Death of the Brick Mason
Is the highly skilled brick mason artisan disappearing? See how the construction industry is playing a role in the death of the brick mason.
By Dave Branch
When you look at a building, do you ever study all the details of the exterior? If you are someone like me who has been in the design industry for more than 25 years, you might. In today’s world of big box stores, strip malls, and other buildings that pop up seemingly overnight, the art of masonry detailing seems to be vanishing quickly.
Not only are a number of carefully designed and constructed masonry buildings disappearing at a rapid rate, so is the highly skilled brick mason artisan. So why all the fuss? I guess growing up in the masonry industry and spending so many summers with my grandfather – who owned a concrete and masonry company – gives me a deeper appreciation. Additionally, working for several years in an architectural firm that specialized in historical restoration also deepened this understanding. When you are trying to recreate something identical to what was, with modern-day materials, it can be an almost impossible challenge, if you do not have the right artisan.
Being a brick mason, in general is not a career that brings a lot of recognition and fame. It is a career that is labor extensive and often underappreciated. So much so, that the construction industry has a tremendous shortage and demand for masons for at least the last 20 years. The highly skilled masons of my grandfather’s and father’s generations are quickly becoming extinct. These are the people who, in my opinion, really knew their trade. They were the true artisans who were looking for the next generation to take up the trade and carry it forward, but not many wanted to do it.
Therefore, the knowledge and experience has died with them. The industry hasn’t helped much, because of pay scales for entry level masons, demands of quicker and faster schedules, and a term that makes me cringe, “value engineering,” whereby all details are stripped from a building because of perceived “cost savings.”
The Southern Season at Libbie Mill Shopping Center in Richmond, Va., received a Bronze Award in the Brick Industry Association’s 2016 Brick in Architecture awards, Commercial – Retail category. The architect was Freeman Morgan Architects; the builder was Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.; and the brick manufacturer was Glen-Gery Corp. Photo by Jon Hood Photography
The shortage of brick masons is now leading to the use of robotic masonry laying equipment. It also is being compounded and contributed to by the design industry’s development of buildings with fewer and fewer masonry and masonry details. Just look on the internet or at any of the city skylines around our country. You will typically see newer buildings constructed of more glass, steel, and other materials that are deemed to be more modern and contemporary.
So, we in the design industry also have played a role in the death of the brick mason that I feel is overlooked. I work in one of these modern glass houses, and it is very nice. But the reality is, I know that 20 to 30 years from now, this newer modern building will be old, uninteresting relic probably surrounded by something newer and flashier.
Modern construction, in my opinion, can still embrace brick masonry and develop a new group of masons that can be appreciated and revive this artisan skill. The Art and Architecture Building at Texas A&M is a great example of using masonry in the design of the building where modern construction and masonry skills meet. Utilizing a common masonry technique of corbeling has a created a building that not only is visually appealing, but also is detailed in a simple and elegant manner.
So, what can we do as an industry to change this course? It should be a combination of promotion, education, encouragement and utilization. We need to promote the trade of brick masons and emphasize the need for them, and we need to promote masonry training programs to educate young people in art of this profession. We can encourage that same group of young people to pursue a career as a mason, and, finally, we in the design industry need to “practice what we preach.” That is, utilize masonry as much as possible, and detail it in a way that creates intriguing and stunning works of architecture.
Finally, we can look to the past and see how great masonry works of art have stood the test of time. Just look at the Roman Coliseum, the Pyramids, and the Taj Mahal. All are iconic and great works of architecture that span the course of thousands of years, and all built by none other than skilled masons.
Premier image: Shown is Dallas, Texas-based Church of the Incarnation, which was an entrant in the Brick Industry Association’s 2016 Brick in Architecture awards, Houses of Worship category. The architect was HH Architects; the builder was Lee Lewis Construction; and the brick manufacturer was Acme Brick Co. Photo by Nathan Shands
Dave Branch is the facility documentation manager at Children’s of Alabama located in Birmingham, Ala. Prior to working at Children’s he worked for more than 23 years in a traditional architectural firm in Georgia and Alabama. He also worked for a local Birmingham-based construction company, assisting them with BIM Management and implementation. His previous design and project management experience includes commercial, residential, educational (both K-12 and higher education), hospitality, and healthcare.
