IMI Illinois
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Before stainless steel anchors and engineered wall ties, masonry had a beautifully simple solution built right into the system: the brick header.
In traditional brick construction, headers (those bricks laid perpendicular to the wall) weren’t just a pattern choice. They were structural. Each header physically tied the outer wythe to the backing wythes, creating a unified wall that worked together to resist loads, movement, and time itself.
The world’s oldest building material, masonry, is about more than just materials. It’s about methods refined over centuries. The knowledge of how to bond, tie, and distribute forces was embedded in the craft, executed by skilled masons who understood that durability starts with connection.
Today’s assemblies may be more advanced, but the principle remains the same: a wall is only as strong as how well it’s tied together.
02/09/2026
International Masonry Institute's own Scott Conwell has been nominated for the Coverings 2026 People's Choice Champion. Voting is open today through February 20 (vote up to once per day at
https://www.coverings.com/coverings-champions/ ).
Coverings - The Global Tile & Stone Experience is North America's largest tile and stone exhibition, taking place March 30 – April 2 in Las Vegas. Register for free with the promo code IMI26.
We'd love for you to stop by the IMI booth and say hello... but even if you don't attend the conference, you can still vote for IMI and Scott as People's Choice Coverings Champion.
09/26/2025
It feels like Fall, and that means…. Chicago Build is about 8 weeks away!
It happens Oct 29-30 at McCormick Place. Join International Masonry Institute and about 30,000 of your closest industry friends for a time of education and networking, with 300 exhibitors and hundreds of speakers on a full gamut of architecture, design, and construction topics.
Speaking of making great connections, I urge you to visit Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers ADC 1 of IL in Booth #1025. There's not a masonry, tile, or tuckpointing problem that these professionals can't solve. They are experienced, knowledgeable, safe, and helpful. Not to mention, there may be some great hard hat stickers and other SWAG to be had at their booth.
Register for free at http://www.chicagobuildexpo.com/imi-25. Also register for IMI's conference seminar on Tile & Stone at 10am October 30, Workshop 2 on the Sustainability Stage.
Can you tell who among these are the bricklayers and who are the architects? By the end of Masonry Camp, each have absorbed the other’s culture, becoming virtually indiscernible!
You can feel the energy in this room as the 6 interdisciplinary teams complete their unique built elements with great care in preparation for the design jury. By the final day of the intensive weeklong program, the teams have collaboratively designed a scheme using masonry materials for a specific program on a unique site. They have participated in mini-lectures and hands-on sessions addressing masonry detailing, tile/marble/terrazzo, masonry restoration, adaptive reuse, sustainability, and digital design tools, including a keynote by a visiting architect. They’ve sketched on cocktail napkins, on tracing paper, and on iPads. They have learned from International Masonry Institute's apprentice instructors and from each another.
Most importantly, these early-career professionals have spent a week immersed in masonry design and construction, participating in areas within and outside their disciplines and comfort zones… developing a perspective of the craft they will never forget. This is the generation of architects and craftworkers who will drive the industry forward.
03/31/2025
Hands-on masonry in Central Illinois!
Illinois design and construction professionals, you’re invited to join AIA Illinois, International Masonry Institute (IMI), and Central Illinois Mason Contractors' Association (CIMCA) for a half-day session of education (3.0 HSW LUs).
Presenters from IMI will provide AIA-registered programs covering a balance of design and construction considerations all architects and contractors should know.
In addition to the two classroom sessions, bricklaying instructors from BAC Local 8 Illinois will lead interactive hands-on demonstrations on a variety of brick and concrete masonry mockups, so wear your jeans and work boots.
Cost is free for qualified design and construction professionals, lunch is included, and advanced registration is required. https://info.imiweb.org/central-il-masonry-day to register.
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2140 W Corporate Drive
Addison, IL
60101
Opening Hours
| Monday | 8am - 4pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 4pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 4pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 4pm |
| Friday | 8am - 4pm |
