Masonry Magazine December 1994 Page. 11
The Law for Masonry Construction
It was a long time coming, but it's now here and it's controlling the construction of most masonry structures. It is the Specifications for Masonry Structures, ACI 530.1/ASCE 6/TMS 602. Masonry construction in most of the eastern half of the United States must meet its requirements. It is the law. It currently applies to masonry used as structural material. Masonry veneer and glass block masonry have not yet been included, but that's coming.
Masonry used as a structural material in most of the eastern half of the U.S. must meet the requirements of the Specifications for Masonry Structures, ACI 530.1/ASCE 6/TMS 602.
Development
This specification is under the jurisdiction of the Masonry Standards Joint Committee (MSJC) Comprised of members of The Masonry Society, the American Concrete Institute and the American Society of Civil Engineers, the MSJC came into being in 1976. Industry leaders recognized the need for a comprehensive means to design and construct all types of masonry. Formerly each masonry material had its own design method and specifications for construction.
Twelve years later the process was complete. The MSJC and each of the sponsoring organizations approved the 1988 version of the Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures, ACI 530/ASCE 5-88, and Specifications for Masonry Structures, ACI 530.1/ASCE 6-88. The Masonry Society joined the MSJC subsequent to then and the 1992 editions include TMS 402 and TMS 602 identification, respectively.
A New Law
After the completion of the Code and Specifications, the Code was submitted to the model building codes for approval. The Standard Building Code adopted the Code in its 1988 edition. The National Building Code did so in its 1989 edition. In subsequent years, states, counties and cities passed ordinances which adopted these particular model building codes. Most recently Florida did so. This process always takes several years to go through all of the approval and legal procedures, but that has occurred. Projects which have been designed under this Code are now coming out for bid.
Mason contractors had better learn the contents of the Specifications, because the Specifications are part of the law also. The Code mandates that masonry construction is built in compliance with the Specifications. Since the Building Code is adopted by law by the regulatory agency the contractor must follow the Specifications or the civil law is broken. Further, the Specifications are often referenced in the project specifications, so they must be followed to comply with the contract.
Content
What is in the Specifications is not that different from the contents of Division 4 in most project manuals. As a matter of fact, the Specifications are meant to be coordinated with Division 4. Each project will have different requirements. Many of the articles in the Specifications begin with Continued on Page 39
By J. Gregg Borchelt
Director of Engineering and Research
Brick Institute of America
MASONRY-NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 1994 11