Strength in Systems: Structural Masonry Field Insights
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 12-1 p.m. Eastern Time
1 LU/HSW
Behind every durable masonry structure is the collaboration between design intent and craftsmanship. This session brings together real-world perspectives from a mason and a masonry contractor, highlighting how design details perform once they reach the jobsite.
Through case studies of recent structural masonry projects, you’ll see how field-tested practices, anchorage placement, reinforcement layout, control joint execution, flashing installation, and sequencing impact wall performance, constructability, and long-term durability. Learn how skilled craftworkers interpret drawings, resolve detailing challenges in real time, and apply lessons from past projects to create resilient, code-compliant masonry systems that meet today’s performance and aesthetic expectations.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore how reinforcement, anchorage, and load path design influence structural performance, crack control, and wall stability.
- Evaluate how field-proven construction practices, detailing strategies, and team coordination improve constructability and enhance building durability.
- Identify best practices for integrating flashing, insulation, and control joints in structural masonry systems.
- Recognize the role of trained craftworkers in delivering safe, resilient, and consistent masonry assemblies.
About the Speaker
Tom Elliott
Director of Industry Development and Technical Services, IMI
Tom is a journey-level craftworker who joined the masonry industry in 1985 as an apprentice bricklayer for BAC Local 5 in Cleveland, Ohio. Throughout his time in the industry, he has worked as a journey-level bricklayer, project foreman, and field superintendent on larger masonry projects in Ohio and surrounding states. He also served as a project manager for a restoration contractor and oversaw the restoration of several historic structures.
Previously, he managed his own mason contracting business and helped to negotiate local labor contracts as a board member of the Northeast Ohio Contractors Association.
Tom is a member of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and is a CSI-Certified Construction Document Technologist. He is a voting member on several TMS subcommittees and is actively involved in the ACE Mentoring program. He is also a lecturer at both the Ohio State University and Kent State University and the Chairman of his local Architectural Board of Review and Planning Commission Board.
