SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
Specification in building construction,
is a document that provides a detailed
description of the classification, color,
quality of a material or work, its
installation procedure, the test as
required and sometimes, the desired
result of work involve.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
Attention to detailed technical specification
in the past was limited. This was presumably
because then materials were few and their
use and installation procedures were
simplier.
With
the
proliferation
of
construction materials, newer types and
methods of application and installation, the
need for more comprehensive specifications
has become imperative.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
A. Specifications Writing
Specifications are not new. It exists long ago.
They have been essential to construction since
people first learned to build and use tools. The
first specifications were composed before
people learned to write and were by necessity,
given orally. One of the oldest recorded is in the
bible. In the book of Genesis, Chapter 6, Verses
14 through 16, God said to Noah:
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood, put
various compartments in it, and cover it
inside and out with pitch. This is how you
shall build it: the length of the ark shall be
three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits,
and its height thirty cubits. Make an opening
for day light in the ark, and finish the ark a
cubit above it. Put an entrance in the side of
the ark, which you shall make with bottom,
second and third decks.”
-New American Bible
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood, put
various compartments in it, and cover it
inside and out with pitch. This is how you
shall build it: the length of the ark shall be
three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits,
and its height thirty cubits. Make an opening
for day light in the ark, and finish the ark a
cubit above it. Put an entrance in the side of
the ark, which you shall make with bottom,
second and third decks.”
-New American Bible
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
While the foregoing was probably clear to
Noah, like many current specifications, it is
not entirely clear to many readers. Today, with
new methods of construction, building
materials and technology, specifications have
become an important and essential part of the
complete architectural process.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
2.1 A specification is defined as “a written
document describing in detail the
scope of work, materials to be used,
method of installation, and quality of
workmanship for a parcel of work to be
placed under contract.”
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
2.2 Specifications provide such information
which are required for proper construction or material and equipment
procurement which cannot be placed
in the drawings:
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
a.
Applicable publications of various
technical societies such as ASTM, ANSI,
ACI etc.
b. Samples required for color selection such
as metal roofing, resilient flooring, ceramic
tile, etc. Any material required to clarify its
selection by the Architect to the client.
c. Sample panels of various construction
systems to be used as standard
quality.
of
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d. Complete list of all materials required. The
drawings only indicate concrete.The specification will indicate the type of cement, type
of aggregate, additions to the concrete,
properties of water, amounts of each
material, and required compressive strength.
e. Required Methods of Execution:
1. Surface condition
2. Equipment required
3. Type of weld
4. Manufacturers requirements (VAT)
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
f. Any required tests confirming that the
specifications and drawings have been
correctly followed.
g. Clean up.
h. The general requirements:
1. Instruction to bidders
2. The proposal form
3. The general conditions
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
4. Supplementary general conditions
5. Special conditions
6. Bonds
6.1 Bid Bonds
6.2 Performance-Payment Bond
7. Addendum-Amendments
8. Change Orders
9. Insurance
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
2.3 Specifications segregate the information
shown on the drawings into various
sections. They cross reference sections
to each other and cross references the
work of each discipline to that of other
disciplines.
2.4 Specifications instruct the different
material suppliers of the extent of their
work.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
2.5 Specifications constitute one of the
contract documents together with the
drawings and the agreement of contract
between owner and the the contractor.
Since specifications are written instructions, they are frequently considered by
the lawyer and the courts as having more
importance
than the drawings. Thus,
judgments are frequently made based on
the specifications.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
2.6 Drawings, whether architectural, structural, mechanical, or electrical, cannot
segregate the work of various trades,
and each discipline indicates his work as
an integrated whole. Specifications, on
the other hand, segregate the informations shown on the drawings into various
sections within each discipline. The contractor can then get his subcontracts on
the basis of the specification breakdown
of sections.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
3.1 Academic Training
The emphasis in a degree program for
architecture is often placed on design.
