SpecWords

Consultant specifications delivered to architects for inclusion in project manuals can produce some interesting coordination issues, especially when there is no time to make corrections before the scheduled publication.

Food Service Equipment Spec
The following (edited for brevity) was received from a food service consultant. I am not sure why order of precedence is considered a performance requirement.

1.04    Performance Requirements

A. Where architectural and engineering drawing and specifications differ from food service drawings and specifications, the food service documents govern.

B. Where food service drawings differ from food service specifications, the specifications govern.

C. Where food service equipment specifications differ from food service specifications, the equipment specifications govern.

D. Where food service detail drawings differ from other drawings and specifications, the detail drawings govern.

Were the documents really created giving the highest priority greatest scrutiny to those that are highest in the order of precedence? Probably not.

So What's the Problem?
That is just it. There is no problem!

The documents, through order of precedence, resolve all the problems, automatically. No intervention by the architect, engineers, food service consultant or owner is required. The order of precedence resolves the conflict without need of clarification by the design team. Potentially dangerous? You bet!

What if the detail drawings are wrong? Too bad! The contractor's price and contract relies on the detail drawings as the governing documents. If the design team finds the detail drawings are wrong after the contract is signed, the owner will pay for the change. If the condition is discovered late in construction, the owner may pay dearly, with a delayed opening and lost revenue.

A Better Course
When (Not IF but WHEN) discrepancies in the documents are discovered, the best course is always to require the contractor to ask the architect to interpret the documents' intent. Hopefully the contractor will ask questions sooner (during bidding) rather than later (while constructing the affected work). Requests for Interpretations (RFIs) give the contractor an opportunity to suggest a solution.

Then the architect has an opportunity to evaluate the discrepancy and make a decision about what was intended. He can choose the contractor's solution or issue one of his own.

Even if the solution results in a change, at least the result will be best for the project - not an arbitrary resolution based on the prescribed relative importance of the project documents.

Plan and Share
Draft your specifications early enough to circulate among the project team members for proper coordination. Minimal effort before documents are issued for bidding can save significant effort during construction administration.

Do we, as specifiers and architects, have an obligation to ensure public safety? I think we do.

The following is an edited version of a letter I wrote to a building owner. The building owner acknowledged receiving the letter, so I am protecting their identity while they address the issue.

When trying to leave one of your buildings, I found a locked exit door that is in violation of the building code and a hazard to the building occupants. Being an architect myself, I could not let this issue go without notifying someone at a significant level of authority. So I am writing to you in hopes that you will deliver this message to someone responsible for your facilities to make the necessary corrections for the building to be code compliant and safe for your students, faculty, and visitors.

                   
Photo #1                                           Photo #2                                            Photo #3

Click photos for larger image so the signs are legible.

The door is marked as an emergency exit by the lighted EXIT sign above the door. Both door leaves are fitted with panic devices, indicating the doors are intended for emergency exiting. However the doors are locked by magnetic locks at the top of each door leaf at the center of the opening. All these conditions can be seen in Photo #1.

The magnetic locks are released by swiping a photo ID in the keypad next to the door, shown in Photo #2. I imagine the locks are also released when the fire alarm or the sprinkler system is activated as required by code, but there was no visible way to tell.

Photo #3 shows a sign that one leaf of the emergency exit door is an entry door only, although it is clearly marked as an exit door.

Because of the ID Card/Keypad and magnetic locks, the door is considered an access-controlled egress door. Therefore, the door must comply with Section 1008.1.3.4 of the ICC Building Code. The code requires a sensor on the egress side to detect an occupant approaching the door and to unlock as a result. The allowable sensors include a motion detector or presence detector. The code also requires a clearly identified emergency PUSH TO EXIT switch within five feet of the door to manually release the magnetic locks in case the sensor fails. Neither a sensor nor an emergency switch exists to release the magnetic locks. In an emergency, a visitor without a photo ID and any panicked student or faculty unable to find and swipe an ID will not be able to exit the building.

This same condition may be repeated for other access-controlled emergency egress doors on campus. I did not attempt to find other code violations. I do suggest that whomever addresses this particular door should survey the other access-controlled doors on campus to determine what other corrective actions are required, if any.

Because the current condition of this door is a significant safety hazard, I expect you to acknowledge receiving this message. I also expect you to tell me what steps will be taken to correct the condition to make the building safe to occupy and when the corrections will be completed.

Thank you for your help to make your buildings safe for students, faculty, and the public. I await your response.

No would be architect enters college hoping to someday be a spec writer.  No intern studies to take their architectural registration exam yearning of the day they will be able to write specifications on their own. No newly registered architect longs for a client who will let he or she write the set of specs they have dreamed of doing.

