How useful are an owner’s design standards if the project team can’t easily understand, maintain, or apply them?
In this episode of What a Week, Tina Montone joins Dave Stutzman, Steve Gantner, and Elias Saltz to recap a new hands-on workshop developed for the Construction Owners Association of America (COAA). Piloted with the Michigan Chapter, the workshop helps owners take a critical look at their design standards, guide specifications, and technical specifications, whether they have a well-developed program, outdated documents, or are starting from scratch.
Rather than simply presenting best practices, the workshop gets into each owner’s actual documentation. Steve and Elias share some of the “light bulb moments” that emerged as they worked directly with attendees, from putting requirements in the right place and eliminating unnecessary repetition to understanding the different roles of design standards, guide specifications, and project specifications.
The discussion also explores System and Performance Descriptions (SPDs) as another way owners can capture design intent in clear, system-based language and potentially carry that information throughout the building lifecycle. Ultimately, the goal is not simply better documents. It is creating owner requirements that are easier to maintain, easier for project teams to use, and more effective at carrying the owner’s intent into the finished facility.
Industry Insight
Owner standards vary widely. Some organizations have sophisticated, regularly maintained guide specifications, while others are working with outdated documents or have little formal documentation at all. The right approach needs to start with understanding where the owner is today.
Practice Takeaway
Design standards, guide specifications, and technical specifications serve different purposes. Clearly defining what belongs in each helps owners communicate requirements without creating unnecessary conflicts or duplication in the contract documents.
Process Lesson
Put information where users will actually look for it. Requirements buried in the wrong section can easily be missed, while repeated information creates additional maintenance and coordination problems. Say it once, and say it in the right place.
Owner Opportunity
SPDs organized around building systems can provide owners with a clearer way to capture design intent without prescribing every design solution. They can also become lifecycle documents that provide value to facilities and operations teams after construction.
Collaboration Lesson
Developing owner standards should not happen in a vacuum. Bringing facilities and maintenance teams into the conversation can help ensure requirements reflect not only how a facility should be designed, but how it will actually be operated and maintained.
How do your design standards look? Are you confident in your documentation?