You might think AE consultant scopes of work are automatically coordinated, but practice shows that proactive coordination led by the project architect is needed to assure completeness and consistency without duplication. Many change order claims that arise on building projects…
Blog Archives
The Value of Mentoring
I was recently looking through photos and other memorabilia from a large retail mall project that kept me busy for two years and was completed about 40 years ago. As I looked through the materials, I wondered about the value…
Bulk Water Management with a Low Slope Roof
Low slope roofs or “flat” roofs, as they are sometimes called, typically have single-ply membrane or multi-layer “built-up” roof systems. Although one or more manufacturers offer warrantees for membranes installed with no slope, the 2015 IBC (International Building Code) requires…
10 Features of Good Construction Documents for Massachusetts Filed Sub-Bids
Public building projects in Massachusetts are subject to unique public bidding requirements for some designated trades. For projects where these trades are subcontracted under a general contract, they are called Filed Sub-Bids, and scope clarity is the highest priority when…
5 Attributes of Good Construction Documents
Here are just a few key attributes of good construction documents for buildings: Drawings and specifications use the same terminology. A good example of this attribute would be consistent naming of soil types in earthwork specifications and structural drawings, and…
Posted in Construction Documents
The Challenges of In-House QC Review of Construction Documents
According to a recent insurance publication, approximately half of the claims brought against architects are triggered by design errors and are related to a lack of procedures to identify conflicts, errors, and omissions in design documents. In other words, QC…
The Purpose of Construction Documents
It may seem silly to suggest there could be any doubt about the purpose of construction documents, for surely they are supposed to document what is to be constructed. However, the underlying purpose is to document and convey design intent…
The Rise of Manufactured Systems in Architectural Design
One of the many things that have changed in the practice of architecture during the last 50 years is our dependence on manufactured building systems. Architectural education and training 50 years ago included the detailed design of components like windows,…
The Role of the Spec Writer
Reading recent grumblings by specifications (spec) consultants, I started thinking back over the roles of the spec writers at firms where I have worked since I began my architectural career in the 1960s. Spec writing and related technologies have changed…
Cathedral Ceiling Woes
Insulating a cathedral ceiling with fiberglass batts and ventilating the same framing spaces does not work very well where framing spaces are interrupted by framing offsets, skylights, chimneys, or other penetrations, or where the roof framing changes direction or is…
Posted in Construction Documents, Design
