The Joan B. Calambokidis Innovation in Masonry Competition (JBC Competition) challenges architects, engineers, students, and firms to imagine the future of masonry design and construction.

The goal of this year’s competition is to develop a high-rise building with a masonry envelope enclosure located in a major metropolitan area of the entrant’s/entrants’ choice. Solutions should explore the implementation of innovative masonry construction technologies and focus on building envelope performance with respect to constructability, energy, structure, and aesthetic considerations. Urban jobsite logistics for the selected major metropolitan area and sequencing should also be addressed.

Scale, size, program, and metropolitan location of the project are left to the participant. Open air fenestration screen walls are not recommended as solutions for this year’s competition. All designs must incorporate one or more of the following materials: brick, concrete block, tile, marble, terrazzo, stone, or plaster.

BIM, computational design plugins like Dynamo or Grasshopper, and emerging construction and manufacturing technologies should be used to develop solutions. Participants are highly encouraged to use BIM-M tools like the Masonry Unit Database and other plugins found at bimformasonry.org.

View the competition brief for complete details!