Perhaps the most important question when talking about green design is not what materials you choose or where they come from, but rather how you are using them and how they are installed.

Because, at the end of the day, being green simply means building it right.

To help designers understand this, we deliver this message day in and day out. This week, we are in Indianapolis, talking to thousands of industry professionals at the big CONSTRUCT event of the Construction Specifications Institute. We are showing them the checks and balances required to design and build an energy efficient building (in masonry, of course).

A lot of people come together to make a building. For a green building, it becomes even more important to have everyone on the same page, answering the same basic questions: Who is responsible? Why are they responsible? How are they responsible?

Educated union contractors have a competitive edge in sustainable building

The seminar takes a look at the full team - the designers, the contractors, and the craftworkers - and highlights the critical junctions where they must depend on each other to make the building come out right.

It’s a conversation that every project team should be having.

The IMI seminar, “Quality Assurance for Sustainable and Energy Efficient Masonry Construction,” is one of several green presentations available. For more information contact Maria Viteri, AIA, LEED AP at mviteri@imiweb.org

 IMI takes seriously the name of its professional education program, Contractor College. Offered in partnership with the International Council of Employers of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (ICE), it follows a rigorous curriculum to develop contracting professionals versed in all aspects of business, from quality assurance to computer applications.

After 64 credit hours of study, aspiring graduates must also demonstrate professional practice competence.

 Rigorous yet flexible

Along with that solid foundation, the program helps union contractors keep an eye on the future by identifying emerging market trends and needs. 

 In Ohio, for example, contractors wanted to brush up their knowledge of tile, marble and terrazzo, and get their arms around green business opportunities. They also got to interact with designers during hands-on demonstrations that really help ideas sink in - and show off the value of skilled training.

“It was eye opening and understandable,” says one contractor.

In Indiana, where quality assurance is a hot topic, the May session covered that, plus useful tactics to achieve it, like grouting/reinforced masonry certification.

“Continuing education is a must, especially in this challenging economy.”
- Scott Hermesch, Estimator/Project Manager, Batts Construction, Inc.

Michigan contractors will learn more about masonry engineering, movement control, safety and prequalification at their October session, while those in upstate New York will get a similar slate, plus a restoration class this November.

This fall, contractors from all over will benefit from a packed session at The Flynn Center in Maryland, that includes green and retrofit architecture, QA, air barriers and restoration.

The industry standard

This September, IMI will again hold a custom session at the annual meeting of the Tile Contractors’ Association of America, featuring life cycle cost analysis and sustainability.

TCAA members have long recognized IMI Contractor College as the standard for mason contractor certification. Other contractor organizations also count course credits toward their certification programs, and some courses quality for AIA credits, too.

Building inspectors all over the country are partnering with IMI to boost their masonry knowledge, and get the best possible construction for their constituents.

Knowing a little bit about a lot of things doesn’t always work well for masonry. Often, inspectors have to deal with masonry that is already covered up or unfamiliar veneer systems. When you add constant code changes and interpretations, it can get confusing fast.

That’s why inspectors appreciate IMI’s hands-on education, which gives them some clues of what to look for, like flashing, mortar droppings, floor preparation and proper installation of adhered veneers.

In Wisconsin, where inspectors have yearly continuing education requirements, IMI recently took a group from a variety of communities out of the classroom and onto a real jobsite - LaCrosse’s new transit station. They asked a lot of questions, and vowed to keep in touch for their future projects.

“It really helps to have an expert in the field,” says Calvin King, past president of the Wisconsin Building Inspectors Association.

In Chicago, IMI’s South Suburban Building Officials Masonry Day in March had an immediate impact on many of the 50-plus attendees. Thomas C. Pahnke, CBO Building Commissioner for the Village of Manhattan, found the solution to a vexing water problem hampering a large residential development. The next day, he asked IMI to help revise the village’s Masonry Ordinance and Design Guidelines.

In Northwest Indiana, inspectors regularly rely on IMI to keep them up on new codes and standards, and to help them be proactive about quality installation. It is particularly appreciated in a tight economy where “pickup truck contractors” try to get away with stuff (like the Lake County fellow who argued that Tyvek was the same as flashing).

Once they understand the difference that quality training and extra measures like grout certification can offer, the result is more work for quality contractors, and better values for residents.

The next Northwest Indiana session is June 2. Contact Faith Blackwell at fblackwell@imiweb.org for details.

One bright spot in this economy is school construction. Between demographics and stimulus funds, the need to build and repair schools will continue.  When you add in the emphasis on sustainability, masonry systems are more desirable than ever.

  IMI educates contractors on how they can take an active role in school construction. This June, we launch our Sustainable Masonry Certification Program.

Another way we help contractors get school work is solid relationships with firms like Fanning Howey Associates. The prominent firm, which tops national lists for both school work and green design, had more than 720 K-12 school projects worth $5.2 billion in the past five years. We recently convened a special panel to address their technical concerns and offer ways for the firm to be more competitive with masonry. We provide similar advice for school officials all over the country.

We like schools because they offer a chance to apply masonry’s full palette of materials. At the Pennsylvania School Boards Association’s annual School Construction Summit last week, for example, terrazzo was back in fashion, thanks to its affordability and durability.

Those qualities are important to protect America’s schools investment. What also helps is quality installation, which we work towards through programs like grout certification and flashing training.  Those make all the difference, say contractors like Ed Ford, manager of Kirk Bros. Co. masonry division in Ohio:

  “After being a bricklayer for 20 years I did not know all the details to install flashing properly…until I attended my first IMI class. Fanning Howey, 360 Architecture and Turner Construction are very impressed with the education and training the IMI brings to the table. They are confident we are going to give them a quality product. “         

Working with the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission, we enlightened more than 90 architects, engineers and construction managers at a special “Masonry Education Day” held at Smoot Construction in April.

