July 28, 2017 — The Illinois Structural Masonry Coalition is a combined effort sponsored by many groups that have interests in masonry, working together to promote and provide resources for design of structural and load-bearing masonry. The combined effort is made up of the Illinois Concrete Products Association, The Brick Distributors of Illinois, The International Masonry Institute, The Masonry Institute of Southern Illinois, Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers from Local 6, 8 and 21, The Greater Chicago Mason Contractors Association and The Masonry Advisory Council.
The coalition seeks to be a resource to Illinois’ engineering community by providing design assistance, technical service, and in some cases project-specific consultation and hands-on training in masonry design software. The group’s collective goal is to help design buildings that satisfy building code requirements and design objectives while taking full advantage of the efficiencies of structural masonry.
One of the key individuals to the Illinois Structural Masonry Coalition is Sam Rubenzer. Sam has given numerous lunch-and-learns, seminars and held private meetings with structural engineers and architects in the Chicago area, helping them with masonry design. His service through the coalition is free to those who need help.
If you need masonry advice on a project you are designing, call the Masonry Advisory Council at (847) 297-6704 or visit masonryadvisorycouncil.org and click on “ASKMAC.”
