Concrete Block Masonry Arched and Domed Roofs to Prevent Collapse from Snow Loads

Here in western New York State, this winter (2024-2025) has been pretty brutal. We had the coldest January in decades, and February is providing more of the same. This extremely cold weather is due to oscillations of the polar vortex, which dip down into lower latitudes and allow cold arctic air to occupy temperate zones to the South. These arctic oscillations are ironically due to global warming, as temperatures in the arctic have been record-breaking warmth. As I type this, it is currently 28 degrees F in Anchorage, Alaska; it is 8 degrees F here in western New York State.

One of the effects of this prolonged cold has been increased snowfall, due largely to lake effect snow, as the cold air passes over the Great Lakes it creates snow bands on the leeward, eastern edge of the Great Lakes. This increased snowfall has created a hazard to many buildings in its path: collapsing roofs.

A spate of collapsing roofs has occured over the past few days and weeks, as the weight of accumulating snow compromises roofs which are not designed to handle such heavy loads. These events include everything from modestly sized residential homes, to commercial buildings, to large manufacturing facilities. All of these types of structures have experienced roof collapse due to the large snow loads they've been subject to.

As climate change continues, these weather patterns are expected to continue as well. The polar vortex oscillations will continue into the future, and we can expect correspondingly brutal cold and increased snow, with a continuing possibility of collapsing roofs due to large snow loads. In my own experience, over the past ten years or so, the polar vortex oscillations are noticeably increasing. We experience prolonged periods of extreme cold here in western New York State as climate change progresses.

Personally, I do not worry about the possibility of a collapsing roof. This is due to the high compressive strength of concrete block masonry arched and domed roofs which are on top of all my masonry buildings. This structural arrangement is made stronger by additional weight. These roofs are squeezed together under the added weight of a snow load, which is how they are strongest. These structures do not suffer from the failures of wooden and metal trussed roofs. They are simply stronger under the conditions of high snowloads.

The benefits which concrete block masonry arched and domed roofs provide, which I've been describing for years on this blog, include: high strength, high thermal efficiency due to thermal mass benefits, fire safety, termite safe, low cost, ease of assembly, beautiful designs, and long life spans. It occurs to me that safety from a collapsing roof due to high snow loads should be added to this list of benefits for concrete block masonry arched and domed roofs.

The Masonry Workforce and Automation

The masonry workforce faces shortages as it enters the future. Retiring masons are not being replaced by younger masons at an equal rate. The result is that the supply of skilled masonry workers does not meet the demand for this critically necessary skilled workforce to assemble masonry buildings and structures. This is not a sudden development; the industry has been aware of this troublesome trend for decades now. We need more masons.

Many commendable efforts are underway to recruit new masons into this important workforce, including efforts by the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) and BAC’s educational and training organization, the International Masonry Institute (IMI). Additional recruitment efforts to help grow the skilled masonry workforce are underway by the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) and several other regional and local masonry education and recruitment organizations.

Regardless of these excellent efforts to recruit new masons to the workforce, the supply of new masons simply does not meet the current demand for masons, nor is it expected to meet the growing demand in the future. What will be done to help supply the demand for masonry construction?

Part of the answer is to provide the masonry workforce with the tools, materials and techniques which will make human masons more efficient. This includes semi-automated methods and more fully automated assembly methods and equipment to help meet the demand for beautiful masonry buildings.

This includes lift-assist technologies, such as the MULE (Material Unit Left Enhancement) provided by Construction Robotics, to help masons work faster and more efficiently. It also includes exoskeletal equipment, provided by several companies, which are attached to the body of a human mason. It also includes much more fully automated systems, such as Fast Brick Robotics’ (FBR) “Hadrian X” robotic assembly system. The Hadrian X does not use mortar, but rather employs construction adhesive instead. At some point, this is no longer traditional masonry (without mortar) but becomes something else.

In my own experience, there has been resistance in the industry to adoption of semi-automated and fully automated masonry assembly methods and equipment. This is understandable! Masons don’t want to lose their jobs and be replaced by robots. The beauty of block requires the touch of a human mason.

Our company (Spherical Block, LLC) has been investigating new technologies, with a focus on semi-automated assembly tools and materials, for over a decade. I addressed this when I was invited to be keynote speaker at the North American Masonry Conference by The Masonry Society (TMS) in 2019, and was asked to talk about “Innovation in Masonry Today.”

Interest in these approaches has been growing slowly and steadily over the years. The path forward includes those processes and equipment which can help assemble masonry faster, more safely and more efficiently while providing the beauty of block to our buildings well into the future. This will require human masons, and the value that they add to our built environment. Using new tools, techniques and materials, masons will add even greater value to the world of construction.