of CABVI during the development and construction of the facility, says “the quality of this building exceeds all of our expectations. We have one of the top facilities in the country.”

And concrete masonry made that happen.

From Nine Layers and Four Trades To One and One

Rick Roach, president of Barnes & Cone, calls the project “a great example of the tremendous versatility of concrete masonry.” According to Roach, the first design concept involved steel frame construction with masonry veneer, exterior insulation board, exterior sheathing, light gauge metal studs, batt insulation within the studs, vapor barrier, gypsum board interior, and paint.

But Bill Ferraldo, principal of Harmony Architectural Associates, wanted a simpler system without the complexity of all the layers and multiple trades. Ferraldo notes that “performance problems always originate within the layers. And with so many trades involved with installing those layers, solutions to problems become difficult.” He wanted structural masonry if it could be brought in for the same budget as the preliminary steel frame design. The new budget, and the actual bid, came in under the original budget

Barnes & Cone is a member of the Concrete Products Group (CPG), a nationwide organization of CMU producers that pool their resources to fund innovation and market development. So, in addition to working with the architect, client, and mason contractor, they were able to work closely with David Biggs, a consultant to the organization and the author of the CPG Spec-Thermal Structural Design Manual. Biggs also consulted with Jeremy Fudo of IPD Engineering on the structural considerations of using the Spec-Brik Hi-R H System. Roach is also quick to praise Jason Thompson, NCMA’s vice president of engineering, who also contributed technical expertise to the project. “These are the times when our membership and involvement in NCMA really pays off for us. It’s one of the best investments we make as a company.”

Challenge – Single-wythe energy efficiency
Solution – Integrally-insulated concrete masonry units

“This building is loaded with CMU innovation,” Roach said. “It really shows how well block can perform on structural, thermal performance, and aesthetic levels. Two new lightweight, high-performance, pre-insulated CMU were invented for the project. We used concrete masonry lintels, reinforced with carbon fiber. We worked with the CABVI to develop special colors for the concrete masonry units that are more easily readable by the visually impaired.  We used a computer program to help optimize the layout of the block in terms of the building fenestration. We used single-web block in the foundation, making reinforcing and grouting easier and better. We pushed the envelope on every level.”

To help make it happen, Barnes & Cone turned to Dave Nickerson, inventor of the first pre-insulated concrete masonry unit in 1971. In a collaborative effort, two new pre-insulated units were developed for the project: a 12” x 4” x 16” CMU (trade name “Hi-R H Spec-Brick”), with an R-value of 15.5, and a 12” x 4” x 16“ CMU jamb unit (trade name “Hi-R H Jamb”), with an R-value of 12.1. Dr. Isaac Berger of The California Institute of Electronics and Material Science conducted a second-party review, verifying that thermal calculations complied with ASHRAE Standards. While Nickerson passed away shortly before construction began on CABVI, he lived to see his block produced and renderings of the building.

One Mason Takes The Place of Four to Six Different Trades

Challenge – Simplify control layers and expose masonry
Solution – Innovative CMU system meeting multiple needs

“These systems are innovative,” Roach says. “A mason can install one 11 5/8″-wide wythe of solid-grouted masonry in place of nine different layers of material installed by four to six different trades. One single layer of Hi-R H masonry delivers engineered load-bearing masonry walls, along with thermal mass performance that can exceed R-16 using lightweight mix designs. You also get a  solid-grouted moisture barrier wall requiring no in-wall flashing or weeps — a wall that is four-hour fire-rated, has a beautiful Spec-Brik concrete masonry interior finish, and a whole lot more.  Bill Ferraldo said it best:  It’s ‘one and done.’”

Ferraldo and Dave Colgrove of Harmony Architectural Associates have a long history with mass construction, and they recognized the thermal value of the exposed concrete masonry interior surfaces. The building is heated with geothermal heat pumps, and the mass and the integrally insulated masonry walls reduce temperature swings inside.  “It’s classic durable masonry. This integrally insulated CMU system lets us design with masonry in a way we haven’t been able to design in a long time.” Ferraldo said.

Innovation From the Bottom Up

Creative structural design begins from the bottom up, according to Roach. The foundation used 12” x 8” x 16” single-web block — a first in New York State. The open ends of the block made unit placement easier than usual because masons didn’t have to lift the block over the top of vertical reinforcement. Without the typical obstructions found in two-core, three-web block, the open core design also allowed quick grouting of the walls. There was very little grout settlement while the grout was being vibrated.

