Masonry Design & Detailing: Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling Platforms

Masonry can be challenging to model in existing software. One North Carolina mason found time savings and the benefits of being able to focus on creative design, not the challenge and tedium of modeling.

Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling Platforms
The beautiful new Triangle Aquatics renovation was designed easily with Masonry IQ.
Echelon Masonry

In North Carolina’s Triangle area, which encompasses thriving boom cities like Raleigh, Durham, and Cary, local architects identify masonry as the preferred building material to achieve a modern, clean look in demand from the pharma and bioresearch firms flocking to the region.

Carolina architects have come to rely on masonry for its host of benefits, including durability, thermal performance, fire protection, and cost efficiencyas well as its unique aesthetics. However, they also note that designing with masonry creates several challenges to overcome on the way to a great finished project. Because of the complexity and vast number of individual units required for projects, masonry can be challenging to model in existing softwareif not entirely impossible. Modeling platforms like Revit that are more focused on steel or monolithic wall structures are not equipped to manage the amount of data contained in a masonry projects. The result is a significant burden on the designer to manually produce and maintain 2D content for patterns, sections, details,  and specifications—and also introduces a huge amount of manual work to create the high-quality renders that project owners expect.

Michael Sutton, AIA, LEED-AP for Integrated Design in Raleigh, N.C., has experienced the frustrations and limitations of masonry modeling first-hand. In 2019, he designed a multi-phase renovation of Cary’s Triangle Aquatic Center, a two-story, 60,000 sq. ft. facility which added close to 13,000 sq. ft. and 500 parking spaces. Two building additions also accommodate a new fitness center, multi-purpose room, and a 50 m. outdoor pool.

Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling PlatformsIntegrated Design

The existing aquatic facility had a complex masonry façade that included a mixture of three colors, two textures, and two sizes. During Phase I, Sutton used Revit and manually applied color through photo design software to produce the required elevations for the Town’s approval. For Phase II, Sutton discovered Masonry iQ, a new Revit plug-in that automates much of the time-consuming manual modeling work. This tool delivered design flexibility, modeling accuracy, and photo-realistic rendering capabilitiesallowing him to focus on designingnot modeling.

“The original design was way over budget due to increased parking space requirements and the complex configuration of the two additions.”
Jim Baker, Assoc. AIA, Choate Interior Construction

Masonry iQ was developed in response to the need to model masonry in current architectural design software. A cloud-based plugin, the tool maintains all the Revit workflows that design pros are already familiar with, but adds invaluable capabilities for automatically handling the most time-consuming elements of masonry modeling with a single click, without bogging down the model.

“We know how crucial it is to have an accurate model early on in the process so that there are no surprises from design to spec to bid to production,” says Tom Cuneio, Founder and President of 3DiQ Inc., the developer of Masonry iQ. “That’s why Masonry iQ was built with precise modeling in mind. We’re merging masonry models with data so that a design can directly yield a production order in a fully automated waywith less manual intervention and opportunity for human error,” he says. 

Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling PlatformsThis view shows less detail of the masonry of a regular view from REVIT.Integrated Design

Modeling Colors, Shapes, Sizes

Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling PlatformsThis real Masonry IQ image shows a high level of detail.Integrated DesignAccording to Cuneio, masonry has been difficult to model in modeling platforms because of its complexity—different shapes, sizes, colors, and texturesand the sheer number of units contained in even a moderately-sized project.

“Often for masonry, the user has to do a lot of hand drawing to get to spec-ready details and ultimately, to get to final construction,” explains Cuneio. This translates to dozens of hours of work, added costs and can still result in inaccuraciesespecially when successive rounds of changes come into play. Worst of all, these inaccuracies often aren’t realized until the construction phase, resulting in change orders and costly delays in the field.

Masonry iQ approaches masonry design in an entirely new way. The tool focuses on getting the design construction-ready earlier in the process, allowing architects to focus on creative design, not the challenge and tedium of modeling. Users are able to translate their flat models into fully-analyzed masonry structuresnot just masonry “wallpaper,” Revit’s current approach.

“The designer creates walls in their normal way and then replaces Revit’s masonry materials with intelligent Masonry iQ materials. Hit ’Analyze Bond’ in Masonry iQ and in minutes you get a consistently accurate render,” says Cuneio.

On top of shaving hours of detailing off of the process, Masonry iQ also handles complex engineering considerations like the placement of movement joints, rebar, corners, and field cutsand allows all of these elements to be adjusted on the fly. Best of all, Masonry iQ handles these complex analyses in the cloud, ensuring that the model isn’t bogged down with unnecessary data.

Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling PlatformsIntegrated Design

Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling PlatformsIntegrated DesignThe time savings from using the plugin during the design of the Triangle Aquatic Center were significant, according to Sutton. “When we specified Oldcastle APG’s Echelon Masonry products for the first phase, we did it the long way by Photoshopping block images onto a 2D drawing to produce the final rendering,” he says. “In the Revit modeling, we had to hand-draw the different block sizes because of the shape differences—not to mention all of the time spent thinking about cuts, penetrations, movement joints and the like.” The project included over 7,100 units of Split Face and Smooth Face block in three colors and two textures.