Architects are designers not writers.  Doing sketches on napkins comes naturally.  However, getting an architect to write specs is like trying to get a cat to take a bath and like it.  It is just not in their nature.

Despite this innate aversion to writing specifications, there are a few architects who have overcome their revulsion and will reluctantly write specs.  There are even a small number who have mastered spec writing and LIKE it!  (It is definitely an acquired taste.)

So, if there are already some architects who write specs and even some who enjoy it, why should other architects consider getting involved with the Construction Specifications Institute's (CSI) Certification Program?

For one thing, CSI's Certification program is not just about specification writing.  It is about the entire Contract Document and Construction process.

Even so, why bother with all that technical legal and procedural stuff when there are others who can deal with it?

There are lots of noble and altruistic reasons for getting a CDT (Construction Document Technologist) followed by a CCS (Certified Construction Specifier) or a CCCA (Certified Construction Contract Administrator) Certificate - to further your professional education, to learn to conduct your business in a more professional manner, and to provide a better service to your clients are some examples -, but what about the purely selfish motives?

How does obtaining POWER and CONTROL sound as good, egocentric rationales?

Whether you draft, write specs, administer contracts, manage an office or Design (with a capital D); the knowledge gained by studying for the CDT, CCS, or CCCA gives you more CONTROL over the quality of your project's construction and the POWER to ensure your Design is fully realized.

It will also give you more POWER and CONTROL over your career.  A CDT, CCS, or CCCA after your name provides a definite advantage in a tight market place whether it is landing a project or finding a new employer.  These initials will get you noticed.  No one ever asks me about the AIA behind my name; occasionally, I am asked about the CSI and LEED; but I am always asked about the CCS.  (SCIP gets some questions too, but that I will save for another blog entry.)

Oh, and if you think you already have all the POWER and CONTROL you need because you have been in the architectural profession for 20 years or more and already know it all, guess again.  Doing it wrong for 20 years or more doesn't make it right.  Furthermore, times change.  You will be amazed at the misconceptions you have been working under.  Your experience may actually be a handicap.  Younger certification candidates have a much higher passing percentage than older candidates with lots of experience.

If you are interested in gaining more POWER and CONTROL over your projects and career and would like to learn more about the CSI Certification program, contact your local CSI Chapter's Education or Certification Chair or go to the CSI Certification web page.

Information about your local CSI Chapter and committee chairs can be found at http://www.csinet.org/Main-Menu-Category/Communities-2109-14280/Chapter-Locator.aspx

CSI Certification web page:  http://www.csinet.org/certification

Randal J. Reifsnider, AIA, CSI, CCS, LEED AP, SCIP

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"All work shall be of the highest quality, in accordance with the best trade practices, and performed by skilled workmen. All work shall be accomplished to the satisfaction of the Architect and Owner."

This is text that was suggested by a prominent building envelope consulting firm to be inserted into a curtain wall specification. As I read it, I could only think CSI's Construction Document Technologist (CDT) certification program and the basics it teaches.

Fraught with Questions
If the work must be completed to the highest quality and best practices, then how can the results be measured? The required results have never been achieved before, not if they are indeed the best. So there is no basis for comparison. If this statement is included in every contract and actually enforced, we would soon be resorting to checking for nicks on screw threads to distinguish a difference to make the current project the best.

What happens when the Architect and Owner disagree about what is satisfactory? The contractor is obligated to satisfy both. If the work is satisfactory to the Architect and the Owner, does that relieve the obligation to be the best? Why would the contractor do more to be best if the work is deemed satisfactory?

CDT Specifying Fundamentals
Construction documents must be enforceable. Requirements must be measurable. Superlatives are not measurable; they are relative. Facts are measurable. Specify a test method and an acceptable (not necessarily the best) result. Whatever the result, it must be appropriate for the project and a measurable fact - a dimensional tolerance, a load resistance, a thermal performance.

Construction documents must be biddable. Requirements must be clearly defined. Contractors can only imagine what will satisfy the Architect and Owner. And each contractor will have a different opinion, depending on how badly they want the work. Expectations must be specified. Specify a test method and an acceptable result. Seems there is a pattern here.

Avoid Generalities
The suggested text is an expedient, but useless, way to specify apparent excellence. Superlatives are a temptation, a way to fool the uninitiated into believing the results will be superlative just because the specifications are full of them.

Avoid unmeasurable superlatives. Highest and best performance is unattainable, or will be after only a few projects with the same performance standard.

Think twice about insisting that the mason lay the concrete block with both partition faces perfectly flush and in plane. It just can't be done.

We receive the following suggestion from a building envelope consultant to include in a specification for sealant adhesion testing provided by the contractor.

