Masonry Magazine August 2009 Page. 35
INDUSTRY NEWS
Please submit your news and events to:
jmorrell@lionhrtpub.com
International Sustainability Design Competition
Potomac Valley Brick (PVB) announced a call for entries for a new international architectural green design competition. In Brick-stainable: Re-thinking Brick, entrants will be asked to design a hypothetical net-zero energy building using day masonry as a primary material.
Brick-stainable: Re-thinking Brick hopes to attract interest from a broad pool of entrants, including architects and engineers as well as non-traditional candidates, such as environmental engineers, product designers and material scientists. The competition even includes a category for materials studies or assemblies, in addition to its building design element.
PVB has named a $10,000 grand prize. An award ceremony will be held at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C, on Jan. 27, 2009. Entrants will have a first-hand introduction to the competition during DesignDC 2009: Architects Leading Change, held July 14 – 16 at the Walter Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., where Potomac Valley Brick will unveil the PVB/Brick-stainable information center, offering detailed information on the competition and insight to their product range. For more information, email ericka@spinLLC.com.
Sustainable Contractor Certification Program
The International Masonry Institute (IMI) launched the first sustainability certification program for mason contractors in June. The IMI developed the Sustainable Masonry Certification Program to educate union masonry contractors on the nuts and bolts of sustainability practices and their role in the LEED certification process.
The course addresses the different responsibilities of a subcontractor, ranging from estimating and project scope, to project management and documentation. It covers all the LEED credits that every masonry contractor should know, plus green-specific strategies such as site use, material storage and construction waste management.
The IMI launched the program at a session in Pittsburgh, which is a national leader in LEED-certified buildings.
Milwaukee Tool Issued LITHIUM-ION Patent
Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. received a patent for its cutting-edge, LITHIUM-ION battery technology for cordless power tools. The company's patented LITHIUM-ION technology represents the new generation of cordless, hand-held power tools powered by battery packs capable of pro-
ational Contest Validates Paining, Development
The 2009 National Masonry Contest was part of the 45th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, held in Kansas City, Mo., in June. The contest allowed 45 masons-to-be to showcase their skills. For up to six hours, contestants in the national masonry championships strove to build the best composite project of block and brick according to plans distributed the previous day, IMAS
The first-place winners were:
* Post Secondary Competition: Bradley Wright, 19, Selma, Ala.
* High School (Secondary) Competition: Jared Gandy, 19, Mt. Pleasant, N.C.