The purpose of the third edition of the Masonry Designers' Guide (MDG) is the same as that of the first and second editions that were published in 1993 and 1999 respectively- to assist those involved in the design, construction, and regulation of masonry structures. The third edition was prepared to help users apply the provisions of Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures (ACI 530-99/ASCE 5-99/TMS 402- 99) and Specification for Masonry Structures (ACI 530.1-99/ASCE 6-99/TMS 602-99). These two documents were updated from the 1995 Code and Specification by the Masonry Standards Joint Committee (MSJC) which includes members of the American Concrete Institute, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and The Masonry Society. Emphasis in the MDG is on application of the two documents. Background information on the development of the Code and Specification provisions is not emphasized. For such information the reader is referred to Commentary on Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures (ACI 530-99/ASCE 5-99/TMS 402- 99) and Commentary on Specification for Masonry Structures (ACI 530.1-99/ASCE 6-99/TMS 602-99). For ease in referencing the documents described above, an abbreviated notation is used in the MDG. Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures is shortened to MSJC Code or Code. Specification or Spec. means Specification for Masonry Structures. Code Commentary and Spec. Commentary refer to the respective commentaries. The third edition of the MDG is a combined effort of The Masonry Society (TMS) and the Council for Masonry Research (CMR). TMS, the professional society of the masonry industry, provided the masonry expertise of its members to revise the second edition of the MDG. The CMR, a consortium of national trade masonry industry associations, had the financial resources to fund the Guide's revision. The American Concrete Institute published the MDG first and second editions. The third edition of the MDG is published independently by TMS. The updated MDG is a valuable reference for engineers, contractors, architects, inspectors, building code authorities, and educators. The initial chapters address materials, testing, quality assurance, quality control, and construction methods, with reference to specific provisions of the MSJC Code and Specification. Subsequent chapters on design illustrate concepts and applications of Code provisions to the structural design of masonry. There are 75 numerical example problems included in a separate chapter on building design. A Code Reference Index and Specification Reference Index correlate each discussion and design application example to a particular MSJC Code or Specification section. The MDG third edition reflects new Code/Specification material on prestressed masonry, adhered veneer, hot weather construction provisions and inspection and quality assurance criteria. The seismic chapter includes a historical development of seismic provisions for masonry and shows how to apply the pseudo-strength method to design for seismic loads. The MDG third edition was developed by The Masonry Society under the direction of John H. Matthys, Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Construction Research Center, The University of Texas at Arlington. Professor Matthys provided guidance to individual authors/reviewers in development of all chapters and served as managing editor. The Masonry Society staff assisted with word processing and graphics. The production/revision of Part I, General, was the direct responsibility of John H. Matthys. The production/revision of Part II, Materials and Testing, and Part III, Construction, was the direct responsibility of an architectural/construction practices group chaired by Christine Beall. The production/revision of Part IV, Design, was the direct responsibility of a Masonry Design Brain Trust composed of consulting structural engineers and academicians. The production/revision of Chapter 17, Building Design, was the direct responsibility of the Building Design Example Committee.
The voluntary contributions of all primary authors and reviewers are recognized. Each section/chapter of the finished Guide is a meshing of concepts of authors and numerous reviewers. In addition many of the
example problems were developed and refined by several authors.

Building Pathology provides a detailed knowledge of how buildings are constructed, used, occupied and maintained, and the various mechanisms by which their structural, material and environmental conditions can be affected.
This book introduces the concept of building pathology and bridges the gap between current approaches to the surveying of buildings and the detailed study of defect diagnosis, prognosis and remediation.