Reinforced Masonry:One simple system for warehouse construction

THE MASONRY EDGE

STD. horiz. jointreinf. @ 16” O.C.

#6 vert. rebar 48”O.C. (grout coreswith rebar only)

Cores filled withfoamed in placeinsulation

12” ConcreteMasonry unit

Cont. bond beamw/2 #5 rebar

Bar joist

32Õ

the turn of the century. With another turn of the centu-ry upon us, perhaps we should observe the benefits ofintegrating structure and finish into one element again.

In a steel/precast system the need for structureis satisfied by steel. The need for cladding is satisfiedby precast panels. Fire proofing (if necessary) isapplied over steel members. The nature of this type ofbuilding is a complex array of dissimilar materialswhich must all be fabricated off site and organized intoone complete system.

The best wall system is one that can performseveral functions simultaneously. A reinforced masonrywall provides the structure and the skin at the sametime. Insulation can simply be foamed into the cores ofthe units, or attached to the inside face. Fire and soundresistance are built right into the wall, along withimpact resistance and security. Aesthetics, of course,are subjective, but masonry has always been consideredone of the most beautiful building materials available.Furthermore, the concrete masonry industry offers vir-tually unlimited styles and textures of blocks, and thisstyle and texture is not just a painted on finish, it’s builtright into the wall.

The Chicago industrial market is seeing a sig-nificant increase in build to suit and speculative ware-house development. Naturally, developers would liketo provide the highest quality building at the most com-petitive price possible. Building with concrete mason-ry provides an economical building, with unsurpassed

hoosing a building system isnot a simple process. Itshould be one single answer

to several important questions.One must consider all the desiredcharacteristics, such as economy,durability, appearance and structur-al stability to name a few. The goalis an economical building systemthat will look good, perform well,and stand the test of time. The bestchoice for a building system is onethat satisfies all of the desired char-acteristics at the lowest cost.Reinforced concrete masonry wallsprovide all of the desired character-istics with one simple and cost-effective load-bearing wall, thusproviding the the greatest effectwith the least effort.

Sometimes when exposedto a complex question, we see aneven more complex answer. A solu-tion we see in the Chicago marketis a steel structure with attachedprecast panels as a system. Thisseparation of structure and finish isnot a new idea. It was one of themain ideas which sparked the mod-ernist movement in architecture at

C

The All Concrete MasonryWarehouse

Project: 32,000 ft2 warehouse with32’ tall walls, 10 garage doors, and a doublecantilever corner entry.

Construction: 12” C.M.U. with #6 rebar @ 48” O.C. per figure 1.

Avg. lead time: 8.7 days

Avg. duration: 24 days

Average cost $8.25 - $8.50 / ft2 (reg. med. wt.)of walls: $9.25 - 9.50 / ft2 ( l.w. split face )

Add $0.45 / ft2 for foamed in place insulation

Costs are averaged from Chicago area mason contractor’s estimates

Figure 1

By: Jason Yana

(Over)

Why is concrete masonry an excel-lent choice for commercial ware-houses?

Initial costs:The way that one can create an eco-nomical warehouse with masonry isby virtue of simplicity. By takingadvantage of the inherent compres-sive strength of concrete, and thetensile strength of reinforcing steel,one can use this simple system ofreinforced masonry to create tallslender load bearing walls in excessof 40 feet. With the deletion of theperimeter steel framing, additionalcost savings can be realized withload bearing concrete masonrywalls. The headaches associatedwith designing and fabricating asteel frame and incorporating anexterior cladding system to match itcan be replaced by one simple sys-tem.

Durability & Security:The durability advantage of mason-ry is quite clear. Well designedmasonry walls can last for centuries,and can sustain years of wear andtear. Durability is an important fac-tor in warehouses where walls maybe subjected to impact and abrasionfrom machinery, forklifts, trucks, etcAfter Hurricane Andrew in southFlorida, where block is often used,researchers investigated the integri-ty of several building systems. Theyfound that the masonry walls outperformed all other types of con-struction. This is a clear example ofthe inherent strength of concretemasonry walls.

Lead time:The effective lead time for a mason-ry building usually only takes 1 - 2weeks. For a more complex steel orprecast concrete product, lead timecould be 20 - 24 weeks of stagnationwhile costing $8 - $12 / ft2 .

Aesthetics The human scale and textural quali-ties of masonry make it one of themost aesthetically pleasing buildingmaterial available. The myth of bor-ing concrete blocks has long beenshattered by the concrete masonryindustry. The vast array of differentshapes, sizes, colors and styles ofarchitectural concrete block” placeno limits on aesthetic creativity.

Fire resistanceBy using masonry walls, you pro-vide your clients with maximum fireprotection. When a wood framehouse is destroyed by fire, the onlything left standing is the masonrychimney. Block doesn’t burn, melt,twist, or warp when exposed to fire.The concrete block wall is a fire bar-rier able to contain a fire to a smallarea, protecting the buildings occu-pants, not to mention the potential40% savings on annual fire insur-ance premiums.

When planning your nextindustrial building, or any buildingfor that matter, consider reducingthe problem down to one simplesolution - Concrete Masonry. Formore information contact theMasonry Advisory Council at(847)297-6704/ www.maconline.org

quality, looks, and durability, without thepotential 20 - 24 week lead time associatedwith other systems.

A good designer should know thefacts about concrete masonry’s potential inwarehouse construction. For this reasonwe have designed a 32,000 sq. ft. allmasonry warehouse and obtained esti-mates from several prominent mason con-tractors in the Chicago Area. The averagebid for the 32’ tall, regular, mediumweight12” reinforced block was between $8.25 -$8.50 /ft2, with an average lead time ofonly 9 days. For a 12” lightweight splitface architectural block, costs averagedbetween $9.25 and $9.50 / ft2.