Masonry trades urge SBCC to preserve single-width CMU mass-wall exemption

Representatives of masonry unions and local masonry contractors told the State Building Code Council on Aug. 7 that removing Washington’s long-standing single-width concrete masonry unit mass-wall exemption would be costly and short-sighted.

"If single width construction is no longer allowed in our state, then most masonry walls will ... require now a 2nd wall to be built," said Sean Linchesky of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1, testifying in Spokane. Industry witnesses including Steve Velzak of the Northwest Concrete Masonry Association and local contractors emphasized CMU buildings’ long service life, local material sourcing, and fire, flood and pest resistance.

Speakers pressed the council to reject or modify proposals 24GP1-264R and 24GP1-256, which they said would remove the current thermal-mass exemption for integrally insulated single-width CMU walls. "These walls are durable, fireproof, floodproof ... and are completely recyclable," Linchesky said, arguing that requiring an additional stud wall would add material, transport and labor emissions while making masonry uneconomic for many projects.

Contractors and apprenticeship leaders said the change could reduce the number of masonry projects and eliminate on-the-job training opportunities. "If the long standing compliance path for the single wide masonry wall is removed, many owners and architects and contractors will simply choose another building system," said Lowell Gladowski, chair of the Western Washington Masonry Trades Apprenticeship and Training Committee.

Supporters of the proposed changes were not absent from the record; proponents and technical reviewers earlier argued that other wall assemblies meet current performance goals and that the code should reflect updated thermal performance baselines. The council did not vote at the hearing; it left the matter in the record for its scheduled adoption decision on Sept. 25, 2026.

The hearing included requests that the council preserve local resilience and workforce considerations in any final decision and, where necessary, undertake additional technical analysis before adopting changes.