Masonry Magazine December 1974 Page. 12
Thin-Walled Buildings of Loadbearing Masonry Rise Fast and Cost Less
By NEAL ENGLISH, Executive Director
International Masonry Institute, Washington, D.C.
Concrete masonry's rise to acclaim as a quality product on exterior walls, as well as for exposed interior walls, is playing a major role in the growing popularity of the load-bearing masonry system in North America, according to reports reaching the International Masonry Institute (IMI). A well-designed, new example is Plymouth West in Long Beach, California, by Architects Dwight E. Bennett, AIA, and Paul E. Tay, AIA.
From all indications, concrete masonry and the load-bearing masonry system are increasingly proving to be an aesthetic and economic blend, catching the attention of architects, structural engineers, owners and investors. Fortunately the concrete masonry industry has few if any current problems as far as product availability is concerned. In addition, their products incorporate the qualities needed to meet or exceed increasingly tough requirements for soundproofing, fire safety, seismic safeguards and energy conservation. So it's not surprising to see concrete masonry structures with loadbearing capacity springing up at an accelerating rate throughout North America.
Some are a single story, while others reach skyward to 20 stories. Looking beyond 20 stories, the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) has an extensive study underway to determine the design and feasibility of a 50-story loadbearing concrete masonry structure. In the meantime, however, six to 15 stories seems to be the popular height range for loadbearing masonry.
Plymouth West
One of California's newest loadbearing masonry structures was designed by Architects Bennett and Tay in a joint venture. It's the 11-story Plymouth West in Long Beach. The 124,080 sq. ft., $2,900,000 building for United Church Homes is retirement housing, constructed with an exterior of exposed architectural concrete masonry. The interior has plaster over masonry, with exposed, warm-brown, split-face concrete masonry units in each apartment. Arevalo & Deardorff of Los Angeles were structural engineers; Trepte Construction Co., general contractors, and Custom Masonry of La Mesa, mason contractor.
Architect Dwight Bennett said: "The use of loadbearing concrete masonry structural system saved enough money to install a central air-conditioning system throughout an eleven-story, 196-unit apartment building.
"The policy of HUD as it relates to appraisal and allocation of apartment buildings in Long Beach does not allow for an air-conditioning system for the spaces. The FHA 236 Program forces design architects to be exceedingly cautious of construction costs to keep them within budget, exclusive of central air-conditioning costs.
"The utilization of the loadbearing masonry structural technique in this 11-story, 196-unit apartment building generated enough construction cost savings to equip and install a central air-conditioning system throughout the building. This satisfied the architect's conviction that to build such a building without an air-conditioning program would contribute to the obsolescence of the building," said Bennett.
Catamaran in San Diego
The Catamaran Hotel in San Diego is 13 stories. It was built in 1968 with 8-inch concrete block walls. It took just 5-½ months to construct at a cost of $13.50 per sq. ft. The architect was J. V. Thompson, with structural engineer Harry Deardorff.
San Diego's Town & Country
Also in San Diego is the 10-story Town & Country Motel by Architects Hendrick & Mock. It has 324 rooms and was built in 1970 with a floor completed each 8½-days.