November 2014
From the Editor
Masonry: LEEDing the Way
The Masonry team just returned from a vibrant and well-attended Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, this year held in New Orleans. It has taken some time, but I believe most industries are, at last, embracing sustainability and energy efficiency. Lucky for our industry, masonry is a naturally green material with an extremely long life cycle.
You can read more about the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED v4, which includes changes designed to push designers and builders into new realms of sustainability innovation (see “LEED: A Focus on Product Transparency,” p. 38).
This issue also includes complete coverage of the 2014 MCAA Midyear Meeting, held in September in Milwaukee (see p. 14), as well as images and profiles of the 13 MCAA Tribute to Exemplary Achievements in Masonry (TEAM) Award winners (see p. 44).
It only makes sense to shine a light on natural stone as we cover green building, so this issue offers an opulent spotlight on an Arizona residence built with masonry (p. 18). As we talk about the flexibility and unique character that natural stone provides, the sometimes-tough task of cleaning that material is addressed as well (see “Cleaning the Nebraska State Capitol,” p. 24).
Of interest in this issue is a product review on a few of the latest and greatest handheld tools for masons on the jobsite. See what the industry has to offer in “Hands Down the Best Handhelds,” p. 32.
We hope you enjoy this particularly diverse and informative issue of Masonry.