When owners determine a capital project is needed, it is a business purpose driving the decision. Therefore, the purpose of designing and constructing a project is to satisfy the business need - expand capacity, introduce a new product, or a host of..
Can Capital Projects be a Profit Center?
by David Stutzman | Feb 23, 2021 | Contractor, Project Team, Specifications, Modularization, OS2
The Need for Speed!
by Louis Medcalf | Jul 14, 2020 | Architect, Specifications, conspectus cloud
What do you do when a repeat client calls you and says "I have the need, the need for speed!"? Meaning, he needs a specification in less than a week to meet its milestone commitment. Our valued client, SOSH architects, needed specifications for..
Interfacing with Product Representatives on Specifications and Master Guides
by Elias Saltz | Jun 9, 2020 | building products, Manufacturer, Master Specifications, Product Rep, Specifications
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..
Cartoon the spec - Just like the drawings
by David Stutzman | Apr 28, 2020 | Engineer, Architect, Specifications
Saving time is great. Improving firm profitability may mean a promotion. Is it worth a try?
Using Information to Plan Production of Drawing and Specifications
by Louis Medcalf, FCSI, CCS | Feb 21, 2020 | Drawings, Owner, Schedules, Specifications, design decisions
It is ironic that architects write Division 01 requirements for detailed construction activity schedules but when it comes to their design work, the schedules consist only of a list of dates for deliverables instead of activity planning. Construction..
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..
Want to Improve Project Delivery? Communicate!
by David Stutzman | Jun 3, 2019 | COAA, Communication, Conspectus approach, LCI, Professional Practice, Specifications, transparency, UniFormat
Recently, Conspectus participated in two conferences: Construction Owners Association of America (COAA) and Lean Construction Institute's Lean in Design Forum. Both groups are searching for a means to improve construction project delivery with some..
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..