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Glazed Slimbrick from Mutual Materials. Belgard Mega-Arbel from Expocrete Concrete Products. CarbonCure system at work. J UNE 2015 | 57 Masonry INFOGRAPHIC COURTESY BASALITE CONCRETE PRODUCTS. F Fifteen years ago, a national report titled Canadians Building Canada: Performance Through Partnership from Prism Economics and Analysis portrayed the masonry industry as being in dire need of rebuilding: the labour force was depleted and market share was lost. Developers of all kinds were overlooking brick, block, stone and other masonry in favour of less dura- ble but cheaper materials. Nothing could be more contrary to this grim sce- nario than the masonry business in 2015. From resi- dential to commercial applications, from restorations to new builds, masonry is the material of choice for a growing number of designers and contractors willing to spend more money in these post-recession times. Bill McEwen, outgoing executive director of the Masonry Institute of BC (MIBC), summarizes the good news: "Business is strong. Brick is doing well due to the surge in low- and high-rise residential construction, and designers are taking advantage of its rainscreen ability. Of course, we've been promoting brick's attri- butes for decades, but suddenly it's as if this is leading edge technology." Along with the boom comes the development of innovative products, many of them geared towards the green movement. For example, injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) directly into concrete masonry units during production is being touted as a tool for lowering carbon emissions. There's another benefit to this pro- cess: the makers of the CarbonCure Block System say CarbonCure lowers the environmental impact of CMUs as well as improves the overall strength of the blocks. The environmental benefit is due to the production of Portland cement supposedly causing five per cent of the world's anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Reducing the amount of CO2 in concrete products has long been an industry goal, but CarbonCure was the first company to introduce a process that sequesters significantly more CO2 from the atmosphere than standard concrete, without requiring a radical change in technology. Basalite Concrete Products offers CarbonCure as a masonry option, and the company has used the tech- nology to retrofit its existing concrete plants. Basically, after gas is injected into the concrete it transforms into a limestone-like mineral. The waste CO2 required for the process is sourced from nearby industrial emitters. Mutual Materials is equally prolific in contributing to new masonry products. "The introduction of our Glazed Slimbrick has been very successful, beginning with sup- plying a great number of Starbucks renovations around the world and evolving to a variety of other restaurants, commercial offices and lobbies," says Brian Cote, Mutual Materials sales manager. "We've also seen significant interest in upscale residential kitchen applications. For all glazed units, colour potentials are virtually endless." Cote reports that Slimbrick continues to grow in popularity, as a weight and space-saving alternative in construction. "Slimbrick allows a builder to extend the look of a full-size brick to higher elevations where a building's structural frame is lighter," he explains. "Coal Creek Slimbrick has been used successfully on a number of Joey Restaurants in Canada, and popular colour/texture combinations being requested are for a reclaimed/used appearance for loft designs." Mutual Materials' 4x4x16-inch brick unit is its larg- est veneer unit and generally used on commercial and multiple tenant projects where a larger scale brick is sought for design purposes. "In many cases an economy of scale is possible because a lower labour cost may be achievable due to less units per square foot," says Cote. Cote corroborates Bill McEwen's observations when he remarks, "Architectural offices are reporting a revival of interest in the use of brick on projects across Western Canada; and colours seem to be at the extremes, black/ charcoal on one end and white/grey at the other. Mutual has had a great deal of interest from Ontario and even Quebec for white clay products. Sizes of brick remain fairly consistent, with a modular unit still the most popu- lar, but we're seeing more use of 4x12-inch and 3x12-inch faces gaining popularity." Rob Mutch, architectural products manager for I-XL Masonry Supplies Ltd., says one of the more interest- ing aspects about the expanding use of masonry is the popularity of thin (one half inch) brick in townhouses and commercial properties: "Brick in general is promi- nent across the west for the same reasons it has always been a mainstay in the east: durability and warmth of appearance." On the flip side, I-XL's giant bricks (16-inches long) that were in such demand in the 1970s and '80s are mak- ing a comeback, "Partly because designers are develop- ing long and lineal buildings," according to Mutch. The only difference in the product today is its name: gone is Giant and in its place is Emperor and Meridian. But the biggest comeback for a blast from the past masonry product is dry pressed bricks, which I-XL made in the early decades of the 20th century and sold across North America with great acclaim. "Today we engage a paper plant to make them for us on order, and they're going to homes primarily in Alberta and other western provinces," says Mutch, adding that this product's appeal is its perfectly crisp edges and distinctly organic look. Established in 1979, Expocrete (an Oldcastle Company) has achieved an industry reputation for products that look timeless and enhance the value of any building. Thanks to being part of Oldcastle, it continues to release new masonry that expands the realm of applications. "Last year we took an insulated concrete masonry product to market that is great for commercial projects where LEED standards are being pursued," says John Moroz, Expocrete marketing manager. Moroz is referring to InsulTech ICMU by Oldcastle, a complete thermally broken insulated masonry system Brick By Brick Innovative masonry products reduce carbon emissions by ROBIN BRUNET PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY EXPOCRETE CONCRETE PRODUCTS; MUTUAL MATERIALS

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