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…
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
Interpreting the Professional Standard of Care for Architects
First, for comparison with other professions per se, here is a definition from Business Dictionary that is applicable to professional disciplines: “Ethical or legal duty of a professional to exercise the level of care, diligence, and skill prescribed in the code of practice…
Posted in Practice Management
Please Follow the Wood Ceiling System Specifications…
Suspended wood ceiling systems can look very nice and can earn LEED credits for the right wood, but all components of the system must work together in order for the ceiling to stay up. A few years ago in a…
Seeing heat loss through a concrete wall
The thermal image above (taken with a FLIR C2) illustrates heat loss through an uninsulated concrete foundation wall at floor level. The concrete foundation is insulated below grade, but the owner did not want to see insulation between the grade…
Posted in Energy Efficiency
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…