 When it comes to schools, quality masonry construction is the smart choice.

 “There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build… Above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. “  - Barack Obama, 11-04-08

One of the main reasons people go to conventions is to check out what’s new. At last week’s American Institute of Architects convention in San Francisco, where IMI had a booth, we noticed a lot of rain screen walls, and a lot of architects talking about them.

That provided the perfect opening for us to talk about one of our favorite subjects – training.

By partnering with manufacturers of new products, we ensure proper training for craftworkers, with additional education to help contractors get comfortable bidding and using them.  Our current partnerships with rain screen wall manufacturers are already bringing more work for BAC members, and these new contacts can provide more.

Rain screen wall systems are gaining a greater share of the building envelope, because architects and building owners like both their performance and appearance. IMI training makes them even more comfortable specifying the systems, when installed by BAC craftworkers.

Protecting an investment is more important than ever in today’s economy. That’s why IMI helps consumers recognize the difference that quality offers, through events like the recent Coverings show, which included the well-attended IMI booth and seminars.

 At last week’s show, where some 37,000 distributors, contractors, specifiers, designers, builders and developers gathered for the latest news, IMI seminars offered insight on ways to improve traditional applications, while also preparing for new markets.

 At our Concrete/Substrate Tolerances seminar, IMI demonstrated that improved communication between concrete and tile contractors will lead to better performance. Specifiers welcomed the advice, and contractors appreciated the “real world” perspective that helps them get a quality job.

 The Tile Facades seminar helped people get comfortable with new rain screen walls (shown above), including specifics like anchoring details and code issues. Designers feel better specifying it, especially when seeing how BAC contractors are uniquely positioned to do the work, and how IMI helps them. Upcoming standards will raise comfort levels even more.

 Visitors to the IMI booth also appreciated the IMI LEED Checklist, with many telling us it was the best “how to” handout at Coverings.

 But, as usual, the biggest draw was IMI training. Whether it’s traditional tile or tomorrow’s products, this audience knows that quality training translates into quality installations. As one attendee put it,

“No one else does it like IMI.”

Daily news coverage of job layoffs makes everyone nervous. But instead of just worrying about it, some BAC members are taking advantage of specialized refractory training available through IMI to boost their job options.

Ted Champ, President of BAC Local 4 Indiana/Kentucky, knows firsthand what a difference it can make. Rocked by last week’s news that a huge steel plant in his area was cutting 400 jobs, Champ was relieved to hear that the 90 or so “highly skilled” Local 4 refractory members are not only working now, but plant managers are so impressed that they are doing everything they can to keep them working.

“Refractory training has been positive for us,” says Champ. “We got IMI in the door and explained that IMI can take care of any specialty need. The relationship has really helped out now. “

Champ notes that having training specialists on tap really solidified the union’s relationship with the plant. Plant managers, who are not shy about voicing concerns, especially about getting their money’s worth, are really happy about IMI’s refractory program, and hope to send more people to The Flynn Center soon.

 

“Through this training, we’re keeping members working. If you have the skills, it’s extra insurance.”

The people taking the current refractory class at The Flynn Center come from many backgrounds, but they share one goal: enhancing their skills to increase their options in an unpredictable economy.

For information on specialized training through IMI, call 800-JOBS-IMI or go to http://www.imiweb.org/training/schedule/imi.

For photos of refractory training at The Flynn Center, go to http://www.flynncenterphotos.org/ and check out the Refractory Training albums.

 

Building it green means building it right.

IF THERE IS ANY DOUBT about how mainstream energy efficiency has become, just listen to news coverage of the economic stimulus package. The nation’s economic and energy policies are clearly intertwined. 

Masonry plays an important part in any energy efficient system, which means that it gets engineered in at the beginning, and it stays in.  IMI’s portfolio of green services makes it easy for designers to incorporate masonry into their energy strategies, and for contractors to help them.

Through partnerships with the U.S. Green Building Council and the American Institute of Architects, IMI is a recognized educator on energy efficient masonry construction, LEED design and certification, quality assurance, and more.       

IMI training and contractor education complete the picture, while the IMI LEED Checklist and the technical know-how behind it provide a roadmap for viable energy solutions.

Anybody can say they are “green,” but today’s industry standards go by the LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED AP) process for determining “green-ness,” where practitioners must demonstrate to USGBC “a thorough understanding of green building practices and principles.”

IMI Program Development Director Maria Viteri, AIA, LEED AP, is one of them.  “Being able to understand the rating system and its holistic approach to sustainable design really benefits us,” says Viteri, who leads IMI’s Green Strategy. “It supports our position that masonry is more than just a material choice, and shows how its attributes are integrated into energy efficient systems that address all facets of LEED.”

 LEARN MORE:

 http://www.imiweb.org/design_tools/technical_seminars/sustainable_masonry.php

Floor coverings come in many forms. Masonry’s design applications are attractive, green, and functional.

Three obvious examples are always on display at the BAC/IMI John J. Flynn Training Center in Maryland, which hosts everyone from pre-job apprentices to designers and contractors.

One of the first tasks for the center’s floor covering was to be welcoming. The solution was terrazzo, which allowed for artful placement of our logo.

The concrete flooring, which emits no VOCs, allows for flexible turnover of training classes, plus special events that can bring heavy equipment and lots of foot traffic.

For the kitchen and bathrooms, the tile is so handsome and hard-working that we kept going right up the walls.

IMI can be an important part of a design team, offering both inspiration and practical advice on flooring solutions for your sustainable projects.