This article first appeared in ARCHITECT.
"This project treats concrete masonry units like a fabric. It is clever, beautiful, and seductive." —Juror Randy Deutsch, AIA
For years, Francisco Gomes, AIA, an associate professor and the associate dean for graduate programs at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture and co-founder of Gomes + Staub Architects (GSA), had looked for a low-cost, reliable construction product that had the strength of masonry and the design flexibility of wood framing. Conventional concrete masonry units (CMUs) still require multiple trades on site at the same time to coordinate electrical, plumbing, insulation, and other systems.
In 2012, Gomes and fellow GSA co-founder Dabney Staub took matters into their own hands to improve upon the CMU. They began by learning everything they could about masonry construction, interviewing block manufacturers and masons. Gomes even spent a week in Michigan at a trade school run by masonry producer Besser, where he learned how to make and work with CMUs.
After several iterations, the pair created MineralBuilt, a modular concrete unit comprising an 18-inch-long by 8-inch-tall face shell and a just off-center perpendicular leg, or pier, for a total depth of 10 inches. Moreover, the wall block accommodates wall reinforcement, insulation, wiring, plumbing, and telecom connections, post-installation. As a bonus, the units can be laid in alternating left-handed and right-handed courses without the need for specially cut end units, corner units, or framing units around windows and doors.
The resulting configuration offers benefits and increased efficiencies in manufacturing, shipping, and construction as well. Gomes said that the blocks use one-third less cement and aggregate than conventional blocks, and can be made 50 percent faster—all on standard CMU production equipment. Meanwhile, a standard pallet shipment of MineralBuilt blocks can fit 33 percent more units than conventional CMUs and subsequently cover 50 percent more wall area. The blocks have handholds at their center of gravity to help shipping and construction workers. Instead of the two hollow openings of a conventional CMU, MineralBuilt blocks create an open cavity on the inboard wall face, with the piers working as supports on which to hang drywall or other finishes. The arrangement means that masons no longer have to wait for other trades before closing off walls; instead, the services and insulation can be added after the masonry walls are up, in the exposed cavity or through strategically located notches and knockouts.
Gomes takes pride in MineralBuilt’s simplicity and low maintenance, he says. “It uses the exact same materials and technologies as conventional masonry [and targets] the needs of most buildings as they are actually built.”
Project Credits
Project: MineralBuilt
Design Firm: Gomes + Staub, Austin, Texas . Francisco Gomes, AIA, Dabney Staub
Research Assistants/Partners: Hannah Bacon, Hugo Reynolds, Clare van Montfrans, Ryan McKeeman, Shelley McDavid, AIA
Fabricators: Featherlite Building Products, Dynco Manufacturing, W2 MacFab
Funding: National Science Foundation I-Corps, University of Texas at Austin, Gomes + Staub, MineralBuilt
Structural Engineer: Architectural Engineers Collaborative . Charles Naeve
Intellectual Property Attorney: Meunier Carlin & Curfman . Meredith Struby
Special Thanks: University of Texas at Austin Office of Technology Commercialization . Trevor Hrynyk; Besser, World Center for Concrete Technology
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