Delivering K–12 Schools with Masonry: Controlling Risk, Cost, and Schedule

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 | 12-1 p.m. Eastern Time
1 LU/HSW

Join us to examine the cost and constructability advantages of structural masonry in K–12 schools. We’ll share how strategic material selection, system coordination, and sequencing can reduce risks such as cost overruns, schedule delays, and safety hazards.
 
You’ll learn how informed masonry decisions support efficient staffing, trade coordination, and greater project predictability. Plus, see how masonry’s durability and low life-cycle costs help owners control budgets and reduce future maintenance. We’ll also connect these benefits to broader industry goals, such as building resilience, improving energy performance, and advancing sustainability in design-build and design-assist projects.
 
Bernard Zelle Anshe Emit Day School hi-res MUST CREDIT Steve Hall & Kendall Ristau Photographers, LTDPhoto © Steve Hall & Kendall Ristau Photographers, LTD

 Learning Objectives:

  • Explain how structural masonry contributes to fire resistance, structural stability, and impact durability.
  • Evaluate sequencing and coordination strategies that reduce jobsite risk, improve labor efficiency, and enhance schedule reliability.
  • Analyze how durable material selection influences long-term maintenance and its costs, warranty exposure, and owner risk.
  • Identify how constructability decisions in masonry systems support energy performance, occupant safety, and resilient facilities.

About the Speakers

Tom Elliott 
Director of Industry Development and Technical Services, IMI

Tom Elliott-1

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. 

brian trimble, pe, CDT, leed ap
Director of Industry Development and Technical Services

Brian Trimble-1

Brian is a professional engineer who has worked in the masonry industry for over 30 years, assisting design professionals in the design of masonry structures. He speaks frequently to local, regional, and national construction industry groups.

His career began with a brick manufacturer and he worked for the Brick Industry Association for over 20 years. For the International Masonry Institute he coordinates activities in the Western PA and Western NY areas. In addition to owners, contractors, architects, engineers, and craftspeople, he promotes masonry to a wide range of audiences.

View all Upcoming IMI Webinars