​By  George F. Will Columnist

Baker Correctional Institution winners of first ever competition


SANDERSON, Fla. — Inmates from across the state traveled to Baker Correctional Institution to compete in the first ever Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) inter-institutional inmate masonry competition. Seven teams from various Florida correctional institutions showcased their masonry skills, judged by members of the Florida Masonry Apprenticeship and Educational Foundation (FMAEF).


“This is a perfect model of how we are trying to take our rehabilitation programming and actually have it contribute to restoring the men and women under our care back to their communities with a skill that can immediately result in employment,” said FDC Secretary Mark S. Inch. “This competition demonstrates the skill that meets industry standards for immediate employment. We have skilled instructors that are following industry standards, and we have great support from the business community; both from professional and educational organizations.”


Masonry competitions are used industry wide to highlight the quality, skill and fidelity of masonry education programs. FDC’s masonry programs offer industry-recognized certifications through rigorous coursework and hands-on experience. This training program equips inmates with the skills necessary for employment. Prior to release, inmates are paired with industry professionals through FMAEF to assist with immediate employment opportunities.

Read more:: http://www.dc.state.fl.us/comm/press/Main/01-27-Masonry.html

  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A four-story apartment building under construction on Jacksonville’s Southside burned to the ground before dawn Sunday morning in a fire that kept the eastbound lanes of Baymeadows Road blocked at Interstate 295 all morning.
Flames from the Fusion Apartment at Baymeadows being built along Baymeadows Road East spread to woods but the fire was stopped before it could spread into the neighboring Hampton Park neighborhood.

The Masonry Association of Florida MASONRY APPRENTICE CLASSES are beginning soon. See dates and locations for Open House events in your area:

​SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2020
Individual class times are listed below:

​A man built his vacation home in the fire zone, and when the Thomas Fire blazed through, it reached his property. But it didn't burn it down. He says it's due to his fire-resistant design and materials, and officials are saying it's the way to go.

As Woolsey Fire victims start to rebuild their homes, fire experts say they need to rethink how they rebuild. And maybe they should be doing it the way Jeremy wolf did — rebuilding with specific materials to prevent their home from burning down in a future fire.
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"It’s a beautiful place to spend time," said Jeremy Wolf about his weekend home in Ojai Valley. He built the house five years ago, and knew he had to rebuild wisely.
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Read more: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/fire-proof-home-california-wildfires-ojai-valley-thomas-fire/82278/

"First and foremost they wanted something that was going to be timeless - a classic design. And they wanted something that was going to be secure for the students. Part of that is durability - the wear and tear on middle schools is pretty tough, so concrete block was a 'no-brainer' option."
 
When architect Calvin Durham and his team at Lambert Ezell Durham Architecture in northern Alabama were tasked with designing the new middle school in their hometown of Florence, they knew right away that they could draw upon structures of the past.

The 180,000 square-foot space is a partial Tuscan ode — design-wise — to the former Appleby School, which opened in 1917 and was eventually replaced in 1951.

“We used some of that detailing and some of that ‘feel.’ We didn’t copy it so much as we used that same vernacular of elements to kind of draw back on,” Durham noted.
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What he and none of his associates on the project expected however, was for one of the most renowned voices in the world on the subject of school safety to proclaim their new structure one of the most secure schools he’s ever encountered.

“I was blown away,” said Durham.

Read more> How CMU allowed an architect to design one of the five safest schools in America

An area’s average climate determines, in part, the types of materials used in residential and commercial construction. Hot and humid climates include parts of North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Mexico according to Herbertson’s Thermal Regions (a modified version of the Koppen Classification scale).

Herbertson defines a hot and humid climate as a place that receives more than 20 inches of rain annually and exhibits one or both of these conditions:

• A wet bulb temperature (thermometer covered in a water-soaked cloth) higher than 67 degrees Fahrenheit for 3,000 or more hours during the warmest 6 months of the year.
• A wet bulb temperature higher than 73 degrees Fahrenheit for 1,500 or more hours during the warmest 6 months of the year.

Hot air and water vapor must be managed through the use of building materials and techniques adapted to the climate. For instance, heat always moves toward cold – which means that, in sunny, humid areas, hot air will gradually replace air-conditioned indoor air unless builders take steps to keep moisture out of the building.

In high precipitation areas, moisture can threaten the integrity of the structure and its materials. To keep standing pools of water, wind-driven rain and leaks from weakening the building over time, contractors need to incorporate construction technology that keeps moisture out and allows it to dry if it finds a way in. Among some of the most effective materials used are weather resistant barriers and vapor-transmitting insulation.

Read the entire article here. 

Fi-Foil and Masonry Semi-Permeable Insulation

Fi-Foil Company’s VR Plus Shield™ Reflective Insulation for Masonry Walls is constructed of three layers of reflective insulation designed to reduce radiant heat transfer through walls and increase a home’s overall R-value. VR Plus Shield Perforated version is recommended for masonry wall applications in hot-humid climates, adds R-7.0 and can be used alone or as part of a system. Perforations along the premium aluminum sheets allow moisture to pass through the insulation layers.
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For more information on Fi-Foil’s VR Plus Shield™ or any of Fi-Foil’s other products and services, such as Silver Shield™, HY-Fi®, Retroshield® and accessories, visit the website or call 888-513-4972.

The MAF held it's 3rd Annual Block-toberfest Event at the Preferred Materials Plant in Bonita Springs on Friday, October 18, 2019.  The event was very well-received with approximately 30 architects and engineers in attendance. 

Thank you to our Sponsors:

• Preferred Materials
• David Nelson Masonry
• Jerry Painter Masonry Consulting
• Florida Concrete Masonry Education Council
•  Oldcastle
  

Interested in attending the next Block-toberfest Event?  Click here to register for the November 21, 2019 "Block-vember" Event at Oldcastle in Zephyrhills, FL!

​"Why are municipal leaders in the Triangle [Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill] working with developers to cover our cities with dangerous, hastily constructed condos and apartment homes made out of sticks?"
 
A concerned Durham, North Carolina resident and journalist confronts the building solution he believes is putting his fellow citizens in grave danger. To read the full story, click here.