Mississauga – 2024
The Engineered Masonry Design Course (EMDC) is a professional course offered to practicing engineers in the local design community. It equips you with the tools and knowledge to design masonry confidently, effectively and efficiently, using current codes and standards.
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What is the EMDC?
A professional course offered to practicing engineers
The Engineered Masonry Design Course (EMDC) is tailored to equip you with the tools and knowledge to design masonry confidently, effectively, and efficiently. This course has been offered to more than 500 practicing engineers in Canada and is roughly equivalent to a 4th year engineering undergraduate university course in both scope and workload (there is a significant amount of homework required so please consider this before registering). The materials covered reflect Canadian design practice and are taught to the 2014 editions of masonry CSA Standards as well as the 2015 edition of the National Building Code of Canada.
More than just getting your PEAK hours
The intention of the course is beyond simple professional development hours; you gain the skills necessary to properly analyze and design with masonry in new construction in Canada. This is the equivalent to the level of knowledge gained from a 4th year design course in a university undergraduate program and involves approximately 40 hours of in person and virtual guided learning time as well as graded assignments, a take home design project, and a take home final exam. Participants will be provided detailed feedback as well as a final grade.
Condensed Weekend & Online Format
Breakfast and Lunch included for all in-person sessions
Each in-person session will provide participants with a light breakfast, lunch, snacks, and coffee/refreshment breaks. Registrants must indicate any dietary restrictions during registration.
In-Person Teaching
Four Saturday In-Person Weekend Sessions
The course is being run using a hybrid of both in-person and virtual platforms. There will be four full in-person days of lecture content with virtual lectures and tutorials in weeks between. As part of the course, one half-day will be dedicated to a hands-on demonstration of bricklaying during which time you will have a chance to learn how to build with masonry and lay bricks and blocks on mortar. The course will be spread over approximately 2 months. The tentative course schedule is appended to this outline.
Mississauga Dates:
These are specific to the Mississauga course. There is a different schedule for those interested in the Ottawa area. Click here for the Ottawa course page
May 4th, 2024
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
May 25th, 2024
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
June 8th, 2024
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
June 22nd, 2024
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Full days are scheduled to cover material through in-person lectures (8:30 am – 4:30 pm). This will give you an opportunity to receive your copy of the textbook as well as other course materials and meaningful engagement with our staff and other students face-to-face.
It is critical that registrants can attend these in-person sessions
For convenience, we will be recording these in-person virtual lectures for students to access and review after. Attendance at the in-person lectures is worth a portion of the final grade.
Topics covered by the Engineered Masonry Design Course:
The course content will follow the textbook Masonry Structures Behaviour and Design – 2nd Canadian edition (each registrant will receive a copy of the textbook with registration). The following topics are covered reflecting the Chapters within the textbook:
- Masonry Materials and Assemblages (Chapters 3 and 4)
- Design of Masonry Beams (Chapter 5)
- Design of Masonry Out-of-Plane Walls (Chapter 6)
- Design of Masonry Shear Walls (Chapter 7)
- Seismic Design of Masonry (Chapter 8)
- Design of Masonry Columns and Pilasters (Chapter 9)
- Design of Veneers and Partition Walls (Chapters 10 & 11)
- Construction, Workmanship, and Specifications (Chapter 12)
- Design Project: Single Storey Loadbearing Post-Disaster Structure (Chapter 13)
Weekend 1
EMDC Introduction and Outline
Syllabus Overview
Online Learning Tutorial
Overview of Masonry Construction, Design and Standards
Introduction to Masonry Materials and Assemblages
Masonry Beams:
Ultimate Limit States Shear and Flexure
Serviceability Limit States
Detailing of Reinforcement
Design Examples
Continuing Online
Beam Design Tutorial Exercise
Out-of-Plane Masonry Walls:
Ultimate Limit States Shear and Flexure
Interaction Diagram
Deflection, Second Order Effects, and Slenderness
Serviceability Limit States
Detailing
Design Examples
Weekend 2
Unreinforced Out-of-Plane walls
Walls subject to concentrated loads
Masonry Shear Walls:
Ultimate Limit States Shear and Flexure
Serviceability Limit States
Detailing
Design Examples
Single Storey Buildings:
Load Calculation
Load Distribution around Openings and Movement Joints
Design Examples:
Individual Structural Elements
Continuing Online
Design Methods of NBCC
Seismic Modelling and Analysis Methods
Weekend 3
Seismic Design of Masonry Shear Walls:
Conventional Construction
Moderately Ductile Design & Post-Disaster
Boundary Elements
Design Example:
Multi-Storey Structure Example
Design of Reinforced Masonry Columns
Design of Masonry Pilasters
Design of Partition Walls
Continuing Online
Other Specialized Analysis Approaches
Includes Horizontal bending, flexural wall panels, internal arching action, and more
Weekend 4
Design of Masonry Veneers:
Analysis and Design of Ties
Shelf Angles and Support of Masonry
Specifications and Documents
Detailing
Workmanship
Hands On Wall Building Session
Design Project and Exam Overview
Continuing Online
Design of a single storey Post-Disaster Strucutre
Supplemental eLearning
In addition to the in-class component a number of lessons will be made available through our online learning platform. These additional topics are included and can be taken at anytime during the course. These added lessons will provide designers with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of masonry design through the use of the MASS design software, toughing on other topics.
MASS Design Software:
Design of Masonry Beams
Design of Out-of-Plane Walls
Design of Masonry Shear Walls
Shear Wall Load Distribution with Openings and Movement Joints
What else is involved?
Course Workload and Expectations
The EMDC is not just a Seminar Series...
