Dale C. Moll Award Recipient Focused on Construction Documents’ Quality
August 2002 CSI NewsDigest
Robert Huserik, CDT, student member from the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design in Knoxville, was awarded the 2002 Dale C. Moll Student Activity Fund at The CSI Show™ in Las Vegas. Huserik is studying Architecture in the college’s five-year Bachelor program; he is expected to graduate in December 2003. He has been a student member of the Knoxville Chapter since May 1998.
The Dale C. Moll Student Activity Fund aims to promote awareness among college students of construction documents’ vital role in building design and construction and to encourage student involvement in CSI. The deadline for 2003 submissions to the Institute is Dec. 1.
Essay topics include:
Design as it relates to the development of construction documents;
How the quality of construction documents relates to the constructor or the construction process; and
The role of construction documents, as defined in the Manual of Practice, in improving the quality of the construction process.
Address submissions to: Chairman, Academic Affairs Task Team, c/o CSI, 99 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314-1588. For more information, contact Stacy Hampton at shampton@csinet.org. Huserik’s winning essay follows:
How Does the Quality of
Construction Documents
Relate to the Constructor or The Construction Process?
From design completion to the realization of an architect/engineer’s (A/E’s) vision, construction documents provide a communications link within the tripartite relationship (the owner, A/E, and contractor). Quality construction documents can reduce construction problems, give credibility to the A/E, and increase client satisfaction.
Architect Mies van der Rohe once said, “God is in the details.” He could not have been closer to the truth. As design professionals, architects and engineers have to clearly convey how a building is put together. To do this, construction documents must be complete. They must describe the structure graphically through drawings in plan, section, elevation, and in details showing dimensions and location of building parts. This describes the structure quantitatively. Further, the structure needs to be described qualitatively through written specifications. By coordinating with consultants and product representatives, an A/E can control the proper construction of a structure through collaborative knowledge and by designing to the specific issues of the project at hand. The A/E must also consider the format in which the information is presented. The contractor needs to understand the intent of the A/E. Easily readable, consistently-formatted documents aid in conveying the A/E’s design.
Since the 1960s the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) has set standards in the industry for presenting construction documents. MasterFormat™ has been the industry standard for writing specifications for years. Having this standard format makes it easier for a contractor to locate information. Without MasterFormat, a contractor working with many different A/E firms would have to learn how each separate firm compiles its specifications. For the same reasons CSI recently has developed standards for drawn construction documents through the implementation of the Uniform Drawing System™ and the collaborative effort of the National CAD Standard. Now contractors will be able to read drawings with the same consistency and clarity as they read specifications. This standard organizes the information within the construction documents and allows the contractors to better find the information thus minimizing requests for information and change orders, increasing productivity and streamlining the entire building process.
When a project can be completed on time and on budget, life is easier for the client. Of course client satisfaction is any good A/E’s goal. Quality construction documents save time, money, and a lot of indigestion for the client. A contractor is more likely to work better with an A/E that shows quality and credibility in his or her construction documents than one that produces documents that are unclear and do not provide sufficient information to construct the project. Such documents also help protect the client against paying for nonconforming construction. With a combination of well-written, standardized contracts and quality drawn and written documents, any problems that arise in a project can be easily handled using the guidelines set by the construction documents.
In conclusion, without quality construction documents there is wasted time, effort, and money; construction delays; not to mention frustrations, damaged relationships, and increased potential for claims. Taking the time to compile quality construction documents that are clear, correct, and complete and that concisely define the intent of the A/E makes the construction process more efficient and can forge a strong link between the A/E, owner, and contractor. If nothing else, quality construction documents establish the A/E as a knowledgeable professional participant in the building process.