By Chuck Rotondo, Technical Director of the Northeast Region for the Concrete Masonry Checkoff’s Block Design Collective

In a city where coordination challenges, tight budgets and high design expectations often collide, a recent initiative from the City College of New York (CCNY) is turning heads in the AEC world — not just for its student-led innovation, but for the industry lessons it delivers.

This summer, CCNY’s Bernard & Anne Spitzer School of Architecture wrapped a semester-long design-build studio that gave students real-world experience in the complexities of masonry construction — while offering professionals across architecture, construction management, and development a preview of where the next generation of building talent is headed.

Backed by funding from the Concrete Masonry Checkoff (CMC) and regional masonry labor and contractor groups, the class included a “Beauty of Block” competition, where 14 upper-level architecture students were paired with union masons, licensed professionals, and material suppliers to design and construct full-scale masonry walls to design and build the best green wall.

The result: two winning green wall prototypes built from concrete masonry units (CMU) on a custom 15’ x 15’ platform at the school. However, the real achievement lies in the program’s hands-on, integrated approach to project delivery.

From Studio to Jobsite

Over six weeks, student teams moved through a rigorous process of sketching, testing, modeling and building — all while receiving direct input from union masons with Local 1 NY/LI and contractors from the Associated Brick Mason Contractors. Glenwood Mason Supply provided the block and mortar, giving students firsthand experience with construction sequencing, labor considerations and material performance.

The final designs were reviewed by a jury of practitioners and tradespeople, who selected two winning teams based on clarity, creativity and feasibility.

Better Learning; Stronger Designers

CCNY Associate Professor and Program Manager Christian Volkmann taught the class along with Adjunct Professor Steve Preston. He is a firm believer that to design beautifully and well, architects must reconnect with the craft of building.

“Design-build is the future of architecture,” says Volkmann. “So for me, the Checkoff program was an opportunity where students could learn how to collaborate with people who have 40 years of experience laying brick and block to learn how they build with it as craftsmen. It reconnects architects with the world of making.”

Volkmann’s students also found it beneficial.

“This project has made me a different designer,” says Allyson Cromwell. “With this project, I have learned about flexibility: the idea of change and adaptation, by developing new solutions, given the constraints and real-world implications, based on the material of concrete brick and block and their common and sometimes innovative strategies of assembly.”

Takeaways for the Industry

As design-build models gain momentum across New York City, this initiative offers timely lessons for firms focused on improving project outcomes. Key takeaways include:

• Closing the design-construction gap: Many young professionals enter the field with limited understanding of constructability. This program gave students direct experience with how detailing impacts labor, cost and performance.
• Promoting team integration: Students worked closely with masons, forepersons and material suppliers, mirroring the collaborative approach now favored in design-build models.
• Strengthening material fluency: As building codes and performance expectations evolve, detailed understanding of durable, regionally sourced materials like CMU is increasingly valuable.
• Building job-ready talent: Developers and construction managers benefit from graduates who understand how to turn design vision into real-world solutions. This program helps bridge that gap.

More Than a Student Project

CMC sponsored the “Beauty of Block” initiative because it believes in giving future architects and designers the tools to think more constructively, both literally and figuratively. When students understand how a material performs in the field, they design better buildings. And that benefits everyone involved.

As project timelines shorten and demands for cost control, resilience and sustainability grow, the industry is looking for professionals who can design with clarity and build with confidence. Programs like this help develop exactly that kind of talent.

CCNY’s initiative is more than a classroom exercise. It’s a signal that the future of building lies in stronger collaboration, deeper material understanding, and early integration between design and construction. For developers, contractors and architects alike, that’s a future worth investing in.

Have a design-build question about CMU?

The Block Design Collective offers free project support to architects, engineers, and developers and can help answer your CMU-specific questions. For more information, contact Chuck Rotondo at crotondo@blockdesign.org or visit www.blockdesign.org.

The Concrete Masonry Checkoff is an industry-funded program driving innovation, education, and market growth for concrete masonry. It powers the Beauty of Block campaign, promoting the aesthetic, structural, and sustainable advantages of masonry to architects and developers, reinforcing its value in resilient, high-performance, and design-forward construction.