6 min read
AI(A) Interview - part 2 - Specifications and Risk
Continuing our interview with AI(A) via ChatGPT, this second blog is about the relationship of specifications and risk...
Focused on owner’s requirements, Conspectus offers an accurate, transparent view of how decisions made during the design process will ultimately impact project cost, construction quality, and building operations.
Focused on architect's requirements, Conspectus offers an accurate, transparent view of how decisions made during the design process will ultimately impact project cost, construction quality, and building operations.
Focused on design-builder's requirements, Conspectus offers an accurate, transparent view of how decisions made during the design process will ultimately impact project cost, construction quality, and building operations.
Focused on construction manager's requirements, Conspectus offers an accurate, transparent view of how decisions made during the design process will ultimately impact project cost, construction quality, and building operations.
Traditional approaches to construction specifications focus on a relatively narrow deliverable: a set of documents to help define contractual obligations and guide builders in their work. The Conspectus approach, by contrast, creates and documents a seamless flow of information that extends from the concept phase — well before design begins — through design and construction to owner occupancy and operations.
Uniformat describes a project in terms of the systems and assemblies that perform critical functions — substructure, shell, interiors, and services for example — enabling exploration and assessment of the cost and functionality of design options early in a project.
MasterFormat organizes data about construction requirements, products, and activities by “work results” and enables communication among designers, specifiers, contractors, and suppliers as they work to meet owner’s requirements, timelines, and budgets.
The design narrative tells the story of how a particular design will meet the owner’s requirements. It describes a building’s purpose and functionality, often offering insight about finishes, materials, and systems that will be required.
An outline specification is an itemized list, using brief, concise statements, of significant materials, systems, and equipment and their criteria and levels of quality.
(Source: AIA and CSI)
A part of the contract documents, construction specifications consist of “the written requirements for materials, equipment, systems, standards, and workmanship for the work and performance of related services.”
(Source: AIA)
The disjointed traditional process approach is riddled with risk-prone information gaps. The Conspectus approach, a seamless continuum of documentation, closes these gaps. The following are the gaps with greatest risk.
(Source: AIA)
Without a continuously updated record of the who, what, and why of design decisions, the design documentation becomes obsolete and disjointed. As a result, the team often duplicates effort and revisits decisions already made.
(Source: AIA)
Serious information gaps result when outline specs differ from the design narrative and construction specs can differ from outline specs with no record of the rationale for the differences. This can result in scope and cost creep, value engineering, and continuous cost escalation.
An owner’s ability to manage and maintain a completed building efficiently can be seriously compromised when errors or disconnects in documentation, which can occur at any project phase, result in incomplete or inaccurate design data, performance data, construction records, and operating information.
Making this dynamic information resource accessible to all stakeholders — owners, architects, design-builders, and construction managers — gives them a clear, consistent, and continuously updated understanding of the impact of design decisions and enables them to contribute to the decision-making process.
This transparent, collaborative approach results in more fully informed decisions during design and construction and provides critical guidance to owners for operating and maintaining their assets.
Our rethinking and refocusing of the specifications process makes good business sense for all stakeholders. As projects evolve, the Conspectus approach captures and preserves increasingly complex information, provides data for incremental cost analysis of proposed design and construction options, and documents all decisions as they are made.
The Conspectus approach creates an information flow that supports optimized design choices, translates design solutions into reliable construction documents, and provides the data and insight necessary for owners to optimize the operations and maintenance of their facilities.
The Conspectus approach gathers comprehensive data from the earliest phases of a project ensuring that no data is lost and that all relevant information and decisions are documented. This helps to reduce both the number and frequency of change orders and to avoid disruptions caused by value engineering efforts to cut costs, regardless of scope or quality implications. It also provides complete documentation for dispute resolution.
Because financial risk is always top of mind, Conspectus carefully defines the required systems and assemblies in sufficient detail to enable early cost analysis of the viable options. This promotes fully informed design decision making taking into account the three most critical dimensions: performance, cost, and quality.
Owners and architects can start making data-driven decisions earlier in the project and at a higher level, which helps keep the design solution aligned with owner requirements. With access and input to centralized, accurate information at every stage of the project, all team members can understand the “what and why” of design solutions and align their efforts with the desired outcome.
The Conspectus approach keeps the extended project team on the same page by providing access to a common, complete, and current data set. This enables team members to make fact-based decisions rather than rely on assumptions and best guesses. It also provides a mechanism for all parties to contribute relevant knowledge, expertise, and experience at the most appropriate time in the project continuum.
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