Masonry Walls

Masonry is an essential part of a building. Thanks to our year-long experience and our staff’s excellent technical training, Smart Building offers you the best masonry results.

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Masonry is an essential part of a building since it constitutes all its vertical elements. Its construction begins after the supporting body is completed and it can be done in a variety of techniques. In the majority of cases, masonry is made with bricks, however, in recent years there’s been a huge demand for alternative materials that are out in the market.

Masonry works must be carried out by specialized technicians who combine durability and aesthetics for an excellent result. Thanks to our many years of experience and the high technical training of our staff, Smart Building is able to offer you top-quality masonry, which is a key part and can fundamentally benefit the entire construction.

The Role of Masonry in Construction

The role of masonry in construction is particularly important since, depending on its type, masonry can make up the structural framework, contribute to the shaping of spaces or cover surfaces to improve the aesthetic outcome. So, depending on its intended purpose, masonry can be classified into three basic categories, each serving its own important role in a construction:

Infill masonry
Bearing masonry
Decorative masonry

You can find more detailed information about each category below.

Infill Masonry

Infill masonry includes the external and internal covering and shaping elements for all spaces of a house that do not bear structure loads. Its main use is to fill the gap created between the beams in a structure.

Bearing Masonry

Load-bearing masonry is part of the structural frame of the construction and can be classified into three types: unreinforced, reinforced, and tier masonry. However, the use of unreinforced load-bearing masonry is rare in seismic areas. For every project, masonry selection is based on a detailed engineering study as well as various factors such as the specifications of the building (if it is a listed building or if there is any construction limitation due to proximity to other buildings).

Decorative Masonry

Decorative masonry is used as a coating on various surfaces mainly for aesthetic reasons. However, beyond being beautiful, it can also be chosen to create some architectural deatails.

Types of Masonry

There are different types of masonry depending on the type of construction. In each project, the choice is based on the unique needs of the owner, on the particularities of each construction as well as on various factors resulting from a comprehensive static adequacy study. Our company has many years of experience in masonry construction of all types, taking care to offer excellent results both structurally and in terms of aesthetics – always ensuring the highest technical specifications and offering you all the necessary guarantees.

Brick Masonry

Brick masonry is, so to speak, the most popular type of masonry in the field of construction. This type of bricks are composed mainly of clay, they are perforated and produced in two basic sizes: single bricks, i.e. the traditional ones with 6 holes, and double bricks with 12 holes, which offer greater thermal insulation.

Bricks are particularly light to transport, they offer great ease of use and satisfactory resistance to stress on the building from various phenomena. It is particularly important to emphasize the high thermal and sound insulation they offer thanks to their enclosed air layers.

In external masonry, the construction is done by placing a double row of bricks, leaving an intermediate gap where extruded polystyrene is placed. The thickness of the polystyrene depends on the initial thermal insulation study.

Finally, in order to ensure greater masonry stability, horizontal layers of reinforced concrete are constructed at approximately every 1m. of height. The thickness of these layers depends on the thickness of the masonry.

Masonry with Ytong – Alpha Block (Aerated Concrete Masonry)

Another popular type of masonry is done with aerated concrete masonry. It is known as Ytong – Alpha Block Masonry. The composition of aerated concrete (Ytong) includes various natural materials such as cement, quartz, lime, and water. The main features and advantages of this type of masonry are:

Less burden on the structure due to its low weight (450 kg/m³), which offers significant advantages in the earthquake resistance of a building.
Excellent thermal insulation and sound insulation, without the use of additional insulation from extruded polystyrene. The Thermal Conductivity Coefficient it presents is λ=0.095 kcal/mhoC, which gives a masonry with a thickness of 15 cm and above, a Thermal Permeability coefficient K< 0.6 kcal/m2hoC.
Manufacturing precision thanks to zero deviations in its dimensions.
Greater ease and speed in potential plumbing and electrical works, because it’s easily cut through.

Lattice masonry (3D)

Next on our list is the type of masonry with the three-dimensional masonry lattice. This is an industrial structural element that consists of two parallel lattices, held together with bidiagonal galvanized bars. In between the grids, there is an integrated plate of self-extinguishing expanded polystyrene. After placing and supporting the 3D structural lattice between the metal posts, plastering and painting follow.

This type of masonry offers excellent thermal insulation and can be perfectly combined with metal framing. This is possible mainly due to the fact that the metal grids are welded directly onto the frame.

Interior masonry with plasterboard

Plasterboard interior walling has been one of the most popular trends in recent years, with more and more people using it for the high aesthetic effect it offers. It is an easy, fast, and eco-friendly way of building that significantly upgrades the aesthetics of a space.

Plaster is a great material, friendly for the environment and the residents’ health. It does not contain toxic substances and has the ability to absorb moisture excess and take it out in dryer conditions. Plasterboards are screwed onto a metal frame and stone wool insulation is placed in between. Stone wool is a fibrous insulating material made of silicon-aluminum oxide fibers with sound-insulation and heat-insulation properties, as well as excellent resistance to high temperatures.

Exterior masonry with cement board

Cement board masonry is a modern way of building that offers great results and significant advantages, thanks to its enormous resistance to moisture and extreme weather conditions. As a material, a cement board consists of cement and other mixed aggregates. The surface is usually reinforced with glass mesh. Cement boards are standardized – prefabricated slabs which are an alternative to conventional building materials such as brick.

There are many reasons to choose external masonry with cement board, mainly:

Easy installation without adding significant load to the construction, due to its particularly light weight.
Ease of management and construction of various architectural and decorative elements due to its flexibility and elasticity.
Great resistance to both high temperatures and humidity.
Impact resistance.
High levels of sound insulation and thermal insulation without a significant increase in its thickness.
Ideal for fast and precision constructions.

Why choose us for the masonry of your building

Masonry is a key stage in the overall construction of a house or building in general. Our approach is always made after a detailed study of your needs and the unique characteristics of the whole construction. Our many years of experience and the excellent expertise of all the people and staff that make Smart Building, enable us to ensure impressive results in every type of masonry that we undertake to construct.

Our goal is to provide the most suitable and efficient solutions at the most affordable prices possible. This is also the reason that so far, we have effectively completed a particularly high number of masonry projects. Nothing we do during a project is done by accident. We study all the individual factors and make sure to create solutions that will meet your needs to the absolute extent, both in terms of robustness and durability of the construction and in terms of aesthetics.