Beginning January 2011, NCMA will exclusively offer the "Concrete Masonry Designs Magazine" and "NCMA TEKs" electronically.  Please register now to continue receiving this valuable and FREE resource.

Across the country, urban and suburban communities are taking advantage of a growing trend—infill projects. Unused or underutilized spaces in previously developed areas are getting a second chance to prosper through citywide and individual infill projects.
     Infill sites are best described as neglected public spaces and clusters of vacant or nearly-empty buildings and land. Over time, these sites can obstruct community development plans and even inhibit neighborhood safety and growth. Infill projects make it possible for communities to leverage existing assets and rethink the use of older spaces rather than continually seeking out new spaces.
    Concrete masonry units (CMU) are an ideal building material for these infill projects because there is often no adjacent space available for large equipment or staging areas. And because these projects tend to be tall and thin, closely situated to the site lines, and frequently mixed-use; the inherent strength, fire resistance, and noise abatement of CMUs provide an economic, one-step solution.
    Here are two examples of homes that were infill projects. One is single family, one is multi-family. Both utilize block for its strength, beauty, and ability to mix well with other building materials.

Read the full article online @ Concrete Masonry Online.

Congradulations to the following students who were awarded scholarships as a part of the NCMA-UNL Scholarship Fund.

Architecture:
    -Rick Reznicek
    -Christopher Smith

Landscape Architecture:
    -Kelsey Latshaw
    -Eric Gustafson

This is the second e-Newsletter in a new series called “e-Matters,” which is a blog-like document written by the Nebraska Masonry Institute, with a definite bias, dealing only with matters affecting masonry.  This "e-Matters" covers Burnished CMU's, specifically Designing and Constructing without Problems.  Please feel free to download a copy for yourself and pass it on to anyone who might be interested.