January 2015 Table of Contents

Words: Dan KamysTable of Contents

January 2015

Volume 54, Number 1 FEATURES BIM-M Building Information Modeling masonry

Air Barriers and Insulation

Mason contractors can experience long-term energy savings through cavity wall systems.

Education and Certifications

The tough new standards developed by the Natural Stone Council over a five-year period were released in late-June and promise to level the playing field between man’s oldest building material and other building components.

Software: BIM for Masonry

BIM-M will expand the use of masonry within the construction industry by promoting the development of tools that will help architects, engineers, manufacturers, masons, contractors and owners.

Technology: Humanoids and Bio Bricks

With a sharp decline in the number of young people learning the masonry trade, could robot prototypes fill the void?

Mast Climbers, Cranes and Telehanders

The mast climber industry has been working hard to update committee focus and standards development, always mindful of the increased potential for accidents in the period immediately following a recession.

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

From The Editor Chairman’s Message Government Affairs Full Contact PM New Products Classified Advertising News

GEN NXT: Mason Paolini
May 2026

This month, the MCAA got to talk with Mason Paolini, a mason who has a clear passion and talent for the trade he has such high praise for. Read about Mason’s story and why he sees a future in this industry. Mason Paolini’s career began with a simple desi

Justin Stengel
GEN NXT
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Marvelous Masonry: Tianjin Zhongshuge Library
May 2026

It is not unusual today for masonry to be treated as a surface decision rather than a structural one. Too often, brick enters a project late in the process, trimmed back by budgets or reduced to a veneer once the “real” building work is finished. The Tian

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
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Fechino Files: Concrete Pavers around a Pool
May 2026

Many folks over the years have placed concrete pavers around their pool as a nice form of decorative pool deck. Early in the 2000’s, I took a class held by the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute, then known as the ICPI. At the time I attended the class

Steven Fechino
Fechino Files
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Chairman's Message: Staying the Course
May 2026

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. There’s energy in the air. Jobs are picking up. Crews are hitting their rhythm. Schedules are filling up. You can feel momentum building again. And every year around this time, I find myself thinking about con

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
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