The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Specialty Care Center

Words: Chad CorleyIn order to meet the growing medical needs in Philadelphia and the surrounding communities, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) opened a new 145,000 square-foot Specialty Care Center with expanded ambulatory care and surgery services. The two-building campus design features refracting light, bold colors and “wandering” elements like ponds and eddies to create a positive healing environment for patients of all ages and cultures.

A less glamorous, but critical element of the campus is the 337,400 square-foot six-level underground garage constructed to accommodate thousands of patients, visitors and staff each day. D.M. Sabia Construction used QUIKRETE® Mason Mix Type S Mortar to lay more than 300,000 blocks filled with more than 1,300 yards of QUIKRETE® Core-Fill Grout Fine to complete the garage, which earned LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

QUIKRETE® Mortar is a high strength, commercial grade, dry pre-blended mixture of sand and cements specially selected for masonry applications. It meets N, S, M requirements as specified in ASTM C270. Integral Pigments may be added to match any existing mortar colors or new construction.

QUIKRETE® Core-Fill Grout is a properly proportioned mixture of Portland cement, graded sand, and other ingredients designed to provide a flowable grout requiring only the addition of water. It’s available in coarse or fine versions.
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The Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is excited to announce that iQ Power Tools has joined the 2026 Masonry Alliance Program (MAP) at the Platinum Level.

Bonding with Masonry 2025: Q4
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This issue’s questions come from an Architect and an Engineer. What questions do you have? Send them to info@masonrymagazine.com, attention Technical Talk.

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The Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is pleased to announce that Hultafors Group will continue its Gold partnership in the 2026 Masonry Alliance Program.

Are you in the Insulated Concrete Block business? Then FTC Rule 460 applies to you…
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If you supply, sell, or use any of these… Pre-insulated concrete block... Loose-Fill Insulation... Injectable Foam-in-Place Insulation... Foam Plastic Inserts... Then you must abide by FTC Rule 460, 16 CFR 460, which governs R-value testing and claims