One great way to make sure project specifications and master guide specifications are technically correct is to review them with manufacturers' (or independent) representatives for the specified products. As knowledgeable as most specifiers are about..
Interfacing with Product Representatives on Specifications and Master Guides
by Elias Saltz | Jun 9, 2020 | building products, Manufacturer, Master Specifications, Product Rep, Specifications
Changing How We Work During the Pandemic
by Elias Saltz | Apr 13, 2020 | Consultant, Contractor, Owner, Professional Practice, Architect, design decisions
Over the years there has been a lot of talk and writing, including by me, about fixing the things wrong with the construction industry. Budget and schedule busts, bad workmanship, and designs that don’t respond to owner requirements are some common..
Learning From Owners
by Elias Saltz | Mar 5, 2020 |
The Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) is an industry association made up of the largest commercial owners and big construction companies. Owner members include BASF, ExxonMobile, General Motors, Google, Honda, Procter & Gamble, and the US General..
Simplifying Specifications
by Elias Saltz | Oct 21, 2019 | CSI, Drawings, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), Professional Practice, Architecture, Specifications, UniFormat
Specifiers often struggle to come up with ways to make specifying simpler, to eliminate unwanted language, and to make specifications more correct. At this year's CONSTRUCT AEC Education and Expo, Beth Stroshane posited that the way we write..
Magical Thinking in Specifications - Part 2
by Elias Saltz | May 20, 2019 | Bad Specs, Drawings, Professional Practice, Architecture, Specifications
In my recent post, When Specifiers Engage in Magical Thinking, I described what happens when aspecifier believes that putting more instructions into a specification willmake for a better outcome. Never mindwhether or not those instructions were..
When a Specifier Engages in Magical Thinking
by Elias Saltz | May 13, 2019 | Bad Specs, Delegated Design, Professional Practice, Specifications
One of the hallmarks of magical thinking is the notion that if you think a thing, you can make it happen, simply by thinking it. This is often reinforced by our tendency to see connections between events and our propensity to interpret those..
Interpreting "Health, Safety, and Welfare"
by Elias Saltz | Jan 15, 2019 | code, Code Requirements, Fiduciary Duty, licensing, Professional Practice, Architect
The primary requirement written into architectural practice acts for most U.S. states is that architects are licensed only for the purpose of protecting the public health, safety, and welfare (HSW). In Illinois where I am a licensed architect, these..
Fiduciary Duty for Design Professionals - an Introduction
by Elias Saltz | Oct 15, 2018 | Fiduciary Duty, Professional Practice, Architect, Specifications
In his blog post last week, David Stutzman presented several examples illustrating ways in which architects fail in their fiduciary duty to owners, typically through covert advocacy and through not obtaining the owner's informed consent for material..
Eliminate Asymmetric Project Information
by Elias Saltz | Sep 17, 2018 | contract documents, PPD, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), Professional Practice, Specifications, UniFormat
Successful construction projects rely on complete, accurate, timely, and understandable communication; maximizing all of these reduces the likelihood for disputes to arise. Unfortunately, many project teams fall short of proper communication, and that's..
Better Specifications Language
by Elias Saltz | Sep 4, 2018 | contract documents, MasterSpec, Specifications
Specifications must be written following the "Four C's" of effective communication: Clear, Concise, Correct and Complete. Getting each "C" done right presents its own challenges. To be correct, a spec must avoid errors and properly describe the scope..