Bricks, Mortar Build Institutional Rapport in College’s Masonry Laboratory

About 50 architecture students from The Pennsylvania State University visited Penn College’s masonry lab Wednesday, gaining hands-on experience and a heightened appreciation of  the relationship between design and construction. The traditional spring event highlights the college’s affiliation with Penn State; emphasizes masonry’s ties to another profession; delineates a career path that women might otherwise overlook; and illustrates the tangible support of Watsontown Brick, Glen-Gery Corp. and other industry representatives who provide technical assistance and thousands of dollars’ worth of supplies for the college’s Construction Masonry Building.

–  Photos by Marc T. Kaylor, student photographer

Faculty coordinator Richard R. Motter, a Penn College masonry instructor, makes students feel at home in new surroundings.

Visiting students, accompanied by James G. Cooper, assistant professor in Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture, watch instructor Glenn R. Luse (center).

Guests moved from station to station, including a stint in arch construction.

Lining it up, with an eye for precision

Spreading an even coat of “mud”

Lending helpful hands

A newly formed arch withstands weight testing …

… and succumbs to a “brick too far”

Sturdy construction draws faculty kudos

Busy trowels make quick work for fledgling stonemasons.

Collaboration lengthens a course of block.

A gender-neutral profession

Penn State classmates practice teamwork on the way to making ends meet.

A dry run

Maneuvering block onto the plumb line