Skip to main content

15th Canadian Masonry Symposium

Ottawa, ON

Preserving the Past, Constructing the Future: Masonry’s Timeless Legacy,

Scheduled from June 2 to 5, 2025, in the heart of Ottawa at the prestigious Fairmont Château Laurier, the 15th Canadian Masonry Symposium brings together leading minds in masonry design, construction, and research. This international conference highlighted innovative restoration projects—such as the Parliament Hill rehabilitation—advances in seismic resilience and reinforcement technologies, including GFRP and low-carbon masonry, and offers inspiring discussions on durability and sustainability.  The Program featured keynote lectures, technical paper presentations, interactive panels, and an extensive book of abstracts, all aimed at enriching Canada’s masonry community and shaping the future of this enduring construction method.

Conference Papers:

See all 15th CMS papers

Plain-text list of papers

Jump to:

Paper Awards

Book of Abstracts

Committees

Sponsors

Upcoming Conferences:

Learn more about the next CMS

Gathering and celebrating collaboration in masonry research

15

Countries represented

250

Delegates in attendance

112

Technical papers accepted

Thank you to everyone who joined us!

A big thank you to everyone who took part in the 15th Canadian Masonry Symposium! Whether you presented, attended sessions, asked great questions, or helped behind the scenes, your involvement made the event truly special. We’re grateful for the energy, ideas, and connections shared throughout the symposium—and we hope to see you again at the next one!

Keep an eye out for an invitation when then CMS returns to Canada in 2029!

Program & Book of Abstracts

The Program and Book of Abstracts from the 15th Canadian Masonry Symposium offers a complete overview of the event, which brought together researchers, practitioners, and industry leaders to share the latest advancements in masonry.

This document includes the full schedule of sessions and presentations, along with abstracts for all accepted papers. It remains a valuable reference for those interested in the state of masonry research and innovation showcased during the symposium.

Click to download the Program and Book of Abstracts

Organizing Committee

The Organizing Committee of the 15th Canadian Masonry Symposium was responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of the event. Their efforts ensured the successful delivery of the technical program, logistics, and overall symposium operations. We acknowledge their valuable contributions and professional dedication.

Bennett Banting – Canada Masonry Design Centre
Luisa Carrillo – Canada Masonry Design Centre
David Stubbs – Canada Masonry Centre
Sandra Skivsky – Canadian Masonry Contractors Association
Ted Sherwood – Carleton University
Bora Pulatsu – Carleton University
Ehab Zalok – Carleton University
Andrea McChesney – Canadian Concrete Masonry Producers Association
Scott Jeffries – Clay Brick Association of Canada
Khaled Galal – (Past Chair) Concordia University

Technical Committee

The Technical Committee of the 15th Canadian Masonry Symposium was responsible for overseeing the peer review process and curating the technical program. Through rigorous evaluation of submitted papers, the committee ensured the academic integrity, relevance, and quality of the symposium content. Their collective expertise spanned key areas including structural design, materials science, construction practices, and sustainability in masonry.

A.T. Vermeltfoort – Netherlands
Adrien Sparling – Canada
Ahmed Ashour – Egypt
Ali Ahrabi – Canada
Andrea Benedetti – Italy
Andreas Stavridis – USA
Andres Arce – Poland
Andres Lepage – USA
Andrew Smith – Canada
Augustin Dukuze – Canada
Ayan Sadhu – Canada
Bahman Ghiassi – UK
Barry Haseltine – UK
Belal Abdelrahman – Canada
Bennett Banting – Canada
Benson Shing – USA
Bora Pulatsu – Canada
Brad Crumb – Canada
Brian Trimble – USA
Cancan Yang – Canada
Carl Haas – Canada
Carlo Citto – USA
Carlos Cruz Noguez – Canada
Chip Clark – USA
Clayton Pettit – Canada
Dagmar Svecova – Canada
Damon Bolhassnai – USA
Daniel Abrams – USA
Daniele Malomo – Canada

David Biggs – USA
David Stubbs – Canada
Dimitrios Kalliontzis – USA
Donald Harvey – USA
Douglas Tomlinson – Canada
Durgesh Rai – India
Ece Erdogmus Skourup – USA
Ehab Zalok – Canada
Giuliana Cardani – Italy
Graziano Fiorillo – Canada
Guilherme Parsekian – Brazil
Gurparam Kang – Canada
Heather Sustersic – USA
Hossam El-Sokkary – Saudi Arabia
Humberto Roman – Brazil
James Farny – USA
Jamshid Zohrehheydariha – Canada
Jason Ingham – New Zealand
Jason Thompson – USA
Jawdat Alfarra – Canada
Jennifer Popehn – USA
John Chrysler – USA
John Cooke – Canada
John Hochwalt – USA
John Myers – USA
Jordan Dick – UK
Katrin Beyer – Switzerland
Kevin Hughes – Canada
Khaled Galal – Canada

