When starting a new design project, what is actually known? Very little. The relevant design decisions must be made as the project progresses. So how can projects be effectively documented before all decisions are made? UniFormat™!

First published at Young Architects Forum Connection 16.01.

Construction specifications define work results. The results are divided among Divisions and Sections according to CSI's MasterFormat, the industry's organizational standard. Complying with MasterFormat allows specification readers to find information..

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? Well architects are generally visual creatures...

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 performance to meet project requirements. Typically..

Construction specifications are arranged by MasterFormat's 50 divisions and thousands of section numbers and titles - everyone knows that. There is a recent trend, at least with our architect clients, toward specifying complete systems and assigning..

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. This article gives specifiers an opportunity to list..

The construction industry in general and the architectural profession specifically, seem to enjoy the same challenge on every project. You would think the challenge is about the design - trying to optimize the response to the owner's program and the..

Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD) are a formal method of presenting construction project data in a consistent, organized fashion. PPDs are arranged by element name, functional requirements, and system components - using the same organization as..