Announcing new research product - BIM-Masonry Project 3

Words: David Biggs
The Charles Pankow Foundation is pleased to announce that the following new Research Product is available for download at no cost at the CPF website (www.pankowfoundation.org). Please click under the Research Grants tab.

In this project the Georgia Tech team will depart to a degree from our previous approach of being platform neutral. Though we fully support the Open BIM approach and will develop neutral schemas (i.e., IFCs) for masonry wall information models in Phase III, we recognize that Autodesk Revit is the one of the primary BIM authoring tool in use in North America. Therefore, we feel that for maximum impact, we should focus on a single BIM authoring tool first, in order to lead others by example. However it is important to point out our commitment to make our work extensible to other BIM systems through the development of neutral specifications. Therefore, we feel that for maximum impact, we should focus on Revit, while also ensuring that our work is extensible to other BIM systems through the development of IFCs.

Visit http://www.pankowfoundation.org

The Charles Pankow Foundation wishes to acknowledge the contributions of David Biggs and the masonry industry support for the Building Information Modeling for Masonry Initiative (BIM-M).
Managing the Mysterious Job Site Slowdown
August 2026

Every contractor knows the feeling. A job looks good on paper. The schedule makes sense. The crews are lined up. The material is supposed to be there. Then, for no obvious reason, the whole job starts crawling. That is what makes it so frustrating. Nobod

Damian Lang
Contractor Tip of the Month
Read More
Sainte-Cécile Cathedral
August 2026

Imagine being handed a set of plans calling for the largest brick cathedral in the world. Now imagine building it without modern cranes, engineered scaffolding, forklifts, power tools, or structural analysis software. That was the challenge facing medie

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
Why SkillsUSA is the Keystone to MCAA’s Outreach
August 2026

When I stepped into the role of the MCAA’s first Director of Youth Outreach and Education, I knew we had a massive job ahead of us. I am a fourth-generation brick mason, and I have spent over two decades teaching the trade, from working with apprentices a

Robert Melgaard
Outreach Outlook
Read More
The First Paycheck
August 2026

Several years ago, Huntley Brothers hired a young apprentice. It was his first real job, and he had never had a paycheck before. Friday rolled around, and he got paid just like everyone else. Later that day, one of the guys told me something I have never

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More
Interested in working with us? Learn about and join the Masonry Alliance Program →