Stone/Masonry

Case Study
Stone/Masonry

Police Station Includes Functional Curb Appeal

The Village of Glen Ellyn, Ill., placed its police station inside the Civic Center four decades ago. At the time, planners believed the construction of a better station was imminent. More than 30 years later, it was still there—in an 11,000-sq.-ft. space that prohibited efficient workflow. There were obvious safety and privacy concerns about this arrangement and a new station was long overdue.In 2011, the village chose experienced companies, Dewberry, an engineering consultant firm based in the Chicago area, and Leopardo Construction of North Aurora, Illinois. A design team from Dewberry determined it was difficult to have all needs addressed in one space, and ruled out renovating the

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Advances
Stone/Masonry

Touchy Textures

With the addition of three new textures—Craftsman, Stone Rolled and Warble—specifiers of these masonry units now have a total of six texture options to choose from. Designers can choose any of these textures in any of a variety of standard or custom colors (Black Pearl is shown here), for use on products in a range of more than 12 different sizes. 

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Advances
Stone/Masonry

Are you a Blockhead?

Precision-manufactured Comfort Block concrete masonry units fit together so tightly they can be assembled into walls using masonry adhesive, rather than mortar. When paired with matching EPS inserts, they also create a highly efficient wall system with an estimated effective R-value of up to 30 or higher.

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Case Study
Stone/Masonry

College Hits High Note with Acoustics

Mesa Community College’s re-dedication to music and the arts gave birth to a new performing arts center, acoustically fine-tuned with an inner and outer shell of sound-reflective masonry. The transformation of the Mesa Community College (MCC) Performing Arts Center began when the college purchased the Harkins Movie Theatre, a vacant movie house built in 1979, to drive student interest in the arts and offer a broad range of musical, dance and theatrical performances. Designed by Jones Studio of Phoenix, the $10.3 million, multi-purpose facility, opened as the MCC Performing Arts Center in 2014. This rebirth and rededication into the arts found the center in need of some acoustic fine-tuning,

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Case Study
Stone/Masonry

Stone and Fire

The Museum at Prairiefire wanted to blend natural and man-made materials to create an architectural icon on the Midwestern prairie. Located in Overland Park, Kan., the Museum at Prairiefire is more than a building—it is a work of art that rises from the prairie to tell a story of geology, culture and the practice of prairie landscape management through intentional burns. The standout architectural marvel, with a stone-clad backdrop that represents the undulating hillside, is alive with fiery sparks of color, which seem to flicker based on the time of day and the viewing angle. According to Jonathan Kharfen, AIA and LEED senior associate, Verner Johnson, “At dusk, strategically placed LED lig

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