ASTM honors Daniel Zechmeister

Words: Catherine Adkinson/Public/News/20120520071500-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="Daniel S. Zechmeister has received the ASTM International Award of Merit from Committee C15 on Manufactured Masonry Units." />
Daniel S. Zechmeister as received the ASTM International Award of Merit from Committee C15 on Manufactured Masonry Units.
Daniel S. Zechmeister, executive director of the Masonry Institute of Michigan, Southfield, Mich., has received the ASTM International Award of Merit from Committee C15 on Manufactured Masonry Units. The Award of Merit and its accompanying title of fellow is ASTM's highest organizational recognition for individual contributions to standards activities.

A member of ASTM International since 1987, Committee C15 honored Zechmeister for his contributions to standards for manufactured masonry units of fired clay and shale, concrete and sand-lime units. He has served terms as recording secretary and membership secretary on the main C15 committee and works on several subcommittees. He was recognized with a C15 Award of Appreciation in 2005 for his term as awards chairman. Zechmeister is also a member of Committee C12 on Mortars and Grouts for Unit Masonry.

A registered professional engineer in the state of Michigan, Zechmeister joined the Masonry Institute of Michigan, a non-profit institute dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the masonry industry, in 1986 and assumed his current role in 1990. Prior to that, he was an associate civil engineer for the City Engineering Department Inspection Bureau in Detroit, Mich., and a structural engineer at Albert Kahn Associates and Campbell Associates, both in Detroit. He holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Wayne State University.

Outside ASTM International, Zechmeister is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Masonry Society and its Masonry Standards and Joint Committee, the Building Enclosure Council of Greater Detroit and the Structural Engineers Association of Michigan. He was named an honorary affiliate member of the American Institute of Architects Detroit in 2008.
From Bikes to Buildings: Part 2
September 2025

As rainscreen wall designs become increasingly prevalent in today’s construction environment, there have been questions regarding their design. How wide should the capillary break be? How do we create this capillary break? Can the same methods be used i

Vibing Masonry #8: CMU’s Durability and Maintenance Value
September 2025

Heading to Spokane, WA, I found myself riding the airport tram at O’Hare in Chicago. Looking out the window at a part of the 26-year-old International Terminal 5, I spotted a painted structural steel beam in front of a concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall. Th

Keeping it Clean: Lifecycle Maintenance for Manufactured Stone Veneer
September 2025

One of the many benefits of manufactured stone veneer is that it’s a robust, durable product that requires little maintenance over the course of its life span. In fact, its irregularity in shape and color helps hide minor dirt and dust. But like any build

MCAA's Wall Evaluator: The Future of Masonry Training and Assessment
September 2025

MCAA Wall Evaluator, Masonry Training, Masonry Assessment, 3D Scanner, AR Glasses, Digital Twin, Digital Mesh, Point Cloud, Infrared VCSEL, Vocational Technology, EdTech, Standardized Assessment, Objective Evaluation, Data-Driven Feedback, Portable Traini