Masonry Magazine February 2001 Page. 33
Great Ideas In Masonry Construction
On January 14, 1998, my family's worst nightmare became a reality. At 5:30 a.m., my wife, two children, and I awoke to fire. Although the fire department responded immediately, the wood frame home was destroyed within fifteen minutes.
Having known only that home and neighborhood, my family was determined to rebuild at the same location. As an architect, I wanted to make my home maintenance free and fireproof. Masonry was an obvious choice.
Our challenge was to build a new home to meet our immediate and future needs, while blending in with the other 1950s ranch style homes of our neighborhood. One of the biggest concerns with our previous home was its solar orientation. Large picture windows on the long axis of the structure faced west, so drapes had to be drawn most of the day. The solution was to develop an overall scheme of separate "fingers."
The one-story private wing (bedrooms, study, and baths) sits on the existing foundation facing the street. Constructed of light gauge steel framing with brick veneer façade, flat roof, and punched industrial steel windows, this section blends well with the surrounding homes. But around back, a more minimalist approach evolved.
The new story-and-a-half-high public area faces south along a major east-west axis, and joins to the rest of the home by intersecting near the midpoint of the private quarters. The new section is constructed of architectural concrete masonry units (CMUs), portland cement stucco, and glass (or diffused lighting panels) infilling a steel and heavy timber structural frame. Capping off everything is an arched, 1-1/2-in.-thick, 2 x 6 tongue-and-groove wood deck and standing seam roof of galvanized steel. A unifying element, the steel is also used as a fascia at the flat roof in the front.
These new components join exterior and interior. For the CMU walls, the warm gray color is carried over to the mortar to provide a monochromatic appearance. Raked joints which were given special attention for proper filling, especially at corners helped express the individual masonry units (see Fig.3).
The warm color and rough texture of the CMU and sections of exposed concrete floors provide a dramatic contrast with the more refined maple cabinets, granite, hardwood flooring, and drywall (see Fig. 2). Interior and exterior use of natural materials afforded an elegant yet casual feeling.
The house was designed on a strict 4-ft by 4-ft module, which resulted in minimal waste. The load-bearing CMU walls are two 4-in. wythes with 2-in. cavity, 1-in. rigid insulation, and reinforced bond beams installed at roof joist bearings and at the top of the parapet.
Two of the most dramatic elements of the house are the CMU walls and curved roof. From the interior, the roof and laminated beams resemble the ribbed hull of a ship, while the CMU walls look like stand-alone stone sculptures. The free-standing wall sections and flat roofs are separated by steel and glass, forming individual elements and creating a more human scale.
Between the high end of the curved roof and low flat roof is a clerestory of steel windows and fiberglass shoji style panels. The 4-ft overhang shades in the summer, while the
What To Use
On Shaky Ground:
The Wire-Bond Clip.
The Wire-Bond® Clip is the first steel welded clip designed for adjustable veneer systems in seismic applications. Masons like it because it installs quickly, and they're confident of its performance. Straight and cut wire fits easily into the clip providing a strong continuous system in the brick veneer. The clip and wire fit into a 3/8" mortar joint, and are aligned in the same level plane as the hook. This insures heavier mortar coverage and avoids the hassles of using bulky clips which could result in oversized mortar joints.
The Wire-Bond Clip is available with all our adjustable hook-and-eye systems including our HCL-711 which minimizes compressive movement in wall systems.
The Wire-Bond Clip and associated veneer systems conform to Uniform Building Codes for seismic zones. Laboratory tests results are available for your review. Contact your Wire-Bond distributor today, or call us at 1-800-849-MRCA (6722). The Wire-Bond® Clip use it on shaky ground!
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1-800-849-MRCA (6722)
Masonry Reinforcing Corp. of America
Innovation In Masonry Construction
MASONRY-FEBRUARY, 2001 33