“Using Masonry iQ during the second phase in 2019 had a definite impact. It was much easier, with dozens of hours of time savings. The one-hour training session provided by Masonry iQ was all that I needed to get up and running,” notes Sutton. “We were also able to use the Masonry iQ plug-in to produce photo-realistic 3D renderings with accurate color and texture straight from Revit thanks to Echelon having uploaded their materials to the Masonry iQ database.” Echelon Masonry is one of North America’s largest manufacturers of high-quality masonry products for the architectural and masonry industries. As the consolidated masonry brand for Oldcastle APG, a CRH Company, Echelon offers a wide masonry portfolio in the industry, from trusted brands like Trenwyth to innovative product solutions like the InsulTech System, as well as the localized, one-on-one support needed to bring the most ambitious projects to life. 

Photo-Realistic Visuals

Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling PlatformsIntegrated DesignOne challenge for the aquatic center expansion was that the colors on the two additions’ elevations had significantly different wall patterns compared to the existing building.

“Typically, we’d take CAD elevations and try to bring it into Photoshop, but with the Masonry iQ plugin, all of the locally-produced products were available right in the program. We could select the colors and textures and lay out a pattern very easily, then render it out in photo-realistic detail,” Sutton explained.

Sutton was particularly impressed when the plugin caught something that no one realized—a pinkish block color had been selected based on the existing building, but the submittal rendering brought up a brown block. It was discovered that the original plan called for brown block, but had been changed to the pinkish block during the original construction.

“Masonry iQ was able to call out that the wrong block was in the existing building plan,” he notes. This was a game-changer for Sutton, who is not only a fan of masonry but often has it widely requested in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. 

“We often specify Echelon’s split-face and smooth face block because it works really well for lab and research projects where block is used,” he says. “With the technical expertise of Oldcastle APG’s team and our upgrade to Masonry iQwhich was sponsored by the Echelon teamwe’ve unlocked more ability to experiment with masonry and have achieved an even higher level of accuracy in texture and color pattern.”

Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling PlatformsWhile subtle, the new block can be seen on the left with the original 13-year-old block on the right.Integrated DesignChoate Interior Construction’s Jim Baker, Assoc. AIA, also worked very closely with Sutton to get the close color match for the two new additions.

Baker was impressed that what Sutton was seeing virtually in Masonry iQ was exactly what his team was seeing in reality on the jobsite. “The process was tricky because the Echelon blocks had three different colors and stripes—with light colors you might get away with nuances, but a burgundy stripe is another story,” he says. “This also presented a design challenge because the original building was designed by a different firm.”

When the Choate team power-washed 11 years of grime from the existing structure, it was apparent they had a winner. “It really had to be an exact match, and they nailed it,” notes Baker.

Estimation & Integration with Other Trades

“The original design was way over budget due to increased parking space requirements and the complex configuration of the two additions,” recalls Baker. “During the renovation, we also contended with the Town of Cary’s stringent building requirements, COVID delays and need to continue with scheduled swim meets. Masonry iQ gave us the flexibility to change things up to accommodate these challenges on the fly.”

Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling PlatformsThe Triangle Aquatic addition was able to achieve a very close color match to the 11-year old existing building using the Masonry IQ Revit software.Integrated DesignWith a better software system, Michael created a 3D drawing of more simplified steel configurations and relocated electrical, reducing the scope, helping to stay within budget. “The team was also able to use Masonry iQ to perform a detailed analysis of the design to arrive at a more accurate estimate earlier in the processall without having to go back to the drawing board multiple times,” says Baker.

For a project with an extremely tight budget, getting the design right in order to avoid in-the-field issues was critical.

Sutton relied on Masonry iQ’s ability to extract unit shapes, materials, and quantities directly from the design model to provide a more accurate take-off and materials list for Baker and his team.

This ability to rationalize masonry at the unit level early in the process goes way beyond traditional area or volume estimates for a production order level of material cost, taking out a great deal of uncertainty from the build.

For Baker, meeting the budget challenges and color-matching was essential to bringing the project in on time and with accuracyand delivering a phenomenal, modernized facility for its 450,000 annual users. “I personally wanted this project to work out well as a former competitive swimmer and now a volunteer starter for swim meets,” he says.

Addressing Masonry's Issues with Modeling PlatformsThe curved entrance is part of the original building (built circa 2007). The new addition is on the right.Integrated Design

“These types of projects are the heart and soul of what Masonry iQ was made for,” says Cuneio, who also noted the importance of having a tight, detailed design that’s easy to translate at every stage of the design process. “It’s gratifying to have an architect realize such significant time savings on the process,” he adds. “Helping Michael improve his ability to play with pattern and shape by delegating the heavy lifting to Masonry iQ is a textbook example of how this tool can transform the world of architectural masonry.”

For Sutton and Baker, the design process, color matching, and estimating went smoothly for the Triangle Aquatic Center renovation, and it is now a swimmer’s dream come true for the community.  

About the author

As Masonry Commercial Brand Manager at Oldcastle APG since October 2020, Michael Vaughn supports all marketing initiatives for two national brands: Echelon Masonry and Belgard Hardscapes. He is involved in the development, implementation, and execution of branding, marketing strategy, market research, product development and training programs. Previously, he made significant impact on Oldcastle APG's business as the Southeast Field Marketing Manager. He is Graduate of Clemson University with a B.S in Marketing.

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