Khalid Alotaibi – USA
Laura Redmond – USA
Lisa Feldman – Canada
Lydell Wiebe – Canada
Mark Masia – Australia
Mark McGinley – USA
Matthew Innocente – Canada
Meera Ramesh – USA
Michael Schuller – USA
Miha Tomaževič – Slovenia
Mohamed Ezzeldin – Canada
Monica Guzman – Canada
Murat Altug Erberik – Turkey
Nader Aly – Canada
Nebojsa Mojsilovic – Switzerland
Nicholas Lang – USA
Nigel Shrive – Canada
Odin Guzman-Sanchez – Canada
Patrick Dillon – USA
Patrick Kelly – Canada
Paulo B. Lourenço – Italy

Peter Babaian – USA
Philippe Ledent – USA
Rahil Khoshnazar – Canada
Reza Hasanli – Australia
Richard Bennett – USA
Salah Sarhat – USA
Sanket Nayak – India
Sara Ganzerli – USA
Sasha Kisin – Canada
Scott Walkowicz – USA
Semih Gonen – Spain
Sinan Acikgoz – UK
Sreekanta Das – Canada
Stavroula Pantazopoulou – Canada
Svetlana Brzev – Canada
Ted Sherwood – Canada
Wael El-Dakhakhni – Canada
Wolfram Jäger – Germany
Yi Liu – Canada
Yong Li – Canada
Yuxiang Chen – Canada

Paper awards

Award Selection Process

Conference paper awards were determined through a multi-stage review process. Paper reviewers first nominated and rated submissions, from which top-rated papers were selected as finalists. The Technical Committee then evaluated both the papers and their presentations. Final decisions were made by consensus, with committee members abstaining in cases of conflict of interest. Award winners highlighted below, and also receive a $500 cash prize.

Awards Committee:

  • Bora Pulatsu, Carleton University, Co-Chair 15th CMS
  • Khaled Galal, Concordia University, Co-Chair 14th CMS
  • Yi Liu, Dalhousie University, Co-Chair 13th CMS
  • Nigel Shrive, University of Calgary, Chair CSA S304

Winners:

R. G. Drysdale Award Winner

| 15th CMS, Paper Awards, Winner | No Comments
Winner: Nicolò Damiani, Satyadhrik Sharma, Marta Bertassi, Marco Smerilli, Michele Mirra, Igor Lanese, PhD, MSc, Elisa Rizzo Parisi, Gerard J. O'Reilly, Francesco Messali, and Francesco Graziotti Out-of-Plane Shake-Table Tests on…

M.A. Hatzinikolas Award Winner

| 15th CMS, Paper Awards, Winner | No Comments
Winner: Optimizing Tall Masonry Walls with Partially Unbonded Guided Post-Tensioning Mahmoud Elsayed, Rafael Gonzalez, Alan Alonso, Clayton Pettit, Douglas Tomlinson, and Carlos Cruz-Noguez Paper No. 017 Honourable Mention: In-Plane Cyclic Shear-Compression…

H.W.H. West Award Winner

| 15th CMS, Paper Awards, Winner | No Comments
The H.W.H. West Award recognizes the best overall paper led by a graduate student, and this year’s honours go to: Shreedhar KC, Aakash Basu, Laura Redmond, and Ece Erdogmus for…

C.T. Grimm Award Winner

| 15th CMS, Paper Awards, Winner | No Comments
Congratulations to the winners of the C.T. Grimm Award for the Best Overall Paper Related to Building Envelope, Sustainability, Durability and Resilience of Masonry Materials and Structures. Winner: Lyndsey Terry, Igor…

Honourable Mentions

Award winner posts above can currently be expanded to see honourable mentions, background information of the award’s namesake, and other details.

Sponsorship

The success of academic conferences such as the Canadian Masonry Symposium depends not only on the dedication of researchers and educators, but also on the invaluable support of our industry partners and sponsors. Their contributions go far beyond financial assistance; they enable the exchange of ideas, foster collaboration, and help bridge the gap between theory and practice.

By supporting events like this, the industry plays a direct role in advancing research, driving innovation, and encouraging the development of new technologies and methods that benefit the entire built environment. This collaboration between academia and industry is essential. Moving forward, continued partnership is critical to tackling the evolving challenges of our field.

Together, we can shape a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable future for masonry construction in Canada and beyond.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our sponsors for allowing us to put on this world-class event

Get in touch with our team

The Canada Masonry Design Centre helps members of the design community across the country by connecting them to the resources and supports they need. Contact us today and get the conversation started!

Contact Us