Design, Construction, and Renovation of Masonry Structures

Instructor

Alexander Newman, P.E., F.ASCE
Mr. Newman ASCE, is a managing engineer in the Natick, Massachusetts, office of Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, where he is responsible for building collapse and failure investigations. For 17 years immediately prior to joining Exponent, he was principal structural engineer with Maguire Group Inc., a national A/E firm. His diverse engineering and managerial experience also includes positions of project engineer with a consulting engineering firm, design engineer with a lightgage and precast concrete panel manufacturers, and manager of fabrication division with a steel fabricator. During more than 28 years of professional practice, Mr. Newman has designed numerous projects around the country – involving both new construction and renovations -- that used masonry. Mr. Newman has authored many publications that appeared in leading engineering magazines, including a number of award-winning articles.

His popular reference book Structural Renovation of Buildings:Methods, Details, and Design Examples,was published by McGraw-Hill Book Company in 2001. He is author of another definitive book from McGraw-Hill, Metal Building Systems:Design and Specifications. Mr.Newman has conducted many educational seminars around the country for design professionals, building officials, owners and contractors and teaches masonry design for Professional Engineering review course at Northeastern University.

Course Description

One of the oldest construction materials, masonry combines traditionally elegant appearance with excellent strength, solidity, and fire resistance properties. Masonry is a popular choice for contemporary building facades and interior walls, and it is found in many existing buildings as well. Masonry includes several distinct materials brick, concrete block, stone, adobe, terra cotta, and glass block—that used to be designed by empirical rules, but require careful engineering today. The masonry codes have undergone many changes in recent years, and some of the newest code provisions may not be familiar to all.

The first day of the seminar covers the basics of design and construction of various masonry structures. Special emphasis is given to concrete masonry walls, the most common type of structural masonry used today. The selected masonry provisions of ACI 530/ASCE 5/TMS 402 Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures and those of the International Building Code are examined and augmented with commentary and must-have practical suggestions. With the basics explained, the instructor illustrates and discusses the design details and construction techniques commonly used for load bearing, shear-wall, and curtain-wall applications. Drawing on more than 25 years of practical design and forensic experience, he gives many of these details a critical look and suggests the solutions that have worked better than others.

Step-by-step design examples are included, but they are few in number and relatively short so as not to overwhelm those who are not engineers. The reference material for designing masonry quickly and accurately is presented.

While more and more masonry buildings are being renovated rather than demolished, the design professionals find that reliable data on the topic of their renovation is difficult to find. To meet this demand, the seminar will provide you with the broadest possible overview of practical challenges that commonly arise during masonry renovation projects. The second day is largely devoted to masonry renovation, strengthening techniques, and repairing damage. Because unreinforced masonry accounts for a lion’s share of seismic damage, much attention is given to the challenges of wind and seismic upgrade of masonry buildings.

The final segment of the seminar examines masonry façade problems and rehabilitation of the building envelope. The ways of avoiding problems in specifying brick veneer, one of the most common and troublesome facade systems are discussed, as are the methods of repairing failing brick facades.

Seminar Benefits

• Learn how to design various kinds of masonry structures. Examine masonry design provisions of ACI 530-02/ASCE 5-02/TMS 402-02 Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures and those of the International Building Code. Discover the available reference material for designing masonry quickly and accurately.
• Study the structural differences between the various kinds of masonry, between mortar and grout, and the proven methods of combining different materials in the same wall. Learn why movement joints are needed and where to place them in brick and in concrete block walls.
• Discuss why many brick-veneer walls fail prematurely and how to specify them correctly. Learn about typical weaknesses of this and other masonry facade systems and the must-have details for their rehabilitation. Discover the most effective methods of facade repair and how to prevent repair failures.
• Examine the code provisions dealing with minimum reinforcement percentages, how the previous practice was different, and what to do about existing nonconforming walls.
• Discover the most commonly litigated masonry construction details. Discuss the design and construction details that have worked better than others in the past.
• Learn how to read masonry cracks and other telltale signs of structural problems in masonry walls, what these signs indicate, and how to correct the uncovered deficiencies.
• Examine the early practices for various types of masonry construction, the allowable stresses in existing masonry, and how to determine masonry strength in the field. Learn where to find the original structural design information and how load testing can help determine load-carrying capacity of masonry framing of unknown composition and properties.
• Learn about the effective lintel details, which common details should be avoided, and how to safely make openings in masonry walls.
• Explore various methods of strengthening unreinforced masonry walls for wind and seismic upgrade.

Special Feature

Each participant will receive a copy of the new 866-page book “Structural Renovation of Buildings: Methods, Details, and Design Examples” by Alexander Newman (McGraw-Hill, 2001). You can also purchase a copy of this book at a discounted price at www.civilbooks.com.

Who Should Attend

Structural and civil engineers, architects, facility managers, building officials, and competent contractors seeking to broaden their knowledge of masonry design, construction, and renovation methods. While the discussion topics are technical in nature, those who are not engineers will not be overwhelmed because the instruction is kept to an enjoyable and easy-to-understand level.

Summary Outline

Day One

• Introduction
• Various types of masonry. Mortar vs. grout
• Reinforced vs. unreinforced masonry
• Load bearing, shear, and curtain walls
• Empirical and rational methods of design
• Principles and practices of reinforced masonry design
• Code provisions of ACI 530 and International Building Code
• Effective design details and construction techniques

Day Two

• Masonry renovation
• Strengthening techniques
• Repairing masonry damage
• Wind and seismic upgrade
• Design techniques for barrier and cavity walls
• Avoiding problems in specifying brick veneer
• Facade problems and rehabilitation of building envelope