Health, Safety, and Welfare in Traditional Design: Designing with Brick - How Did Building a Wall Become So Complicated?

The Health, Safety, and Welfare in Traditional Design series explores critical issues related to topics such as materials and durability, building codes, comfort, safety, health, sustainability, and human well-being, while addressing subjects specific to the practice of classical and traditional design. The series serves as a forum for topics related to sound design and best practices.

With many “baby-boomer-era” buildings coming to the end of their lifespans, now is the time to consider a more durable replacement for these structures and a more sustainable way of building. By many accounts, we are already well on our way of doing just that. Yet in the pursuit of meeting many sustainability goals—such as targeted goals of energy efficiency or the use of recycled materials—the industry is on a trajectory to continue increasing the complexity of construction methods.

Despite many well-intentioned efforts to promote sustainable building practices, contemporary structures still fail to achieve the lifespans of their architectural ancestors. Although we tend to think of the “traditional” way of building as more complicated, difficult, and expensive, traditional methods of construction rely on simple methods and often the use of local materials.

Previous courses in the Designing with Brick series concentrated primarily on strategies for detailing brick buildings within the constraints of contemporary veneer-wall construction methods. This third program will present a comparison and critique of contemporary veneer-wall construction versus traditional structural masonry construction, focusing on sustainability, and examining case studies of structural masonry buildings being built today.

About the Instructors

Anthony M. Catania is a licensed architect, urban designer, and the founder of AMC Architecture & Design, LLC. Catania established his own practice to focus on the design of traditional urban building types. From catalog homes, to semi-custom and custom homes, to apartment houses and mixed-use buildings, the firm’s design process is guided by an attention to historic precedent and the ability of architecture to foster a sense of community. AMC specializes in building types that are well-suited for new, walkable communities as well as existing and reviving urban neighborhoods. The firm’s mission is to deliver building designs that are simple in form, but sophisticated in their composition and detailing, and functional in their use—all while responding to the local context and reinforcing the identity of a place. Catania earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Humanities & Arts from Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to establishing AMC, he spent 4 years working as a Project Architect with Torti Gallas & Partners, followed by 3 years as an architect and urban designer with Michael Watkins Architect, LLC.

Austin Tunnell is the founder of Building Culture, a design + build firm based in Oklahoma that specializes in solid load-bearing masonry new construction and historic restorations. Prior to his endeavors in the building industry, Austin had started his professional career as a CPA. However, in 2013, he decided to take his life in a new direction by relocating to Panama to work with Kalu Yala in building a sustainable new town. It was here that Austin was first introduced to Clay Chapman, whose US-based company Hope for Architecture has been building solid load-bearing masonry structures for nearly a decade with the mission of rescuing the values and wisdom of the past in order to contribute to a lasting built environment today. Austin subsequently spent two years training under the master builder, and upon the completion of his apprenticeship founded Building Culture. Since then, Austin and his team have continually pursued projects with a mission to support environmental sustainability and community well-being through the use of traditional building materials, methods, and craftsmanship.

Sponsors

The ICAA would like to thank our Lead Sponsor for Continuing Education courses, Uberto Construction.