The Beginning of Specifications... and More

 I am very honored to be invited back to California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo, College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) to present to the students on the relationship of architecture and construction specifications on Thursday, 25 April.

This year we will discuss a little of the beginning of specifications and how the written component of construction documents evolved out of the early contracts for construction.  The slide above is a brief preview of the central content.

Thanks to Jim Doerfler, Associate Department Head of CAED for the opportunity to address the students and share CSI principles and specification trivia with the next generation of architects.

The next day, Friday, 26 April, the CAED students are presenting the Cal Poly Construction Forum, with sponsorship by CSI, with a focus on sustainable materials and innovative techniques.

DTR Consulting Services is fortunate to be involved with the Human Needs Project, creators of an innovative approach to help people in need of basic utilities and facility services that the developed world takes for granted.    

This project by architect Ken Kao of Kao Design Group of Somerville, MA http://www.kaodesign.com, constructed by Redhorse Constructors of San Rafael, http://www.redhorseconstructors.com, embodies new thinking about human needs and exciting applications of ordinary materials to offer a promise of better circumstances to the people of Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya.

A brief presentation will outline the architectural response to the social and environmental factors in the community of Kibera and discuss the engineering and design effort involved to address the concerns of the residents.

Please consider visiting the Human Needs Project, http://www.humanneedsproject.org, to learn more about their plans for the future.  Donations are gladly accepted at their site.

The Code of Specifications

Do construction specifications require translation?

Often construction specifications seem as oblique and inaccessible as these hieroglyphic carvings in the hypostyle hall at the Great Temple in Karnak, Egypt. (Engraving by Josef Durm, 1914)

Is there a correct way to encode the information for a new product into the "CSI Format"?

(Fragment of the Papyrus of Ani, ca. 3500 BC)

Is there a "CSI Format", and how does it work?  Can it help you write better specifications, or even read and understand specifications more easily?  Is Cleopatra discussing specifications with Mark Antony? (The Banquet of Cleopatra, Giovanni Batista Tiepolo, 1746)

Join us on Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m @ North Coast Builders Exchange
1030 Apollo Way, Santa Rosa.

Information here >> http://www.recsi.org/uploads/SectionFormatSeminar11132012.pdf


This presentation qualifies for AIA HS&W learning units.

(Illustrations believed by this author to be in the public domain, first publication before 1923)

Changing Horses Mid-Stream: Managing Substitutions

Consider attending the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of CSI next meeting, 1 November 2012, at Biltmore Hotel & Suites, 2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara.

The topic will address Managing Substitutions, Changing Horses Mid-Stream.

Few construction administration procedures inspire such strong emotions as Substitutions.  

Architects seem to despise them, while Contractors seem to dote on them.  

Owners are concerned that the project quality is maintained, but are beguiled by possible cost savings or schedule acceleration.  

Substitutions have the potential to disrupt a project, or confer great benefits.

Substitution Procedures are primarily a means of Quality Assurance, to prevent un-"equal" products from undermining the design intent.  But How Equal is Equal?  And who decides?

What actions can the A/E take in product selection and specifications to reduce substitution requests or to deal effectively with those that arise?  

What risks arise to the parties in construction from substitutions, authorized or not?  

What actions are appropriate to allow acceptable substitutions to be incorporated into the Work while maintaining the risk allocations of all the parties?

Can Construction Documents be crafted to resolve these issues fairly for all the parties?

Join us for the discussion.  Details are here >> http://www.csiscv.org/

Today's painting is "The Horse of Alfonso Ugarte" by Agostino Marazzani Visconti, 1905.  The rider is not exactly mid-stream, but seems to be considering a change of steeds.  Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, believed by this author to be in the public domain since it was published before 1923.

High Concept, Low Tech

Today's post looks at a striking design effect that was very easy to implement.  Proof that simple things can still be uplifting, and 3D modeling of biscuit-shaped forms is not always needed.

The photo shows the ceiling of the escalator lobby in a new department store in the Bay Area.

