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The article offers information related to the works of architects in Ancient Rome who had the knowledge and skills to plan and direct the construction of a building were known as master builder or master mason or director of building. Topics discussed include rise of architect as master builder; law of privity provided iron-clad defense against claims of negligence; and gradual demise of privity.

Cavity walls became the norm when architects and masons came to the realization a simple empty space separating two wythes of masonry with a layer of insulation on the cavity side of the concrete masonry unit (CMU) could provide as much comfort as several feet of solid masonry. This article compares three multiwythe masonry cavity wall designs--from the simple multi-wythe masonry cavity wall to the more sophisticated pressure-equalized cavity wall. All of them have an exterior brick veneer wythe (acting as a rainscreen and providing a drainage plane on the back of the brick), a supporting wythe of 200-mm (8-in.) CMU, and a separating cavity partly filled with insulation. Geographically, the discussion is limited to commercial construction in the northern United States and Canada, where the winters are cold and summers are warm to hot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a critical threshold for water in concrete--there must be enough to complete hydration with cement, but not so much as to worsen shrink cracking and curling and cause delays in the application of moisture-sensitive floorcoverings. This article is about prescriptive specifications and focuses on interior concrete slab-on-grade for educational buildings, office buildings, hospitals, and libraries that will receive floor finishes and materials that may be sensitive to moisture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes how to control the sources of moisture in concrete slabs, minimize drying wait time to meet floorcovering manufacturer's requirements, and determine when the slab meets said requirements. Topics discussed include the effect of water-cement ratio and total water on the amount of excess water that must evaporate before floorcoverings can be applied, the differences between vapor retarders and vapor barriers, and the various concrete curing methods.

Several letters to the editor are presented including a response to the article "Intake Manifold Replacement--Shaking Out The Details" from the previous issue and a letter asking about adding a supercharger onto a 1969 Firebird 400 without cutting its hood.

The article focuses on the things to consider for the mix design of slabs-on-ground concrete to avoid concrete cracks. Topics include the misconceptions about grade-level concrete such as strength as predictor of concrete quality and the use of welded wire reinforcement than synthetic fiber reinforcement, water content in cement, and contraction joints.

The article presents a case study involving the resupporting of old structural masonry while rebuilding a gym and school in the Homer, Michigan school district.

Presents the poem "The Nerve of the B##ch," by Paul Potts. First Line: The nerve of the bitch; Last Line: But wait.

Presents a short story excerpted from "Dante Called You Beatrice," by Paul Potts.

Presents the poem "For My Father," by Paul Potts. First Line: I think a time will come when you will understand, Last Line: Else, how sir, did you come to be American?

Presents the poem "For Ezra Pound," by Paul Potts. First Line: I have waited to ask you this; Last Line: And Thomas Jefferson.

Presents a letter to the editor about Robert Irwin's review of the book 'Race and Slavery in the Middle East,' by Bernard Lewis, which appeared in the December 21, 1990 issue of 'The Times Literary Supplement.'