Never a dull moment! Fall 2024 is a season of education (giving and receiving), and that’s a good thing. These past 2 weeks in particular have been a whirlwind.
In the terrazzo space, last Tuesday I was honored to co-present with my esteemed colleague and friend Steve Menconi on IMI’s national webinar series for architects and designers. We had so many great questions submitted through the portal, we hope to finish responding to everyone this week.
Later that day, it was off to Chicago Build Expo, the Midwest’s largest design and construction show at McCormick Place, where Materiality of Masonry was my topic of the hour. Despite the show’s sensory overload of magicians, ukulele players, and clowns walking around on stilts, we had a good turnout and it was great to see some longtime colleagues and meet some new ones. The following day we hosted the Networking Hub at the show, along with the tile, restoration, and bricklayers from BAC Administrative District Council of Illinois.
The following day I presented on Social Media for Architects at the AIA Illinois state architectural conference. It’s always fun to switch up the topic up to something a little different! Thanks to all who attended the program in Elgin.
Then it was off to Boston for a weekend of technical committee meetings with Tile Contractors' Association of America (TCAA), National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), Tile Council of North America (TCNA), and Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA). I actually don’t mind being in a windowless conference room on a Saturday with some of the greatest minds in the tile industry if I can absorb even a little of their knowledge.
The Total Solutions Plus (TSP) tile conference spanned into this week, where I was fortunate to make a presentation to tile contractors and suppliers from across the country on the topic of Architectural and Jobsite Photography with a Smartphone, and then moderate a panel discussion on the timely and important topic of Prefabricated and Offsite Construction of Tile Assemblies, yet another invaluable learning experience for me. (Note: look out for a future post recognizing this year’s TCAA Cesery Award Winner for service to the tile industry.)
Time to slow down a bit? Soon. Next week we’ll host one of Chicago’s largest general contractors at the International Masonry Institute's training center for a half-day education and hands-on program, and later this month is a trip out west for a series of seminars for Hawaii’s design and construction community.
Why such a focus on delivering education on masonry, tile, and stone? Simply because these materials represent the most durable, sustainable, and beautiful materials available when installed by trained and skilled labor. And this is a message that needs to be shouted from the mountaintops!
#Education #AIA #WhyTile Why Tile #ChicagoBuild
