The Fine Print... Copyright, Trademark, Fair Use and Free Distribution

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The internet makes widespread publication easy and fast, it also makes potential copyright and trademark infringement easy and fast.  Since it is so simple to run afoul of the rules, I will take a moment to post these slides which explain the Credits and Attribution of the various trademarked names and terms forthcoming in these posts.

I am posting these up front since the notes are intended to apply to all the subsequent pages as well as the foregoing, so if you come late to the stream, please work your way back down to the start to be sure you see everything.

Commercial trademarks and copyrighted works reproduced here (AIA, CSI, etc.) are the property of their respective owners.

Use of these excerpts for educational purposes are believed by the author to be “Fair Use” per 17 U.S.C. § 107

It is my belief that all other illustrations that will be used in this series of posts will be in the public domain, or otherwise conform to the rules for fair use for educational purposes as noted above.

Certain other images cannot be attributed as the authors are unknown. Improperly attributed images will be removed on request submitted with proof of ownership.

Since I do want to encourage readers to share the information and the pictures with colleagues and interested parties, please feel free to link to the blog or re-tweet the posts, keeping the following in mind.  Basically, I would like to have credit for preparation, and it would not be cool for you to sell this material, since I am giving it away, so...

The rest of the content (including the text in the posts) is prepared and copyrighted as created by the author, John Guill, (specmonkey@gmail.com) and some rights are reserved as follows.

In accordance with the following license, you are free to copy and distribute this work for free, for noncommercial purposes, but not to change it. All copies must include this statement, the name of the author, John Guill, and attribution.

Some other restrictions also apply.

This original work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

For more information about Creative Commons, please visit http://creativecommons.org.

Thanks for your patience with the legal requirements of the modern age.  Following this word from our sponsor, our regular programming will continue.

Best Regards.  JG

Next Post:  The Architect's Dream

First Principles: Three Aspects of Architecture

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Click here to download:
14_EBO_Construct_Specs_Spring_10_Full_Page.pdf (15.61 MB)
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First Principles:  Three Aspects of Architecture

 The practice of Architecture as an art requires cognitive tools to categorize and classify the myriad bits of information about the design, the code compliance, the products and materials of a facility to produce a coherent whole.  Here is a brief overview of some ancient and modern classification tools and how they can be used to orchestrate the necessary content.

 Marcus Vitruvius Pollio is the first architect of ancient times whose writings have been preserved intact.  Fortunately for us, he was a prolific writer on his topic and we owe him for a great deal of our present knowledge about design and construction technology of Augustan-era Rome.

 The attached engraving, titled “Portrait of Vitruvius” appeared in Architetto Prattico by Giovanni Biagio Amico, in 1726.  We no have idea if this is a good likeness of our Roman benefactor, of course, since no images of him from his time are preserved, but for purposes of reference today, it will have to serve.

 Vitruvius Pollio was a practical man like many Romans, and his work is filled with details of brickwork,  mix designs for mortar, and the proper method of providing fall in aqueducts, all matters of concern for architectural practice then.  But he considered the theoretical aspects of design as well.  One of the significant portions in his treatise discusses aspects of Architecture, as distinguished from mere “building”, where he claims each building must possess three characteristics, to be worthy of the name Architecture:

 Firmitas: Strength, Adequacy; Includes Structural strength to bear imposed loads; weatherproof, watertight, safe and secure; also code compliance measures of all kinds, including fire, life safety, accessibility, environmental resource protection provisions and code-mandated sustainability aspects. For purposes of discussion, also includes the roles and responsibilities of the parties, risk allocation and similar topics.

Commoditas (or Utilitas):  Commodity, Utility; the aspects of function and use, the ability to fulfill the required Program. All the attributes required for the facility's function as required by the Owner or inherent in their purpose, including Owner-requested quality requirements exceeding the codes (such as sustainability, or  high performance functional attributes or process systems).

Venustas: Beauty, Delight. The Design. The artistic or “designed” aspect of the facility as conceived by the Owner or Architect to please the occupants and arouse the higher emotions of appreciation and the sublime in viewers and occupants.  Architecture as an art.

The Specifier's challenge is to assemble all the critical information about the Facility Design described in this rubric and orchestrate it into a coherent whole, which can be used and understood by all the Parties to the construction to complete the Facility in accordance with the Contract Documents.  Future posts will describe tools designed for this purpose, published by the Construction Specifications Institute, www.csinet.org.

Next Post:  The Architect's Dream.

