Masonry Magazine April 2004 Page. 42
Further Learning
Continuing education for design and construction professionals at all stages of their careers is a core part of IMI's mission of quality union masonry. At ARCADIS Giffels, a top manufacturing and industry design firm based in Michigan, IMI designed a monthly technical seminar series tailored to their project needs, from prisons to restoration. Even the firm's clients are taking advantage of it. "It's right on target," says coordinator Ken Livingston, AIA. "I don't see any other trade working as hard to improve skills."
When the second largest overall design firm in the United States thought it needed to learn more about masonry, it turned to IMI and got a custom-tailored program of technical seminars, demonstrations and hands-on exposure to the full range of masonry materials. More than 150 staff architects, engineers and interior designers, plus some building owners and other guests spent a day at "IMI University," learning about stone, marble, terrazzo, grouting, prestressed systems, code changes, cavity wall design and construction, and aerated autoclaved concrete (AAC).
At NBBJ, the world's third largest architectural firm, IMI convened training and technical staff plus BAC officials, contractors and suppliers in Columbus, Ohio, to deliver technical seminars and hands-on craft demonstrations of tile, terrazzo, brick, block and stone, to show firm members how their designs get translated into reality. It's fair to say that if everything could be learned in architecture school, the practice of architecture would lack the drive and passion associated with spatial and material exploration. The effort was extended to appreciative area architects and architectural students the following day.
Variations of these "Masonry Day" events occur throughout the country, as practitioners seek the experts who can fill-in the blanks. In the end, good buildings and good designs simply do not spring from a single talent, but instead from a team of talents each contributing his or her expertise. So, when it comes to understanding materials, doesn't it make sense to seek expertise from those people who use them on a daily basis?
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