Masonry Magazine January 2017 Page. 69
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FIGURE 8
used sparingly in the mortar. Notice the numerous gaps in the head and bed joints.
While this would be unacceptable in the US, Iraqi masons do this for speed of construction, but also to use the mortar gaps to key in the cement scratch coat for the parging and adhered veneer. There is no insulation used in the buildings; they work on thermal mass. The temperature was over 90 degrees F in February when these photographs were taken. Workers start early and stop about 2pm due to the heat.
Figure 10 -Residential construction
Away from the war areas, there is
FIGURE 9
FIGURE 11
plenty of commercial construction as well. Figure 11 shows the larger buildings are concrete frames with masonry infill; no metal stud here. Figure 12 shows one building with the CMU infill completed and parged. If you look closely, you can see the working planking on portions of the scaffolding. There is only one plank in any location and there are no toe boards or hand rails. Workers at this building were seen standing three abreast on the one plank with no safety equipment and wearing sandals. Safety issues are a bit different in Iraq. At other sites, I did see hardhats and safety equipment.
Figure 11 -Commercial buildings with concrete frame
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FIGURE 10
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Well, that's our brief look at Iraqi masonry. Next issue we'll visit the Czech Republic and some fantastic buildings in Prague.
Meanwhile, send in a masonry photograph and description from your travels. Email them to dkamys@ masonrymagazine.com. We'll look at all of them and pick a few for the magazine!
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