Challenge – Simplify modular design and coordination
Solution – BIM and MasonryIQ

The many windows in the facility made a modular design critical for efficient labor, and Biggs suggested using Masonry IQ, a computer program that works with Building Information Modeling (BIM) systems that automates masonry layout. The New York State Structural Masonry Coalition provided a grant that made that happen. Mike and Nick Palmer of Remlap Construction, the mason contractor, were brought in to confirm that control joint and vertical bar layout around openings would facilitate the fastest speed of construction possible.

Challenge – Masonry lintels without formwork
Solution – Prefabricated masonry lintels

The project also saw the first New York State installation of Bigg’s pre-fabricated masonry lintels with carbon fiber reinforcing material. Remlap Construction built the lintels in Barnes & Cone’s plant, and they were then delivered to the job site, lifted into place using a forklift, and set on a bed of mortar, ready to receive reinforcing steel, grout, and the masonry courses above

Attention to Quality All the Way Through

Quality installation was essential to the project’s success. The single-wythe system meant the units were exposed on both the interior and exterior of the structure. Many were exposed on three sides — two faces and the end. Remlap Construction took special care to keep mortar joints full, plumb and true and mortar color consistent.

“Really, there were three driving forces that made this project a grand slam — collaboration, innovation, and quality construction. I can’t overemphasize the fact that this was a total team effort. The client, the architect, the engineers, special consultants, and the contractors were all on the same page. We were all working together and looking for ways to innovate and be more efficient for the people at the Vision Health and Wellness Center” said Roach.

Load-bearing concrete block is delivering a cost-effective, fire-safe solution in Lynchburg, VA for the University of Lynchburg’s Westover Hall.  Named for the school’s first building and for the Westover Honors College, which it houses, Westover Hall — the university’s largest building — was dedicated in October of 2019.

At nearly 90,000 square feet, the four-story building is constructed with load-bearing concrete block walls and precast concrete plank flooring. Westover features 140 bedrooms, 92 bathrooms, four balconies, a rooftop terrace, classrooms, and faculty offices. It also houses two residential learning communities — one for Westover Honors students and one that allows students to explore spirituality, mindfulness, and wellness together.

Kristen Cooper, associate dean of students, said the design of the building focused on flexibility, collaboration, accessibility, and student needs, including private study space, active learning classrooms, and an outdoor classroom.

Robust, Durable, and Structural

Block was chosen because it is “robust, durable, and structural,” according to architect Jason T. Burger of Dominion Seven Architects, Lynchburg, the firm that designed Westover. “The university wanted a longstanding building — something with a lifespan of 50 years or better. With college students living in the facility, they wanted surfaces that would stand up to the abuse of the residents. Fire containment was of paramount concern. We wanted to use hollow-core precast plank flooring. So it made sense to use concrete masonry because of its structural properties.”

Students provided input on the design.  Davion Washington, 21, a Westover Honors student and president of the Student Government Association, said he was invited to sit in on a meeting with the architects to envision the facility. “My peers and I provided suggestions and feedback. Our input was accepted. We felt included.”

The building is clad with a combination of red and gray brick veneer, accented with two different colors of fiber cement siding, allowing it to blend with the older buildings on the campus while projecting a welcoming, modern feel. Many interior walls also feature exposed masonry, some with precast concrete coping. The block for Westover was supplied by NCMA-member Boxley Materials in Lynchburg. The mason contractor was Holman Masonry, Farmville, VA. The general contractor was Jamerson-Lewis Construction of Lynchburg.

A Cost-Effective Solution

William Cook, president of Jamerson-Lewis, was the project manager for the Westover construction.  Cook said he wishes more buildings of this type were constructed with load-bearing block and precast plank flooring. “It’s a very cost-effective system for a building of this type. It goes up relatively quickly. It’s a strong, durable system that provides unrivaled fire protection. It’s really simple to deal with.”

“For this type of building — a residence hall — having floor-to-floor fire separation was critical.  Almost all of the block is 12-inch, which worked well. The larger units went in almost as quickly as standard units. They allowed for easier grouting and provided greater tolerance in terms of placing the precast flooring,” Cook said.

University of Lynchburg President Dr. Kenneth R. Garren said Westover is “not just a dormitory.” Even ‘residence hall’ fails to fully describe what we hope it will be. It will be home to thousands of students over the coming decades.”

A combination of split face and ground face concrete block, supplied by Basalite Concrete Products, is helping Denver’s 2020 Lawrence stand up to the rigors of its urban environment— providing an upscale aesthetic and setting an example for sustainable residential redevelopment throughout the region and the country.

