Why Masonry?

To answer this question, we must ask you, “What do you want your building to be?” If you desire a new or renovated structure that will bring lasting beauty, solid economic savings, and an enhancement to your reputation and standing in the community, then using a masonry system for your next project is an imperative. Timeless masonry is the perfect material for all categories of construction in the built environment. Be it a hospital, office center, school, government/institutional facility, apartment, residential project, or any other creative construction challenges.

Masonry is elemental. It comes from and speaks of the earth. Its past is still with us preserved in great wonders of the world. It’s present all around us in the buildings we admire as we travel around Saskatchewan, across Canada and throughout the world.

Why are so many buildings invariably built of masonry? Have you noticed which buildings you admire most in your community? Image is the key. The quality image of a masonry building is one of excellence and permanence. No other material leaves as lasting an impression of strength, quality and substance as that conveyed by brick, block and stone.

Masonry is a building system that has survived the test of time and remains unmatched in design, quality and flexibility. Architects and engineers throughout the centuries have applied masonry to their simplest and most challenging design work. Building owners and users who have cared about the image created by buildings in their communities have selected masonry as an expression of themselves and their businesses for both the present and the future. No other building material can convey permanence and stability, year after year, like masonry can. Masonry units with their great choices of sizes, colors and textures provide the design flexibility to make your new building stand out from the crowd. Building owners and users who care about their image are quickly moving away from the look-alike metal buildings and stark tilt-up concrete and toward masonry-brick, block & stone. Using a Masonry System to construct your next building will produce a structure that you can be proud of and one that your customers and clients can relate to and feel comfortable with. Let a masonry building be your affirmation of strength, permanence, quality and substance.

Let's explore the Facts, Features and Benefits of Masonry. After you have thought about the following, endless possibilities of Masonry we hope that you will answer the opening question Why Masonry? with a resounding and enthusiastic Why Not!

MASONRY MYTHS & FACTS

Masonry is often thought of as a facade or cladding material and not capable of supporting the entire structure. This is a myth. The fact is that structurally engineered masonry can bring great physical and economical strength to your buildings. When a masonry system approach is used, especially with a brick and concrete block cavity wall, you will find unequalled performance and satisfaction. Another myth is that mason contractors are undergoing a manpower crisis and that they are hard to line up for your projects. The fact is that the masonry industry is rebuilding its manpower strength through comprehensive apprenticeship schools throughout the country. Not only are new bricklayers (masons) learning to construct new buildings, they are also learning the skills needed to retain the beauty of your historical structures. Contacting one of the SMI member contractors will provide the latest manpower availability information to you.

MASONRY FEATURES
Masonry’s adaptability to design forms, richness in texture, its modern adaptation for structural requirements, minimum maintenance, and cost competitiveness with other materials make it the preferred material for today’s buildings. The innovative features of masonry will help meet and exceed your needs of function and aesthetics.

MASONRY BENEFITS
Using a Masonry System for your next project will help you deliver a completed structurally sound building in the shortest period of time. Masonry buildings go up fast and last! Another significant benefit of masonry is its performance under fire conditions as well as favourable insurance policy premiums for fire-safe masonry. When it comes to life safety, cost-benefits analysis, and mold resistance using a masonry system is the way to go. We hope that you will visit and read the entire website and think about, and hopefully make the decision to “go masonry” on your next project.