Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner with us
MCAA Logo
Log in Sign up Join Hi, there Account
2026 Midyear Registration is OPEN
Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner
Log in Sign up Join Account

SouthWestern Brick Institute Launches Total Masonry Program

The SouthWestern Brick Institute (SWBI) is pleased to announce the launch of a new educational campaign for school administrators and architects that details the benefits of using masonry — a proven, age-old construction system — to battle the modern mold epidemic that is destroying new school facilities at an alarming rate.

The program will include a free CD, which provides video footage, data, case studies and contacts at actual school districts, as well as a dedicated website containing the information and instructions for ordering copies of the CD.

In launching this new educational program, SWBI is working closely with the Texas Masonry Council (TMC), which published "Are You Building a School...or a Liability?", a comprehensive guide to using total masonry construction in public schools (available at www.texasmasonrycouncil.org).

The campaign defines total masonry construction and includes information on what products are part of the system — clay brick, concrete block, stone and/or cast stone — and those that are not part of the system. Total masonry construction is built on the premise that buildings should have a life expectancy of at least 50 years, be built with materials that are forgiving in nature, and be used in a system with built-in redundancy.

The CD and book reveal the fact that total masonry construction — with its extended life and resilience to the elements — costs no more than steel stud veneer.

To order a free CD or to find out more about the benefits of total masonry construction, visit www.totalmasonry.com or call the SouthWestern Brick Institute at 800-733-1813.
 0
Bonding with Masonry 2026: Q2
June 2026

This issue’s questions come from a Mason Contractor and an Engineer. What questions do you have? Send them to info@masonrymagazine.com, attention Technical Talk.

David Biggs
Bonding with Masonry
Read More
The Thirty-Year Mason: Ergonomics as a Retention Strategy
June 2026

In most industry circles, the conversation around the labor shortage follows a predictable script: How do we find the next generation of masons? While recruitment is vital, we often overlook the most valuable asset already on the job site: the experienced

Shayne Sanders
MAP Partner
Read More
Acme Brick Company Releases 2026 Pocket Guide to Brick Construction
June 2026

For more than four decades, all the basics of building with brick have come in a guide small enough to fit into a pocket. Acme Brick has just released a 2026 version of its Pocket Guide to Brick Construction. And yes, it’s still printed on paper just like

MAP Partner
Read More
Masonry in the Media: Casa Azul, Chapultepec Castle, & More
June 2026

A film’s settings can take viewers to new locations, all from the comfort of their own home. It immerses them in the scenes, whether they take place in an opera house in Brazil or a grand mansion in Mexico City. Explore how these Latin American masonry ma

Lily Burger
Masonry in the Media
Read More