Masonry Magazine August 1996 Page. 18
Why Masonry is still Competitive in the Construction Industry
Lee Iacocca has said, "Either lead, follow, or get out of the way!" The concrete masonry industry has taken this to heart by finding more ways to compete with today's building materials.
As one of the oldest trades, masonry has always been a hands-on industry. For better or worse, the bricklayer has molded brick, block and stone to every configuration imaginable. From awesome pyramids to beautiful cathedrals, masonry craftsmen have amazed the generations.
The concrete block industry has grown from the small one-at-a-time hand operated apparatus to the highly automated sixteen-at-a-time, computerized manufacturing plant. As the construction industry learned more about the art of building, the concrete masonry industry introduced these engineering principles to the design of block walls. The more we learn about the properties of concrete block, the more efficiently we can design our buildings.
Research completed at the University of California San Diego had shown that masonry can stand not only the test of time, but also can resist the stresses produced by the worst conceivable earthquake. Professor Freidler Seible, Program Director and Associated Director of the Charles Lee Powell Structural Systems Laboratory at UCSD, has led a huge experiment that involved a five-story concrete block building that was erected in the laboratory and then "shook" for two months. The building did not fail! Scientists who observed the experiment thought the building could have taken even more stress and still remained standing.
What does this mean to the construction industry? It proved that one of the most competitively priced building materials provided a quality, life safety building envelope. This is something engineers have known for years.
With these tough recessionary times, concrete block wall costs have stayed relatively low across the country. San Diego County has seen installed costs for solid grouted walls under $5.00 a square foot. The fact that this is a finished wall makes this cost even more attractive. At this price, various architectural treatments can be added and still keep the wall cost-effective.
In the rewrite of Chapter 24 in the 1985 Uniform Building Code, the engineering concept of Ultimate Strength Design was introduced. This "tall slender wall design" concept allowed masonry to be more competitive. Concrete block was finally being given credit for higher minimum design strengths. Where past design would have dictated a 12" or 16" concrete block, a "tall slender" wall can now use 8" or 10". The higher design strength limit eliminates or reduces the need for pilasters which reduces labor costs.