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Join us for an AIA Lunch + Learn event with a Brick Plant Tour!

Take a tour of the Glen-Gery premier manufacturing facility in Adel, Iowa with a long history of local brickmaking. Participants will observe and discuss manufacturing and environmental sensitivity. The varying capabilities of brick plants will be discussed. The properties of shale or clay raw materials typically determine the type of brick being made. You will be able to see how a brick comes to be from quarry to kiln to cube. Brick makers also have a responsibility to ensure our operations do not have an adverse effect on our surroundings. You will see how environmental impacts are minimized from air emissions to quarry reclamation.

Learning Objectives

1. Observe and discuss the extrusion and/or molding processes for forming brick.

2. Observe and discuss the firing process and recall factors influencing finished brick characteristics.

3. Observe and discuss how raw materials are processed for brick making.

4. Observe and discuss the processes used to achieve various brick colors and textures.

All attendees should meet at the Glen-Gery Adel Brick Manufacturing Plant by 11:30 AM and park on the NW side of the building, see image in the registration link. A pre-tour safety discussion will occur and all PPE will be provided. Our safety guidelines state that attendees are required to wear long pants, long sleeved shirts, and sturdy, closed-toe shoes. Failure to wear the appropriate, safety guideline attire may result in not being able to enter the manufacturing areas.

2 AIA LU/Elective
AIA Course GGTUR222
Format: 2-hr in-person