Benchmark Harris
Mr. Harris is a structural, geotechnical and civil engineer with over 25 years of experience nationally. He has also worked under the supervision of architects, mechanical/plumbing engineers and electrical engineers. He has designed over $1 Billion of new masonry construction and has designed numerous remediations/restorations of existing masonry structures. He received the distinguished Paul Haller Award from The Masonry Society (TMS) for his career achievements in masonry. He has participated in and co-authored numerous masonry industry initiatives such as the Masonry Designer’s Guide, chairing the TMS Disaster Investigation Program, chairing the publication of TMS 403 “Direct Design Handbook for Masonry Structures” referenced by the IBC, and being a leader in TMS 402 “Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures”. He has represented the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations at International Code Council code action hearings, and was the recipient of the Tom Grimm Scholarship for his Master’s Thesis on the lower bound compressive and flexural strength of concrete and clay masonry which was instrumental in removing the Empirical Design method from building codes from America. He has similarly impressive backgrounds in other areas of industry, such as in expansive soil, storm shelters and quality control specifications.