• Protecting Homes From Wildfire: In areas where fires rip through the wildland, concrete masonry can provide fire protection and security for homeowners. • The Home You Want: Milwaukee builder David and Goliath set out to prove that concrete block is the best material for the job. • CM Profiles Sweet Home Alabama: Energy Efficiency

• On the Cover: Knox County Juvenile Justice Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. • Safe, Strong and Secure Prison Walls: While Pennsylvania’s prison population doubled since 1990, state correctional institutions have constructed within the past few with help of concrete masonry. • Eight Inches of Separation: The verdict among designers of correctional facilities is in: concrete block is tough and versatile.

• On the Cover: The Wallace H. Orefield Apartment complex at North Central University, Minneapolis, Minnesota • A Functional Twist: In urban settings, space limitations for landscape designs require careful selection of materials. Two midwestern universities used segmental retaining walls to create useable, functional areas. • Education Meets Technology: A new middle school on a site with challenging topography in North Fulton County found segmental retaining walls and a soil nail wall the answer to developing the land.

• On the Cover: National Traffic Safety Board’s Training Lab in Ashburn, Virginia. • Elevated Standard: A new training lab operated by the National Traffic Safety Board meets high-performance criteria, thanks to its concrete masonry construction. • Concrete Masonry Takes Off: At the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, concrete masonry assists in providing a facility that is environmentally and people friendly.

• On the Cover: The Bochner residence in East Brunswick, New Jersey • Bringing the Inside Out: Concrete masonry landscape products turn backyards into an oasis. • Room With a View: A new segmental retaining wall system made the Winchell family’s backyard usable for the first time.

• On the Cover: The Northside College Preparatory High School in Chicago, Illinois. • Life-long Learning: The Northside College Preparatory High School has a great view of the Chicago River, an excellent academic reputation and, with its concrete masonry construction, is expected to be welcoming students for the next 100 years. • Bang for your Buck: With budget and value in mind, an elementary school in Riverside, New Jersey, found a creative way to build a new early childhood center.

• On the Cover: The Clause residence near Des Moines, Iowa • Designed for Strong Winds: As an area that is threatened with hurricanes each year, one of Florida’s newest coastal residences utilizes concrete masonry to stand up against high winds. • Quality Built Condominiums in the Chicago Suburbs: Energy efficiency and fire protection were top concerns with the Norwood builders; that is why they chose concrete masonry for this multi-family project. • CM Profile: Designing Outside the Box: Near Des Moines, Iowa, architect Tom Clause chose concrete masonry as the primary material for his new home. Since the project was completed, Clause has found that the beauty, durability and low maintenance of concrete masonry compliment the money he has saved as a result of lower heating and cooling costs.

• On the Cover: Breaking the Mold in Schools: Mold growth requires moisture, oxygen and an organic food source such as found in paper and wood building materials. Concrete masonry, however, is not a food source for mold. That’s just one of the many advantages of using concrete masonry in construction projects of all types. • Forgive & Forget: A new book highlights schools and practices in Texas that fight moisture and mold. • The Kids First Approach: Northern Lebanon, Pennsylvania, spearheads a new approach to building their schools with concrete masonry. • CM Profiles: Safe Room Importance Grows Near Schools: Three school districts in Arkansas choose concrete masonry as the building material for designing their new safe rooms.

• On the Cover: Concrete Masonry Designs, Landscape Issue, November 2004 • SRW Supporting Development in Harmony With Nature: A problem of how to build a roadway through an 8-acre parcel of wetlands is solved with two parallel segmental retaining walls, which stabilize and retain the soil on each side of the roadway structure. • Workin’ On The Railroad: A segmented retaining wall system eases the approach to the refurbished train station in Rensselaer, New York. • CM Profiles: Design Challenges Solved With Landscape Products: Landscape designers in Mundelein, Illinois, found concrete landscape products the answer to their design challenges on the site of the city’s new Marilyn Sindles Public Safety Building.

• On the Cover: The Brems residence in Salt Lake City, Utah. • Homes on the Leading Edge of Sustainability: Architect David Brems designed his house in Salt Lake City, Utah, and in the process provided a roadmap for designing other sustainable residential buildings. • Inverness Heights: Inverness Heights’ commercial landscape project in Hoover, Alabama, provides an example of a sustainable segmental retaining wall project. • CM Profile: LEEDing the Way to Maximize Building Performance

• Homegrown Mortarless Fencing Systems: Union City, New Jersey, was in need of a new fence to navigate the line between commercial development and residential needs. A segmental retaining wall fixed the city’s problem. • CM Profiles: ACBs Provide Environmental Benefits: Inverness Heights’ commercial landscape project in Hoover, Alabama, provides an example of a sustainable segmental retaining wall project.

• Award of Excellence - COMMERCIAL: SDG&E Mission Skills Training Facility, San Diego, California • Award of Excellence - RESIDENTIAL: The Brooktree Project, Los Angeles, California • Award of Honor - COMMERCIAL: Eastmont Junior High School, East Wenatchee, Washington • Award of Honor - COMMERCIAL: Horace Mann Elementary School, San Jose, California • Award of Honor - RESIDENTIAL: Private Single Family Residence, Lincoln, Rhode Island • Award of Honor - COMMERCIAL: Innovative Artists Talent and Literary Agency, Inc., Santa Monica, California • Award of Honor - LANDSCAPE: Knapp Forest Elementary School, Grand Rapids, Michigan • Award of Honor - LANDSCAPE: The Wagner Residence, Hugo, Minnesota