Week 8
Specifications
Specifications are written descriptions of materials, methods of construction or production, quality standards for materials and installation, and other details not easily made clear in drawings.
Specifications are combined with drawings to form a complete set of contract documents used for bidding and construction. Plans and specs are sent to bidders, and should insure that all estimates are based on the same expectations.
Residential specifications are relatively informal and have no set format. They can be included in the drawing set as notes, or can be compiled in a book format. Commercial specs should conform to the CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) MasterFormat.
- CSI Website - www.csinet.org
- CSI 2004 Numbers and Titles
- MasterFormat 2004 in 10 Easy Lessons (handout)
- CSI Audiocast - The Many Uses of MasterFormat
- CSI AudioCast - What's My Number?
CSI authored MasterFormat, which is an indexing system for organizing construction data, particularly construction specifications. For many years MasterFormat consisted of 16 Divisions of construction, such as Masonry, Electrical, Finishes, or Mechanical. In November 2004, MasterFormat was expanded to 50 Divisions, reflecting the growing complexity of the construction industry, as well as the need to incorporate facility life cycle and maintenance information into the building knowledge base. In this way, MasterFormat will eventually help facilitate Building Information Modeling (BIM) to contain project specifications. However, current technology is unable to handle specifications to the degree drawing information is able to be referenced, displayed, quantified and other benefits of BIM. For example integrated systems, industry standards and methods that may not be shown in the drawings (because they are typically explained in the specifications) do not fit neatly within current BIM libraries.
The MasterFormat standard serves as the organizational structure for construction industry publications such as the Sweets catalog with a wide range of building products, and MasterSpec, a popular specification software. MasterFormat helps architects, engineers, owners, contractors, and manufacturers classify how various products are typically used. Nearly all CSI approved sections also include performance and safety requirements generated by agencies such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA), and numerous other federal and professional organizations.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Construction_Specifications_Institute
Standard MasterFormat specifications are available for many materials, products, and construction techniques. Most standard specs are a good starting point, and can be modified to fit a particular project.
- Reed Construction Data Smart Building Index
- Arcat - Building Materials and Manufacturers' Specifications
Cool new technology - link your specs to your drawings - E-Specs
Exercise in class -
We will go to the computer lab, H139, and use the websites above to write practice specs. We'll also try out the SpecSources Student furniture specification software at the Specsources website. (not to be confused with the Specsource website, which has some great free continuing education programs for the design and building industry.)
We will also rewrite the previous recycling assignment in the correct format, as a "how-to" article, since nobody did it the first time.
Assignment:
Complete a spec book for your bathroom remodel project.