Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) have enjoyed growing popularity as interest in building energy conservation has increased. With its large, prefabricated, factory insulated panels, SIP construction offers nearly continuous insulation, fewer joints than conventional frame construction with stud-cavity insulation, and possibly…
Blog Archives
Who Should Answer This Question?
Architects are faced with questions all the time. Clients ask questions. Consultants ask questions. Contractors and subcontractors ask questions. The list goes on. Architects generally want to be helpful, they like to be asked questions, and they want to have…
A Catch 22 Product Specification
Specifications occasionally include unintended contradictions, and in some instances they are related to schedule. Not long ago, I reviewed a specification for roofing that included a requirement for a particular “ice and water shield” product and allowed no substitutions. The…
Noisy Lessons
Reading an article on acoustics in the July 2012 issue of The Construction Specifier reminded me of a number of useful lessons learned in the process of designing and administering public school construction projects. Here is one: Basic Acoustical Treatment…
Change Orders: Making the Architect’s Call on Contractor Claims
When construction contracts are based on drawings and specifications prepared by architects, the need for changes during construction raises questions about the completeness, correctness, and coordination of the architect’s drawings and specifications – in short, questions about the architect’s performance.…
Posted in Construction Administration
A Few Predictors of Building Failure in New Construction
The following suggested predictors of building failure in new construction are based on years of experience tracing building failures to their causes. While the failures may express themselves as discrete detail flaws, underlying causes are often found in contractual decision…
Planning for Concealed Site Conditions
Discovery of concealed site conditions can raise havoc with a project, possibly disrupting the construction schedule and adversely impacting the project budget. Here’s a link to an article I wrote a few years ago to share some of my experience…
Value Engineering
Any discussion of value engineering (V.E.) is likely to produce a rush of criticisms of the process if you work in an architecture or engineering practice. The architects and engineers are likely to recall bad experiences when V.E. was started…
“By Others” and “N.I.C.”
The terms “By Others” and “Not In Contract” (or “N.I.C.”) can add confusion to construction documents if the intent of the terms is not well established within the documents. The note “By Others” on a drawing may be intended to…
Reviewing the Contractor’s Application for Payment
On most public construction projects, the Architect reviews the Contractor’s monthly Applications for Payment (a.k.a. “Requisitions”) and certifies the amount to be paid to the Contractor for that month. If the Application is made on AIA Document G702, the front…
Posted in Construction Administration, Project Management
