Fire Safety and Balanced Design with Masonry

Of all possible construction systems, masonry offers the utmost protection against fire. Masonry materials—brick, concrete block, stone, mortar, grout and tile—don’t burn, and therefore don’t contribute fuel to a fire. Masonry maintains its structural integrity at high temperatures, and heat transfers slowly through its mass. Depending on its configuration, a masonry wall can remain intact and contain a fire burning on one side for two, three, four hours or even longer.

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