A Natural Material, A Lasting Choice Masonry materials have long been recognized as durable and attractive, but they are energy-efficient and earth-friendly, too. Washington’s environmentally-conscious culture demands sustainable materials that have long service life and require little maintenance. Masonry materials including brick, block, tile, stone, marble and terrazzo match all of these requirements, and suffer few of the many problems associated with newer, synthetic building materials. The Masonry Institute of Washington was founded in 1972 to promote masonry construction, provide educational and technical resources, and provide a point of contact on masonry issues for design and construction professionals, the general public and mason contractors. MIW also maintains MasonryDetails.com, a free online catalogue of dowloadable masonry wall system details.