Structural Masonry Design Software Version 7.1

Words: Dan Kamys
http://ncma-br.org/sw-nbs.asp
Structural Masonry Design Software Version 7.1

Generate fully compliant structural designs of masonry elements in minutes using the latest software available from NCMA. Key features and new additions include:

  • Select code basis options ranging from the 2006 to the 2012 International Building Code; including appropriate references to the masonry design provisions of TMS 402 and corresponding loading criteria from ASCE 7.
  • Choose from either allowable stress design or strength design methodologies; each with options for reinforced (fully or partially grouted) or unreinforced masonry assemblies.
  • Design walls for in-plane (shear walls) and out-of-plane loads, columns, pilasters, and lintels including code-prescribed detailing requirements for seismic loading, lap splicing, shear reinforcement, stirrups, and more.
  • Multiple output options including code-referenced design calculations and axial load/moment capacity interaction diagrams.
  • Serviceability checks including deflections and second order P-delta effects.
  • Analyzes and checks for all code-prescribed load combinations based on user input or provides the option for the user to directly input design loads.
The Enduring Power of Structural Masonry
July 2025

Masonry has been holding its ground for millennia — literally. And thanks to the simple brilliance of arching action, it continues to do so with strength, style, and surprising efficiency. In an era of advanced modeling and fast-moving schedules, one time

Outreach Outlook: Momentum in Motion
July 2025

As we move into the heart of summer, the masonry industry continues to thrive—fueled by innovation, partnership, and a growing commitment to excellence in education and workforce advancement. June has been a remarkable month, marked by events that not onl

Building More: Slow, Fast, or Consistent. What is Tempo?
July 2025

It was a drizzly midweek day when I rolled up to the project we were working on just outside of town. The foreman paced the scaffolding, rain hood half-zipped, barking at two laborers who were sprinting bricks like they were late for a flight. Forty feet

Marvelous Masonry: Belém Tower
July 2025

The Belém Tower in Lisbon, Portugal, stands as a testament to stone construction's enduring artistry and technical prowess. Erected between 1514 and 1519, this iconic structure served as a defensive bastion at the mouth of the Tagus River and as a ceremon