Contractors and designers have long known that masonry and steel
make good partners.
Masonry is great in compression and steel is great in tension. Put the two together and you have a versatile structural system.
Reinforced masonry structures are a staple of the building market and masonry veneer can be backed up by steel stud systems.
Often overlooked is the role that masonry infill plays in structural steel frame construction. While common, the masonry is usually
considered a non-structural element of the building and as such its contribution to the behavior of the building is not taken into
account by the engineer. All that is now changing with an increased focus on masonry infill within structural steel frames.