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Construction Documents – a Development Dichotomy

Architects and engineers are required to produce drawings and specifications as construction documents. The documents are developed throughout the design process – Schematic Design, Design Development,...

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Contract Documents are Related

It’s a debate. The debate is evidenced in all the commercial guide specifications and even CSI’s SectionFormat™. Related Requirements is an article heading near the beginning of specification sections....

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Owners – What did you buy?

Friday, an architect asked for help researching a question about metal stud installation for interior partitions. The question was the result of a site visit. The resolution needed to be speedy. Monday...

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Ensuring Construction Quality

How can an owner be sure construction produces the quality the owner desires? There is likely no way to be absolutely certain. But specifiers rely on several techniques to help ensure work results...

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Specifications Risk Management

There are many risks in construction projects, and specifications alone cannot mitigate construction risk in all areas. Good specifications, however, provide valuable benefits to architect/engineer...

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It’s Just a Spec

Yes it is a spec, and it deserves attention – the proper attention to be certain the contractor delivers what is required by the contract. The design team created the drawings and specifications...

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Do Relationships Matter?

August 4, Bloomberg News published an article about a way that the six largest US automakers could improve profits by $1.4 billion last year. No matter how the money would be split among them that...

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Specifying Design-Assist – How?

It’s a process, not just technical requirements. During design-assist, the architect of record, asks the contractor (usually a specialty subcontractor) to help develop system details and confirm system...

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Feeding Your Specifier (and Project Team)

What is it that your specifier really needs? There was, once upon a time, an easy explanation. Just give me a set of drawings that you would turn in for your architectural licensing exam. For anyone...

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Format? OR Content?

When writing construction specifications what is really important the format or content? Listening to some design teams, it seems lack of consistent format generate the greatest anxiety. Why is this?...

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Connection: BIM, Spec, Estimate

Have you made the connection yourself? Connecting data to make it available and useable for each team will improve efficiency and reduce risk for every construction project. The focus has been on...

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A Specifier’s Christmas Wish

Just what would a specifier wish for Christmas? Peace? Goodwill? Perhaps, but there are some more mundane wishes to help improve every construction project. And if they all come true, the entire design...

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Aren’t Specs Contract Documents?

What statements below do you believe to be true? 1. I hate writing specs. 2. Specs are only used as door stops. 3. No one actually reads specs. The first is generally true, especially for architects...

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Front Line Quality Assurance

When does quality assurance begin during the design process for a construction project? Often formal document review may be planned for those last few weeks before the construction documents are...

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PPDs Can Enhance Renderings’ Utility

Image courtesy FXCollaborative Architects LLP As part of their work, architects learn to interpret 2D plans, sections and elevations and get a pretty good idea what a space will look like when it’s...

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The Benefits of Speed Dating Events

Over the past year, several Conpsectus team members have attended architect-manufacturer summits, colloquially known as ‘speed dating’ events.  David Stutzman recently returned from SpArc in Fort...

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Teaching Young Professionals About Specifications

David Stutzman visited Chicago last week to stop in and talk to some of his current clients as well as to try to grow Conspectus’s business into new firms, and I was fortunate enough to accompany him...

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Maintaining Office Master Guide Specifications

Almost all architectural firms and specifications consultants maintain full sets of office master guide specifications, which, among their many benefits, serve to streamline the development of project...

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Architecture Degree – What is it good for?

A Twitter discussion broke out recently after Paul Gerber posted this tweet in response to AIA tweeting a November, 2016 article by Ariana Zilliacus on ArchDaily entitled, “21 Careers You Can Pursue...

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A Traditional but Not-So-Smooth Path Into Specifications

Last week, my colleague Marlon Hollis wrote eloquently about his meandering path from military aviation and law school into construction specifying, and the benefits of bringing a fresh perspective to...

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