This is the equivalent of a condensed, final year undergraduate university course with the workload and technical difficulty to match.
In order to pass the course and earn a certificate, participants must meet the minimum requirements which include submitting two assignments, a minor design project, and a final exam. CMDC is available to offer guidance and extra support to ensure that everyone who puts in the time and effort will have the tools to be successful.
Full Course Timeline
All dates subject to change and will be confirmed in the final course outline
Saturday, May 4th
Weekend in-person session #1
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday, May 25th
Weekend in-person session #2
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday, June 8th
Weekend in-person session #3
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday, June 22nd
Weekend in-person session #4
Hands-On Workshop Session
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Click to expand the full schedule
Saturday, May 4th
Weekend in-person session #1
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Tuesday, May 7th
Virtual Lecture
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, May 9th
Virtual Example Problem Tutorial
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, May 16th
Virtual Lecture
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Tuesday, May 21st
Virtual Lecture
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, May 23rd
Virtual Example Problem Tutorial
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, May 23rd
Assignment 1 submission deadline
Saturday, May 25th
Weekend in-person session #2
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Tuesday, May 28th
Virtual Lecture
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, May 30th
Virtual Lecture
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, June 6th
Assignment 2 submission deadline
Saturday, June 8th
Weekend in-person session #3
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Tuesday, June 11th
Virtual Lecture
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, June 13th
Virtual Example Problem Tutorial
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, June 20th
Assignment 3 submission deadline
Saturday, June 22nd
Weekend in-person session #4
Hands-On Workshop Session
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Tuesday, June 25th
Virtual Lecture
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, June 27th
Virtual Example Problem Tutorial
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, June 29th
Exam submission deadline
Thursday, July 6th
Design project submission deadline
Course Instructors
Bennett Banting, Ph.D., P.Eng
Director of Technical Services, Canada Masonry Design Centre
Bennett R. Banting is the current Director of Technical Services for the Canada Masonry Design Centre in the Ottawa, ON office.
He began as a graduate student with a NSERC industrial postgraduate scholarship visiting the CMDC office back in 2007 and started to work full-time for CMDC in 2012 as a NSERC industrial research and development post-doctoral fellow. His Ph.D. dissertation from McMaster University was instrumental in the introduction of masonry boundary elements and the ductile shear walls SFRS category to the 2014 edition of the CSA S304 design standard. For his work he was the recipient of the TMS Ph.D. Thesis award in 2015.
Over the years he has overseen 40+ grant-leveraged masonry research programs at 15 Universities across Canada, taught numerous full masonry design courses for professional engineers, undergraduate and graduate students at various venues, presented and spoken at numerous conferences and seminars, and has published dozens of peer-reviewed journal papers, conference papers, and other industry literature and research reports on behalf of the masonry industry. He is the current Vice Chair of CSA S304 and serves as a voting or non-voting member of several other CSA, ACI and ULC committees as well as various committees and working groups at the National Buildings Code of Canada. He has served as the technical committee chair for the 13th and 14th Canadian Masonry Symposium and is a regular reviewer of masonry publications for 7 different journals, receiving the ASCE award for outstanding reviewer twice. He is the current lead author of the Masonry Structures: Behaviour and Design, 2nd Canadian Edition masonry design textbook.
With Teaching Assistance and Support provided by:
Brad Crumb, P.Eng
Masonry Design Engineer
Brad has been part of the CMDC team since graduating from McMaster in 2011 and was initally overseeing development and providing technical support for the MASS software (Masonry Analysis Structural Systems). Brad now spends much of his time providing general technical support to designers and masonry contractor members concerning all things masonry design and construction, as well as helping run design courses, seminars, and lunch-and-learns for engineering and architecture firms.
Gurparam Kang, M.A.Sc., P.Eng.
Masonry Design Engineer
Gurparam studied Civil Engineering and completed his B.Eng. from Carleton University and his M.A.Sc. from the University of Waterloo. He has experience working in the consulting field as a Structural Designer at Morrison Hershfield. Since joining the team at CMDC, his duties now include providing engineering technical support to designers, as well as working to help develop the MASS design software.
Included with every EMDC Registration:
A physical copy of the CMDC Textbook ($285 value):
Masonry Structures: Behaviour and Design
which includes a complimentary copy of CSA S304-14: Design of Masonry Structures. Additionally, the 2014 CSA Standards (enforced in the Ontario Building Code starting January 2020) will be provided as part of the course.
Also included is a complimentary software trial and discount offer for the Design Software Package:
Masonry Analysis Structural Systems
Course Cost:
$1,750
-$500
$1,250
plus applicable taxes
OMCA Sponsorship
This course is sponsored by:
Ontario Masonry
Contractors' Association
Additional discount for OMCA Professional Members
If you are part of an office who is registered as an OMCA professional member in good standing, please contact us directly prior to registration.
Note that a copy of the CMDC Masonry Design Textbook is included ($285 value) as well as additional construction material and standards ($480 value). This also includes breakfast and lunch for all Saturday sessions.
Cancellation Policy:
A full refund minus a $100 administration fee is available provided that Canada Masonry Design Centre receives written notice of cancellation prior to May 1st, 2024
How to Register
This course is now available for purchase online!
In order to reserve your spot for the upcoming edition of the EMDC, you can sign up by purchasing your seat online. Click the link below to visit the product page, add the course to your cart, and then proceed to checkout.
Be sure that you sign up for the course in your area (Mississauga vs Ottawa) as spaces are limited.
Click here to get startedRegistration InstructionsAny Questions?
Contact us with the form below:
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Important: Please note that registration cannot be confirmed until payment is received.