Errors in construction specifications lead to lost time and money for all parties involved. Errors can occur due to references to outdated standards, contradictory or conflicting requirements throughout a specification, general omissions of important information, or a misunderstanding of what is present in masonry standards.

As part of CMDC’s goal to provide designers and our members with the tools and resources to design masonry structures, this new initiative is meant to provide a resource to anyone involved in a project where masonry work is being specified. The main specification page is now available under Resources, linked here: www.canadamasonrydesigncentre.com/resources/specifications

The following are examples of some of the typical issues that CMDC engineering staff have encountered over years of experience in the industry. The purpose of this initiative is to provide a general resource to help inform mason contractors, specification writers, architects, engineers, and masonry designers in general on what types of specifications might lead to issues on a masonry job.

The specification examples available today are:

1. Tying Veneer to a Structural Backing
2. Specifying Mortar for Nonloadbearing Masonry
3. Specifying Mortar for Loadbearing Masonry
4. Bond Beams in Partition Walls
5. Workmanship and Tolerances for Walls
6. Workmanship and Unit Appearance
7. Workmanship and Mortar Joints
8. Vertical Movement Joints
9. Acoustic Block in Reinforced Masonry
10. Masonry Grout

CMDC is available to answer any design or construction questions for designers or our contractor members. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are looking at a specification that is raising some questions or you are looking to specify something in your design and want to ensure that the way it is written in a way that is clear and reflects the codes and standards that are being used for your next project.

For full details, please visit the course page, hosted on the CMDC learning platform, LearnMasonry.ca

In-class Session Schedule

Friday, April 13th

12:00pm to 6:30pm (lunch and dinner provided)

Saturday April 14th

8:30am to 5:00pm (breakfast and lunch provided)

Friday, April 27th

12:00pm to 6:30pm (lunch and dinner provided)

Saturday April 28th

8:30am to 5:00pm (breakfast and lunch provided)

Topics covered

Weekend 1

• Overview of Masonry Construction, Design and Standards
• Introduction to Masonry Materials and Assemblages
• Masonry Beams:
  • Ultimate Limit States Shear and Flexure
  • Serviceability Limit States
  • Detailing
  • Design Examples
• Masonry Shear Walls:
  • Ultimate Limit States Shear and Flexure
  • Serviceability Limit States
  • Detailing
  • Design Examples

Weekend 2

• Out-of-Plane Masonry Walls:
  • Ultimate Limit States Shear and Flexure
  • Interaction Diagram
  • Deflection, Second Order Effects, and Slenderness
  • Serviceability Limit States
  • Detailing
  • Design Examples
• Single Storey Buildings:
  • Load Calculation
  • Load Distribution around Openings and Movement Joints
  • Design Examples:
    • Individual Structural Elements
    • Full Structure Example

Online – Supplemental eLearning

In addition to the in-class component a number of lessons will be made available through our online learning platform. These additional topics are included in your fee and can be taken at anytime during the course. These added lessons will provide designers with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of masonry design and will cover topics such as:

• MASS Design Software:
  • Design of Masonry Beams
  • Design of Out-of-Plane Walls
  • Design of Masonry Shear Walls
  • Shear Wall Load Distribution with Openings and Movement Joints
• General Overview of Changes from 2004 to 2014 CSA Masonry Materials, Construction and Design Standards
• Masonry Materials:
  • Specialty Mortars, Clay Brick, Connectors and Stone Products
  • Case Studies and Diagnostics of Masonry Veneers
• Masonry Beams:
  • Design of Brick Beams, Deep Beams and Prestressed Beams
  • Modified Compression Field Theory and Shear Design of Masonry Beams using the 2014 Standard
  • Support of Masonry and Bearing Design, Using Movement Joints for Structural Applications and Arching of Masonry over Openings
• Masonry Shear Walls:
  • Unreinforced Masonry, Floor Connections and Intersecting Walls
  • Multi-Storey Shear Walls and Introduction to Seismic Design
• Masonry Out-of-Plane Walls:
  • Unreinforced Masonry
  • Intersecting Walls and Stack Pattern Masonry
  • Design Assumptions: Smeared versus Discrete Partially-Grouted Masonry

Full details can be found on the course website on CMDC’s online learning platform: LearnMasonry.ca