Masonry Magazine April 1984 Page. 10
New Masonry Design Course Available to Educators
A complete course and outline in masonry design is available to educators interested in teaching structural design in the U.S. and Canada. Produced by the International Masonry Institute, the new Engineering Design Module III is the third and final module in a series comprising An Educational Syllabus on Structural Masonry.
Developed specifically for the educator, Module III sets forth presently accepted procedures necessary to design with masonry materials. Coverage includes loadbearing structures, columns and pilasters, connections, construction details, highrise and warehouse building design examples, and special features of masonry construction.
Detailed information is also provided on the various types of masonry materials, the history and background of masonry architecture, and masonry design standards.
"This third and final module in the series provides the educator with sufficient detail to transmit to the student the knowledge necessary to design buildings using masonry as a structural material," said Robert Beiner, IMI director of engineering. "The format gives the instructor an easy-to-use guide in presenting this information to the class."
Engineering Design Module III, which is 220 pages including numerous charts, graphs and illustrations, was written and designed in cooperation with Dr. James Colville, assistant dean of engineering at the University of Maryland.
Module III is packaged in a three-ring binder with Module 1-Material Science of Masonry Materials and Module II-Engineering Laboratory of Masonry Materials, both of which include color slides for classroom use. IMI is providing the package free-of-charge to educators through local/regional masonry promotion institutes.
The outlines were created to fill a gap in structural engineering curricula: despite the fact that there have been radical developments in recent decades in the design and construction of engineered masonry, and despite the fact that masonry is a major structural material, most structural engineering curricula have concentrated primarily on newer materials such as steel and concrete, Beiner said.
"Because the modules impart information on the structural capabilities and design possibilities of masonry, they represent an important step by IMI to give future engineers a well-rounded understanding of materials, and an improved ability to evaluate a design problem and select the materials that would best fit the design parameters," he said.
Distribution plans for the Educational Syllabus on Structural Masonry are now being developed. Further information may be secured from IMI, Masonry Engineering Department, 823-15th St., N.W.. Washington, DC 20005.
Insurance
Insights...
# What if you didn't have business insurance?
No, we aren't talking about property/casualty coverage. You couldn't operate five minutes without that. But what if there were no "buy-sell," "key person" or other continuation programs in effect and you were to die?
If you're a sole proprietor, your death would transform your business from a going concern to just another asset of your estate. Assuming that none of your heirs had the training to run the firm or the money to pay estate taxes, expenses and debts, the business would have to be liquidated for whatever price the executor could get and that wouldn't be much. On inventory and equipment, survivors would be lucky to realize 50% of the actual value. Collection on accounts receivable would probably run close to 25 cents on the dollar. "Goodwill" and other intangibles would probably be an almost total loss.
If you're a partner, and haven't provided for continuation of the firm, state law would probably require your partners to liquidate the business as quickly as possible. This generally means that assets would be sold for less than their real value. Since your family couldn't draw income from the firm until all obligations of the business could be met. your heirs would have to sell estate assets or borrow to meet living expenses. Until the business was liquidated your partners wouldn't be allowed to either run the firm or take income from it.
If you're a stockholder of a closely-held corporation, the costs and taxes of settling your estate would have to be paid. In many cases this would mean selling your stock, usually for much less than its real value.
Whether you're a sole proprietor, partner or major stockholder, your death would keep your family from drawing income from the business, forcing them to rely on your personal life insurance plus whatever your executors could raise by liquidating your estate. In the meantime, your business would suffer from the loss of key employees, reduced credit ratings and customers taking their business elsewhere. Insurance and Risk Management Newsletter, Commercial Insurance Service, Inc., Charleston, W.Va.