The carefully chosen colors and textures of the concrete masonry help frame the 12-story urban highrise against its downtown environment and the surrounding Rocky Mountains. Exquisite architecture, mixed with thoughtful, contextual design helped win the community a Mayor’s Design Award in 2013. It’s continued good looks are a testimony to the durability and versatility of concrete masonry.

Block Supplies the Right Aesthetic and Much-Needed Durability

“I was trying to achieve an art deco style in the building,” said architect John Gagnon of JG Architects Inc. The use of stucco was just not going to be an option. We needed a material that was durable and good looking— because the neighborhood was fairly rough at the time we built. Brick was not right because the units were too small. So we went with block. Alternating between split face and ground face allowed us to play with different textures and colors and allowed us to get the look we wanted.”

While the building’s main structural support is provided by pre-stressed concrete, there are also some load-bearing block walls on the interior. Exposed ground face block can be seen on the interior in the complex’s fitness center.

The block went up smoothly, according to Gagnon. “It actually went really, really well because the general contractor stepped up to the plate and selected a good masony contractor, Gallegos Masonry. It went really smoothly and they did a really nice job.”

A Concrete Masonry Envelope for a LEED Gold Project

“Transitioning columns of colored lights beckon young (and young at heart) Denverites to see and be seen on the rooftop deck. This LEED Gold Arapahoe Square space gives off a distinctively urban vibe, and leaves no stone unturned in its mission to be green,” Denver’s Mayor Michael Hancock said when he cited the project for the Mayor’s Design Award.

And this is one green building. The sleek concrete masonry exteriors are just the beginning of smart living at 2020 Lawrence. The interiors boast Energy Star stainless steel appliances with a rooftop photovoltaic solar array that generates power for the building. The building’s developers estimate that the structure’s energy-efficient design saves tenants as much as 50 percent on utility costs. 2020 Lawrence helps prove that green, sustainable design can go hand-in-hand with luxurious residential living—and that concrete masonry fits right in with these ideas.

“This project really has become a model that the city of Denver has used with other developers to show what is possible in terms of beautiful, sustainable downtown redevelopment. I’m very proud of it.” Gagnon said.

More than 450,000 high-strength and standard concrete block form the backbone of Villanova Commons, a new student housing complex opened in the fall of 2019. The Commons can house 1,135 Villanova University students at the school’s Philadelphia campus.

Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Voith & Mactavish Architects, the six-building, 425,000-square-foot project began construction in November 2015 and was completed by June 2019. In addition to apartments, the Commons features an on-campus restaurant, a coffee bar, a fitness center, six community rooms, four courtyards, and a 3,800-foot TechZone. The Commons was built to LEED standards and includes a system to capture and reuse stormwater runoff to help cool buildings, along with four rain gardens and a variety of other green building systems.

Built to last

“The floor system is hollow-core precast plank. Precast plank and block is a tried and true system”, said Eric Humes of Macintosh Engineering, the civil engineering firm on the job. “These buildings are dorms, and the university built them to last,”  Humes, the project engineer said. The masonry, he said “was a massive undertaking, with a tight schedule, but it went well.”

And that’s saying something, according to Nick Sabia, president of D.M.Sabia Co.,  the mason contractor on Villanova Commons. “The brick and stone unions have told us Villanova Commons is the largest masonry project to date in the Philadelphia Area.” Rocky Fizzano of block supplier Fizzano Brothers Concrete Products in Philadelphia, echoed Humes’s and Sabia’s comments. “At Villanova, they wanted buildings that will be around a long time. So they chose loadbearing concrete masonry.”

In addition to 450,000 high-strength and standard concrete block, Villanova  Commons required 5,000 tons of fieldstone, 28,000 cubic feet of cast stone, 140,000 face brick, 7,000 paving brick, and 113,000 cubic feet of colored and regular mortar.

Old-School Quality and Coordination With Other Trades

“This was a load-bearing masonry project. So once the foundations were completed, the immediate erection of the block walls was critical to the installation of the precast plank floors. At times we had over 150 workers on site laying block, installing rebar, grouting, and installing cast stone and fieldstone,” Sabia said. “We had over 50 stonemasons on this project at its peak. We used five different size cranes, ranging from four-ton to 70-ton capacity, and five 10,000-pound-capacity forklifts. We had 1,300 linear feet of platform scaffold running five stories high. And like the schedule, the site was extremely tight, Deliveries had to be coordinated with other trades, and laydown areas were at a minimum.”

The project demanded “old school quality,” according to Sabia. “We had separate crews for each component (insulation, block, fieldstone, and cast stone) to keep the workmanship consistent. This was a monumental task to complete on schedule and we are extremely proud to have been involved.”