A. Perform test every 100 feet for the first 1000 feet of joint length for each kind of sealant and joint substrate.

B. If no failures have been found during (A), test every 1000 feet of joint length thereafter or 1 test per each floor per elevation.

C. Additional testing and replacement of non-conforming sealant shall be performed at no cost to the Owner.

My Questions
What is the consequence of failing the first test specified in (A)? No other testing is required because testing specified in (B) is required only when no failures are found by (A).

Does the contractor have a choice between the two testing frequencies in (B)? As written, he does. The spec specifies Frequency 1 "OR" Frequency 2, giving the contractor the option to select the method to use.

Is the contractor obligated to repair the sealant joints damaged by the adhesion testing? The sealant is cut and pulled from the joint during the test. If not repaired the joint will leak.

What is the additional testing in (C) that the owner need not pay for? Is this retesting of areas that are repaired after initial tests fail? Is this testing at more frequent intervals than specified? Who determines the extent of additional testing and when it may be required?

I am sure the owner-contractor agreement does not permit the contractor to deliver defective work as the final product. So is there really a need to say in (C) that the owner does not pay for replacement of non-conforming work?

Should the Contractor Ask?
There are no apparent conflicts in the proposed testing requirements. So there is no need for the contractor to ask for clarification by addendum or RFI.

The best plan for the contractor may be to ensure he installs 900 of the first 1,000 feet of sealant correctly and passes 9 of the 10 initial adhesion tests. The contractor must replace the defective sealant in the area of the failed test. Then the installation can proceed without any additional sealant testing.

Can You Say Change Order?
I am certain the intent is not to stop testing when one of the initial tests fails. But that is not what the spec would say if the consultant's proposed text is included. When the architect or consultant demand the testing be continued, the contractor would be right to request a change order.

There is no requirement that the contractor repair the joints after testing. Will the owner be facing a charge to make these repairs?

Clear, Complete, Concise, Correct
The choice of words is so important to convey true intent. It is easy to analyze what is said, and more difficult to imagine what is not. However, the missing words may well be the key to a complete understanding.

Construct specifications carefully. Say what you mean. Keep it concise so ensure the meaning is clear. Imagine what others may find in what is not said. Above all, be certain the scope is complete.

Proposed Rewrite
How might the text be rewritten to achieve the intended results? Here is my suggestion to the architect. The test method was specified separately.

A. Adhesion Testing: For each type sealant and each joint substrate perform tests at following frequencies:

1. Initial Testing: One test for every 100 feet until 10 successive acceptable tests are completed.

2. Subsequent Testing: One test for every 1000 feet with minimum one test for each floor of each building elevation.

B. Replace and retest defective sealant joints. Perform one adhesion test for each contiguous length of replaced sealant joint, minimum one test for every 50 feet of replacement.

C. Repair sealant joints damaged by testing.

We may have solved the mystery why Outlook email signature images are replaced by a Red X. Thanks to a valuable input from Joe Minarik, our unofficial IT guru.

I have been battling this problem for a while. I temporarily solved the problem by recreating my email signature multiple times. But the solution was temporary and required time, always at the wrong time.

Finding Help
I searched for help on the subject. Perhaps I used the wrong search string or just did not dig deep enough in the Google results. It is hard to force yourself to go past the first results page. This is where Joe came to the rescue. He did find something about this mystery earlier. He thinks it was on the 57th search page. (He was persistent.) I would have given up much sooner than that.

Apparently Outlook saves multiple versions of the email images in the temporary internet files folder. Each time the file is saved, the name is indexed such as image001 (1), then image001 (2).  When it reaches some magic number, believed to be 99, it can no longer index the files. Then it simply replaces the image with the infamous Red X.

What's the Fix?
It involves some daring. You must open and navigate the machine registry to find the folder containing all the temporary internet files.

1. Open the registry by going to Start button, select Run, enter "regedit" then click OK

2. Navigate the Registry tree in the left pane to locate the following. Substitute your latest version of Office for the "11.0" shown in the path below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security

3. Find the folder path shown in OutlookSecureTempFolder registry key (See below). This folder will have a unique name and location for each machine.

4. Right-click the registry key name and select Modify. Copy the folder path and click Cancel.
5. Right-click the Start button and select Explore.  Paste the folder path into the address bar and hit Enter. The window will open the Temporary Internet Files folder.
6. Delete the entire contents of the Temporary Internet Files folder.
7. Create a shortcut to the folder location and put it where you can find it. Then you can skip navigating the registry when emptying the folder in the future.

Read more at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/817878.  Retaining temporary files in the SecureTempFolder is a known problem. There is no automatic deletion option that I have found. Manual deletion is easy, but takes some effort to remember.