Clear Communications: The Holy Grail

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The Holy Grail, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, ca 1870  public domain

In ancient stories, the Holy Grail was a mystical object, either the Cup used by Christ at the Last Supper or a sacred vessel believed by the Druids to possess the power of everlasting riches and sustenance.  Brave knights followed life-long quests in search of it, poets wrote of it's beauty and power.  Eventually, it's finding and possession has become a legend itself, synonymous with sacrifice and unattainability.  The power of the Grail was variously believed to confer immortality, earthly power, and wealth beyond dream of human avarice.

We cannot promise that Clear Communications will surely visit any of these benefits on you or your projects, but the goal of Common Understanding can sometimes seem to be as ethereal and unattainable as the ghostly Grail cup.  It is certain that when the Parties understand one another and the intent of the Contract Documents, disputes and disagreements are minimized in comparison to the Babel that can exist in a world of ambiguity, contradiction, duplication and omission.

Use of CSI principles and formats will help the Parties say what needs to be said: Clearly, Concisely, Completely, Correctly; Once and In The Right Place.  Perhaps, the white dove of peace will visit you bearing gifts, as she has for the young lady in today's painting by Dante Rossetti.  She is entwined with the green ivy symbolizing immortality.

Next Post:  The Principles of Architecture.

Clear Communications Creates Common Understanding

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The Tower of Babel, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, 1563.  Public Domain

Modern construction is increasingly complex.  New codes and standards, specialized materials and equipment, new occupancy types and greater concern for sustainability add to the difficulties of construction communication.

A Facility's design intent is described in the Construction Documents. In order for the many members of the construction team to clearly understand that intent, those documents must communicate the design intent clearly.

Construction requires the continuous movement of Materials, Labor, Information and Money.  If any of these are interrupted due to lack of clarity, the process may stop, or a result other than that intended may occur. The common understanding of all parties is necessary to achieve the intended goal.

Clear Communication creates a Common Understanding that can help avoid disputes and enable construction to move forward with a minimum of obstructions.

Documents and formats produced by the Construction Specifications provide a framework in which to place this critical design information so that it can be accessed by all members of the team, without conflict or ambiguity, as well as methods and practices for the transmission of Information and Money while maintaining the risk and reward relationships of the Parties to the Contract.

The project in today's painting went awry and was eventually abandoned due to the inability of the construction team members to communicate with one another.  If CSI formats had been available to ancient Babylonians, the outcome might have been different.

Future posts will describe these formats and their use in greater detail.

Construction Communication: Construction is a Team Activity

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Ulysses and the Sirens

John William Waterhouse, 1891, public domain

Design is often portrayed as a solo effort, happening in an Architect's lonely garret studio, but...

...Construction is a Team Activity.  The efforts of hundreds, often thousands, of project participants must be coordinated over time and space to enable the assembly and erection of a Facility.

Clear Communications are required between the Architect, the Contractor, the Materials Suppliers and the Owner to ensure this coordinated effort.

Like the oarsmen in today's painting, each party has to pull it's oar in time and on beat in order to prevent confusion and possible disaster, while the captain keeps his eye on the course, or in this case, the predatory sirens clamoring for attention.

One of the most important functions of Construction Specifications is to communicate the design intent and quality requirements to the parties involved in construction.  Future posts will describe the use of CSI documents and procedures to improve Construction Communication.

The Role of the Specifier and Art as a Metaphor

 

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Many of the upcoming posts will feature fine art paintings from past eras as illustrations of Construction Specifications topics. 

Today's painting by Domenico Ghirlandaio is a portrait of St.Jerome.  Jerome is known as the translator of the Holy Scriptures into the Latin tongue from the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic texts.  He spent his early years in a cave as a hermit performing the translation alone in the desert, inspired by the Holy Spirit.  He is usually portrayed at his writing desk in the garb of a Cardinal in the Church, although in his time, that office did not yet exist.

I envision him as a sort of patron of the Specifiers, our tasks are somewhat similar.  Jerome sat at his desk in a cave translating the ideas of the Creator, while a specifier performs a much humbler task, seated in a cubicle, translating the ideas of the Architect.

Who are we? Why are we here?

Who are we and why are we here?  Our duties and responsibilities in Design and Construction depend on our roles.  Our relation to Construction Documents will vary according to our place in the process.  Are you on the Design Team?, The Contractor's Team? The Owner's Team? The Supplier's Team?  Take a moment and reflect on your role, like the young ladies in today's painting.

The Mirror of Venus
Edward Burne-Jones
1875, Public Domain

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First Posterous - Welcome and Thank You

Good Morning.  I plan to use this site to support graphics and images for my Twitter posts. 

I am going to open with a series of tweets on Construction Specifications and illustrate them with images used in my successful seminar series.  My goal is to do two-three posts per week on this initial material.

Please check back occasionally as other bits may make their into the stream and those may be worthwhile also.

Best Regards

John Guill AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA, SCIP