Building masonry markets: providing pre-engineered designs is one key to getting masonry specified

Masonry Construction, May, 2003 by Diana Granitto

David Jollay is the first to agree that masonry's unit-by-unit nature forms the essence of its appeal. "It has a hand-laid character that people like, and it's adaptable for working around field problems," said Jollay, president of Jollay Masonry Inc., Atlanta. But that very nature also means lots of parts and pieces, which makes masonry a design-intensive medium.

"The design community is moving toward alternative wall systems with a turnkey design," Jollay explained. "That's the reason tilt-up and other competitive systems are becoming popular. 'Pre-engineered solutions' is a term that our industry must be sensitive to in this new marketplace."

Although load-bearing masonry walls are not as common as they were 20 to 25 years ago, today's soft-jointed walls use at least as many components because of more stringent seismic and design codes. Besides adding cost and technical detail, this reality requires designers to keep up with ever-evolving building code requirements for various earthquake zones.

"If the process is too difficult, expensive, or labor-intensive, the end result is that the architect picks another material," stated Jollay. "The industry must solve the architect's initial problem by providing turnkey design solutions that make it simple to specify a masonry wall."

Jollay noted that other industries are already taking this step for competitive materials. For example, the precast industry can provide attaching details, load calculations, anchor sizes, etc. so that the designer only does the main structural frame and indicates the dimensions of the precast panels.

The next step, according to the contractor, is the concept of "project object modeling," as described to him by Tom Galloway, a dean at Georgia Tech's School of Architecture, where Jollay serves on the architectural council. "Project object modeling is the evolution of CAD by specification section [whereby] an industry generates design software based on certain criteria," he said. "Some industries, such as precast, steel, and mechanical, are already funding projects to generate this kind of software. Our industry needs to find out what's going on in this arena and establish an exploratory committee to determine what we need to provide the architects to make it simple for them to design in masonry."

Start in schools

At a more basic level, the industry needs to reach out to architectural students. "Masonry is not the easiest material to design in, and new architects may go through a whole career feeling uncomfortable with the product," he observed. "We are seeing fewer old-school architects in the field--the ones who can design, draw, and build it. We need to get students thinking, designing, and feeling in masonry materials while still in school."

The masonry industry can partner with influential, architectural schools by sponsoring design competitions or participating in research projects. "It's up to us to go to the school and offer a long-term relationship," he emphasized.

Developing pre-engineered solutions, working with schools, and similar business development strategies are best implemented by a unified industry, said the contractor. "Designers and owners don't think in terms of a block question and a brick question. They think of masonry. If an architect puts brick on the exterior, he is more likely to use concrete block in places he might not have otherwise because the trade is already there.

"There is a real need to walk in with the whole crayon box--a selection of materials, colors, textures, and finishes--and tell customers the cost ranges from $8 to $28 a square foot, depending on the options they choose," he stated.

To accomplish this goal, the diverse industry organizations need to work in concert. "Nearly all mason contractors have strong relationships with the local block and brick people, said Jollay. "We both understand that our businesses depend on each other. However, we sometimes have a disconnect at the national level. The trick is to get an agreement so that we can raise the fairly substantial dollars necessary to do the work that needs to be done."

Jollay, who discussed these trends in his presentation at the recent National Concrete Masonry Association's (NCMA) convention in Salt Lake City, is confident that organizations such as NCMA, Mason Contractors Association of America, Brick Institute of America, and the Portland Cement Association are recognizing the problems and moving in the right direction. He said it is important for individual members of each organization to communicate their support of a unified effort to the national level.

Manpower solutions

"The first priority is to make sure that the masonry market share grows," Jollay said. "Then we will find a way to solve the other issues, such as the industry's manpower shortage. It's difficult to train someone and then say we don't have a place for them to work."

Jollay acknowledges that filling future workforce demands is a critical issue, but he is optimistic about attracting people to the trade. "We should get involved in career days and show students that our salaries are competitive," he commented, noting that setbacks in the computer industry have reined in opportunities there.