What is MSJC?
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Masonry Standards Joint Committee
The Masonry Standards Joint Committee, referred to as the MSJC,
is responsible for developing and maintaining the Building Code
Requirements for Masonry Structures and the Specification
for Masonry Structures. These two documents and the commentaries
to them are joint efforts of the American Concrete Institute (ACI),
the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of
Civil Engineers (SEI of ASCE), and The Masonry Society (TMS).
Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures covers
the design and construction of masonry structures. It is written
in language to make it easy to adopt by reference by a legally adopted
building code. It covers numerous subjects, including: contract
documents; quality assurance; materials; analysis and design; strength
and serviceability, loads; reinforcement; seismic design requirements;
glass unit masonry; and veneers. Empirical design, strength design,
and allowable stress design are covered. The document carries a
code number for each of the sponsoring organizations and an extension
designating the year of publication. For example, ACI
530-05/ASCE 5-05/TMS 402-05 designates the 2005 edition.
The counterpart to the code is the specification, Specification
for Masonry Structures. This document serves a different purpose,
namely, to control materials and construction. It covers minimum
construction requirements for masonry in structures; these may be
supplemented by specific project requirements. Quality assurance
is a focus of the document, such as the placing, bonding, and anchoring
of masonry, and the placement of grout and reinforcement. This publication
carries its own code numbers: ACI
530.1-05/ASCE 6-05/TMS 602-05.
People often refer to the MSJC Code and Spec as a shorthand
way of describing the companion documents, which are generally published
on a three-year cycle. The current versions are 2005 and the next
ones are expected in 2008. The Code and Spec are
bound in a single printed publication and there is a companion
CD. They are available for purchase from PCA
as (LT292) and the sponsoring organizations: www.aci-int.org;
www.asce.org;
and www.masonrysociety.org.
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