Organizations collaborate for resilient communities

Words: Randi HertzbergAcross America, communities are facing unprecedented environmental, social and economic challenges. Climate change is making cities more vulnerable to heat waves, rising sea levels, dangerous flooding, prolonged droughts and other extreme weather events.

The National Institute of Building Sciences and the International Code Council are collaborating with several other organizations under the Alliance for National & Community Resilience (ANCR). ANCR will collect data and research communities that have experienced extreme events and develop a strategy that will prepare and ultimately protect the community and the resident/occupants of those communities if an extreme event should occur. The goal is to have community owners and developers select building materials and systems that will withstand these uncontrollable events.

Learn more at www.resilientalliance.org.
The Behind-the-Wall Secrets Every Mason Already Knows (But Some Ignore)
May 2026

You’ve been around long enough to know this already: stone doesn’t fail on the face; it fails behind the wall. You can lay the prettiest veneer in the county, but if the prep is junk, that wall’s gonna start telling on you after a couple of winters. Manu

Rob McKay
Technical Talks
Read More
Masonry Innovation in Action: Belden Brick’s Glazed Thin Brick Redefines Design Possibilities
May 2026

Masonry innovation is pivotal in shaping the built environment, and The Belden Brick Company is at the forefront of this evolution. Architects, designers, and contractors increasingly seek materials that marry high performance with bold aesthetics, and Be

Kristie Fitzgerald
MAP Partner
Read More
Celebrating Craftsmanship and Country
May 2026

The 250th anniversary of the United States is more than a date. It is a reflection of centuries of progress, innovation, and determination. STABILA has chosen to mark this milestone with a product that mirrors those same qualities. The Patriot Series Maso

Elsa Bueno
MAP Partner
Read More
Rethinking Shelf Angle Design for High-Performance Masonry Walls
May 2026

If you've been around masonry construction long enough, you know the shelf angle is one of those details that’s easy to take for granted. It’s been used the same way for decades, set it at the slab edge, support the veneer, move on. But as building requir

Erica Oliveraz
MAP Partner
Read More