• Raised Concrete Patios Upgrade Home Values & Extend Outdoor Living • How to Design and Build a Raised Patio • Project Profile: One Patio with the Works

• Building for Severe Weather • Designing Safe Rooms for New and Existing Homes

• CMU Walls Comply with Energy Codes for Commercial Buildings • Retail Revitalization: Half-High CMU Redeems an Aging Mall • Half-High CMU: A Material of Choice in Commercial Buildings

• Segmental Retaining Walls Help to Make the Most of Nature • California Project Rescued with Cost-Effective SRW Units • SRW Wall Offers Protection from Tennessee River Floods

• Canal Street Catalyst: CMU Supports an Affordable Housing Complex The flexibility of CMU allowed New Hope Housing to build an affordable housing complex in Houston that blends into the neighborhood and remains low maintenance and debt-free. • Cherry Court: Low Budget, High Aesthetics: It was obvious from the beginning that Cherry Court Midrise Apartments in Milwaukee would need to meet a tight budget AND fit into the neighborhood. • Affordable Green Buildings: Affordable Green Guidelines from AIA

• Glazed blue cMu: creating an Arts Destination - The striking blue glazed CMU provides a commanding visual anchor and creates an iconic identity for Theater Square in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. • Creating a Masterpiece: expanding the Possibilities of cMu structures - When designing Choices Community Service Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the architect pushed the design envelope to create a masterpiece CMU structure. • Sustainable Neighborhoods: the Plaza lofts - The Plaza Lofts structure is a perfect example of how concrete masonry can be displayed alongside other building materials to provide superior beauty, functionality, and endurance.

• San Diego Middle School Features 45’ Wall: The space for Thurgood Marshall Middle School in San Diego, California was created using 15 segmental retaining walls (SRW) in order to combat a 150 foot elevation change on the property. • Moving Dirt: Converting flat land into a Proper Ampitheater: The lawn option at Snowden Grove Ampitheater was a nice outdoor venue in Southaven, Mississippi, but the city wanted a true ampitheater, which meant building “up”. • Backyard Profile: Colorado oasis: Homeowners had one request for the contractor renovating their back yard…“Please bring Cabo San Lucas to Colorado.”

• On the Cover: After the previous house was destroyed by a California wildfire in 1994, architect Stephen Kanner was hired to design and build a fireproof replacement residence. • Sustainable: Building Green: Concrete masonry structures operate in perfect harmony with their environment. • Durable: Structures Made to Perform: The experts are building durable, beautiful, award-winning structures that offer long-term performance.

• Concrete Masonry Transforms a California Dairy Farm: A high school and middle school built on a unified campus in Southern create a safe, low maintenance, energy efficient and environmentally learning environment for the growing community of Corona. • Creating a True Northwoods Structure: When three schools had to be demolished in the Sandstone, Minnesota to mold, the community leaders realized concrete masonry was for the new K-12 school. • Renovating the “Rough Riders”: Extensive restorations and a large addition to a Seattle, Washington school required a balance between modern codes and budgets look of the original building. The new construction--built with types of CMU--created the desired “ivy league” atmosphere.

• Remembering Europe: A novel CMU design brings European flair to a challenging Minnesota landscape. • Taming an Arizona Landscape: This custom-designed landscape merges function and aesthetics to create an oasis in the desert. • Working within a Limited Area: Owners of a private residence in Hartland, WI wanted to create recreational and parking areas and needed a design solution to overcome significant restrictions.

• Award of Excellence – Commercial - Cesar Chavez Library, Phoenix, Arizona • Award of Excellence – Residential - Welton residence, Palo Alto, California • Award of Excellence – Segmental Retaining Wall - Seven Bridges, Platte City, Missouri • Award of Excellence – Concrete Pavers - Green Forge Office Building, Greensburg, Pennsylvania • Award of Honor – Commercial - Westminster Rose Theatre and Cultural Center, Westminster, California • Award of Honor – Residential - Chadwick Residential Design Studio, Los Angeles, California

• Sustainability for Seattle Senior Services: The Senior Services Center in Seattle, Washington was built on a tight schedule, tight budget and tight footprint. But thoughtful design using concrete masonry units met these needs and provides an energy-efficient home for senior citizens and the non-profit agency that serves them. • Arizona’s Crossroads: Millstone Townhomes are burning up the Tempe, Arizona real estate market.And it’s no wonder; the units are built to resist fire, control sound and last a lifetime, thanks to concrete masonry.