Educational opportunities at the World

Orlando will offer much more than sunshine and tourist attractions for those contractors from around the world heading to the 2004 World of Masonry/World of Concrete, which is the country's most exciting, informative, and largest annual commercial construction show. The Orange County Convention Center will host more than 1500 companies showing the latest products, equipment, tools, and services available during the February 16-20 event. In addition, 96 three-hour educational sessions will detail the technologies and techniques needed to improve procedures, productivity, and profitability.

The masonry portion of the seminar program includes nine sessions. The following abstracts provide a brief overview of their content.

Understanding Expansion Joints in Exterior Masonry Walls by Michael Gurevich, NYC Brickwork Design Center. This seminar will explain what causes unsightly wall cracking and how to control it, and why the configuration, size, and location of vertical expansion joints are important. Other topics to be covered include the effects of moisture and temperature changes in wall length, expansion vs. control joints, movements in brick veneer and concrete block walls, and metal stud vs. concrete block backups.

Repairing Design and Construction Problems in Young Masonry Structures by Jerry Stockbridge, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. A design or construction problem in a masonry structure normally shows up in 5 to 15 years. This repair seminar will provide advice on how to determine the cause of problems, will look at examples of the most common performance problems, and will discuss pros and cons for the various repair options available.

Troubleshooting Masonry: Challenges of Water Resistance by Colin Munro, masonry consultant. This program explains why proper detailing and specific locations of flashing materials and weep holes are critical to preventing water penetration. This session also will examine causes, types, cleaning, and preventing efflorescence.

How to Avoid Testing and Inspection Problems in Masonry by Michael Schuller, Atkinson-Noland & Associates Inc. Dealing with test labs and inspectors is often a hassle. Typical inspection checklists, lab reports, ASTM test methods, common mistakes that testing labs sometimes make, and test and inspection requirements for the International Building Code will be discussed during the program.

How to Clean Old and New Masonry by James Diedrich, Diedrich Technologies. This new seminar covers all aspects of cleaning brick and stone masonry. Topics include masonry cleaners, renovation cleaning, sandblasting, cleaning techniques, cleaning limestone, test sampling, terminology, paint removal, and water repellents. Safely exposing original architectural details and avoiding cleaning problems also will be presented.

Solutions in Parapets by Michael Gurevich, NYC Brickwork Design Center. This program will explain how to build high-quality, long-lasting masonry parapet walls. It also will examine rainwater problems and solutions, wall flashing at parapet and roof junctions, selecting coping and flashing materials, installing expansion joints, weep hole spacing, mortar mix specifications, maintenance, and restoration.

Repair and Maintenance of Aging Masonry Structures by Jerry Stockbridge, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. It is important to identify age-related problems and develop repairs that address these concerns and not just the symptoms. This session will look at the most common aging problems, will present practical advice on how to determine their causes, and will discuss pros and cons for the various repair options available.

Troubleshooting Masonry: Accommodating Movement in Masonry Walls by Colin Munro, masonry consultant. This program will present the basic differences between expansion and controls joints and their location in masonry walls, expansion joints (soft joints) for moisture and thermal expansion, and control joints for drying shrinkage movement. Caulking and sealants also will be covered.

Preventing and Handling Efflorescence by Michael Schuller, Atkinson-Noland & Associates Inc. What is efflorescence and why is it showing up? This program will analyze the different types of efflorescence, lime runs, and white silicate deposits, including sources, causes, identifying different types, and cleaning procedures. Some simple jobsite practices to reduce or eliminate efflorescence will be offered.

In addition to the specific masonry topics, a number of programs in the World of Concrete "Management" track includes subjects of great interest to the mason contractor. These essions include Construction Field Project Management Systems that Work, Increasing Construction Productivity, Eight Ways to Prosper in Today's Construction Industry, Estimating Strategies, People Management, and Leadership Skills.

Another educational opportunity is a series of free "Industry Insight" sessions dealing with current issues and techniques. Topics scheduled include Using GPS on the Construction Site, Equipment Diversification in a Down Market, and Marketing and Media Relations.