The Result
My temporary folder had nearly 4,000 files taking up nearly 650 MB of disc space. There were many image files indexed into the 90s. After emptying the folder, Outlook is keeping the email images intact, at least for the moment.

I'll keep my fingers crossed and planning to empty the temporary folder regularly.

What was my first project after graduating college with an architectural degree? A prominent design? No, measuring and documenting 65 existing buildings at Letterkenny Army Depot; calculating energy savings; estimating construction costs; and finally writing the project specifications using the Corps of Engineers master specs.

Did school prepare me for this assignment? YES and NO. I could certainly measure and document the existing buildings. Thanks to 4 years of MEP engineering in school, I could do the calculations. Estimating was a joint effort with the project manager, so I got by.

The Specs, Oh the Specs!
I heard specs mentioned once in school. It was in one class of the professional practice course - the 30 hour course to teach students everything they need to know about running an architecture business, including writing specs. Still I had never seen a spec and had no clue what it was.

Career Lessons
Joe Shatto, the project manager, guided me while I wrote my first spec. Joe was a great help. He was a long term CSI member and the president of the Central Penn Chapter of CSI at the time. He taught me what would become the content of CSI's Certified Document Technologist (CDT) program. Invaluable lessons early in my career.

Today, it is easier for many to learn the CDT concepts. There is no need for one-on-one teaching as for me. CSI has a well established program. CSI chapters help students prepare for the exam with local classes. Even on-line help is available.

Important Dates
Early Registration (discounted) February 2, 2012
Final Registration March 2, 2012
Test Dates April 2 to April 28, 2012

Registration
www.csinet.org/Main-Menu-Category/Events_1/CSI-Exam--2012-Spring-National-Exam-4212--42812.aspx

Basic Information
CDT - Certified Document Technologist www.csinet.org/cdt
CCS - Certified Construction Specifier www.csinet.org/ccs
CCCA - Certified Construction Contract Administrator www.csinet.org/ccca
CCPR - Certified Construction Product Representative www.csinet.org/ccpr

Choose Your Battles; Win the War
I must admit that I completed my CCS certification before CDT was conceived. But I must tell you that the certification gave me credibility as an architect specifier in an engineering company. When I challenged the engineers' specifications, there was a sense of authority. I could cite the CSI Manual of Practice. The engineers could not. I could provide reasons for writing as I did. The engineers could not. Did I win every battle? Certainly not. But the war was mine with a studious determination to make the specifications better.

The Challenge
Now I pass the challenge to you, as I have to my staff, to earn your certification and to bring the same credibility and respect to your work in construction. Begin with the CDT, the basis for all other certifications.

Last business day before Christmas, I received two email messages about a project that will be issued for construction the first week of January. The architect's office always closes for Christmas week. So I called to find out if replies were needed, immediately. No, they could wait until the new year, I was told.

A Sore Point
The conversation revealed what was not in the email. An on-going confrontation was continuing between a purchasing agent and the architect. The agent was expecting written confirmation of fire code requirements that applied to the finishes and furnishings the agent was to provide.

By talking and listening (rather than emailing), I understood this issue was the source of much stress. An immediate solution would be best.

The Stress Source
The agent listed fire testing requirements that she believed to be commonly required for hotel guest rooms. However, the listed requirements were not entirely correct. Carpet was expected to be ASTM E84, Class A. This test is meant for wall finishes, not for floor finishes. Carpet cushion was expected to meet ASTM E648 and ASTM E662. Neither test is cited by the code. The code requires the cushion and carpet to be tested by NFPA 253. And the list goes on for several more similar items.

The Relief
I spent about an hour. I read the purchasing agent's comments; researched the California Building Code; and responded to the email. I provided details, including the applicable code citations, for each response. I recommended a solution for each condition. Some affected the construction specs. Some affected the interior design specs. Each solution was simple.

The Result
Near the end of my day, I received this reply from the architect.

"Quite impressive. It's a privilege to work with someone of such great knowledge. You make our business so much easier. I learn a lot from you.
I will pass this back to all parties.
Thank you again and have a great holiday weekend." - Rafael Velazquez, WATG

What a great way to end the day, the week, and begin the holiday season. I was glad I could help. And the recognition? It makes me want to help again, the right attitude to bring to the New Year.

The strength of mortar relative to the materials being installed is critical. Mortar must be strong enough and flexible enough to allow the structure to function as designed. Learn what mortar types are available and what cements may be used in mortar mixes. Each has a particular purpose. Also learn about the two completely different methods of specifying mortar.

Visit http://www.conspectusinc.com/tech-tips.htm to view or download the latest A2010 Choosing Mortar Types 11.121.01 and all previous Tech Tips.

Share your comments, your opinions, about this month's Tech Tips, by posting a comment, here.