The little sparkly bits are nothing more than acrylic film tied off with monofilament plastic line (fishing line), which is suspended from the ceiling in long strands.

The plastic film is sidelighted by the clerestory windows and the whole thing sways gently in the HVAC breeze.


The effect is mesmerizing and really easy to pull off, although it was probably tedious to assemble thousands of pieces of film on hundreds of strands.  I am not sure if this was part of the architecture, or an art installation that came later, but it is very effective.  An excellent design effect with extreme economy of means.  This would be fun to specify.

High Concept, Low Tech.

Best Regards.

JG

Wheels Within Wheels

Today's post is a little preview of my CONSTRUCT 2012 presentation on Division 01.

Construction project participants are always a diverse group of people; some of whom have worked together in the past, others who are meeting for the first time.  All the parties have somewhat different interests, duties and responsibilities, and all are riding together in a single Project vehicle on their way to the destination, the completed facility.

Expanding this allegory, the Project wagon rides on wheels of Construction Documents, as eloquently described in CSI's explanatory graphic.

Division 01 General Requirements occupies that critical space in the center of the Wheel, mediating between the General Conditions, Supplementary Conditions, Drawings and Specifications; describing the Administrative, Procedural and Temporary requirements of the Construction Documents.

We will discuss the various parts of the Construction Documents and Division 01, sharing tips and tricks to customize your General Requirements to suit your Project vehicle and destination.

Today's painting, "Flora's Malle-wagen", painted by the Dutch artist Hendrik Gerritsz. Pot in 1640 is a sardonic depiction of the Dutch tulip mania, where investors of all types speculated on the value of tulip bulbs, which attained astronomical values and eventually crashed, resulting in a financial depression.  The wagon-load of revelers, with flowers in their hair, is headed straight into the ocean because no one is steering.

If your Division 01 has ever made you feel like this is happening to you, join us in session F03 on Friday morning for a tune-up.  I will have more illustrations and stories as well.  We'll have fun and learn a bit.

Best regards.

JG

Friday Funnies

The photograph above is the door to the guest room bath in an expensive hotel room in a major Bay Area city.

I apologize for the zoomed-in view of the fixture, but it is important to see that little gap between the door and the fixture.  Why are we interested in this gap?  Of course there is a gap, how would the door close otherwise?

Look carefully at the edge, you can see how the solid core flush door has been carefully coped to clear the water closet fixture.  Without this elegant modification, the door would not close at all.

What has happened here?  The guest room bath was recently remodeled with new costly finishes and fixtures, perhaps even some drawings may have been made.  But not every condition was documented, apparently.  At least in this room, the new water closet was just large enough to prevent the door from closing.

There probably isn't really a specification lesson to teach here.   In fact, it's difficult to determine where the fault occurred in the chain of decisions leading to this sad state.   It might be a drawing problem, or a failure to properly select or submit products, or check the submittals.

But we do know that someone was responsible for accepting and allowing this condition to be left intact for hotel guests to photograph and comment about on the Internet.

Fortunately, the cut-away portion of the door created only a tiny gap at the frame stop with the door in closed position; the loss of privacy is nominal, and there are no fire rating issues to consider.  On the whole, this could be considered an inexpensive solution to an embarrassing problem, but definitely not one to recommend to clients.

I hope this photo gives you a smile on your Friday.

CONSTRUCT 2012

If you are planning to attend this year's CSI Convention CONSTRUCT 2012 in Phoenix AZ, come to hear my presentation on "Division 01 General Requirements:  The Hub of the Wheel".

CSI has a training diagram for years, referred to in vernacular as the "Wheel", describing Division 01 relationships to the other Construction Documents.

I will show the relationships between the different types of content in the Construction Documents and how Division 01 can edited to promote and clarify those relationships.  We will also discuss customization of Division 01 for specific project needs.

Join us Friday morning to talk about specifications and interesting pictures of wheels.

The example above is a detail from a painting by Edward Poynter, selected for it's classic rendition of a wagon wheel.  I'll have many more.