From freshman year through fifth year,
much of the students time is devoted
to design and other related subjects.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
3.2 Practical Work Experience
When the graduate architect reports to
his first job in an architectural office, he
suddenly realizes how little he knows and
how little use he is to an office for a
primary period of time. He must acquire
skill in drafting, he must over a period of
time, develop skill in detailing. He must be
able to check shop drawings and familiarized himself with construction methods
by exposure to field inspection.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
3.3 Assembles and Files all Product Information
and Responsible for Material Research
A medium to large office usually has a
specification department organized and run
by experienced architect assisted by
younger people who have expressed a
desire to learn specification writing. This
department also assembles and files all
product information and is responsible for
material research.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
3.4 Knowledge and Skills Develop by Experience
If an office has no specification department, they are
often generated by default, meaning written by a senior
staff member with the least work load. Old specifications are used with paragraphs cut and pasted, some
sections used verbatim, etc. Many times a young architect develops a particular skill in detailing a certain area
of construction. He becomes particularly adept at detailing finished carpentry, or shows talent in putting
together a wall section. He is asked to write the section
on finish carpentry or unit masonry. He studies other
specifications, researches the information he needs,
and produces the required section.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
3.5 Coordinator of Drawings and Specifications
The specification writer is the only
professional member of the team who can
coordinate
all
drawings
with
the
specifications. He has to make sure that
there are no duplications between the two
documents
and
that
there
is
standardization of the infomation between
them.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
3.6 Control Project Budget
The specification writer can, to a great extent,
aid in controlling the project budget. With his
knowledge of material costs, he can specify
materials and systems that are less costly than
the material or product used by the designer as
a standard detailing. With his combined
knowledge of cost and materials, he is in a
position to assist the draftsman in detailing.
The specification writer should also be familliar
with standard office details and also familiar
with codes and various manuals.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
3.7 Product and Building Technology
Information Awareness
The specification writer has continued
contact with manufacturers and is in the
proper position to discover, analyze and
recommend new materials. He must be
abreast
with
the
new
construction
technologies and materials for him to be
aware of the recent development in
construction industry that will be beneficial
to the project.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
4.1 A Professional
There are two groups of people who
write specifications and there is a
great deal of difference between the
two groups. There are professional
specification writers and professionals
who write specifications.
SPECIFICATIONS WRITING
4.2 Maintains a Good Library of
Technical Documents
A professional specification writer maintains a
good library of technical documents, an
extensive
collection
of
manufacturers
literature and catalogs, and is knowledgeable
in various codes used in his area. He is given
a set of drawings which are periodically
updated, and he generates the specification.
4.2 Effective
Most offices prefer professionals who write
specifications. The following qualifications are
necessary for an effective specification writer:
a) A degree in the required discipline and eventual
professional registration.
b) A good basic skill in drafting and detailing.
c) A thorough knowledge in construction gained
by extensive field inspection.
d) Ability to write in a proper concise manner
e) An orderly mind.
f) The ability to get along with fellow workers.
If any two experienced specification writers
were asked to specify the same object, there
would be a considerable difference in the
wording method of writing. There are as many
ways of specifying an item as there are many
specification writers. An item such as fan, can
be specified in many ways and that the best
type of specification depends upon the product
or method being specified. In this respect,
experience is the best teacher.
5.1 The Performance Specification
In this type of specification, the
results of the product, rather than
the product itself, are specified.
5.2 The Descriptive Specification
As the name implies, a
descriptive specification gives
a description of the product.
5.2 The Descriptive Specification
As the name implies, a
descriptive specification gives
a description of the product.
5.3 The Brand Name Specification
The desired product is specified
by the name given by the manufacturer or by the manufacturer’s
name and model number.
5.4 The Closed Specification
There are two types of closed
specifications, the single-product
and the multi-product. Closed
specifications are usually brandname specifications. This is used
basically
where
material
is
required
to
match
existing
material.
5.4 The Closed Specification
There are two types of closed
specifications, the single-product
and the multi-product. Closed
specifications are usually brandname specifications. This is used
basically
where
material
is
required
to
match
existing
material.
5.5 The Open Specification
The opposite of closed
specifications, they are called “open,” because
all manufacturers whose products
meet performance or
description
specified, may bid. All performance and
descriptive specifications are open
brand-name specifications are open if
the phrase “or equal” is used.
5.6 The Reference Specification
The item desired is referred
to by a number corresponding to a number in a
published specification.
5.7 The Combination Specification
It may be desirable to use a
combination of the above types
of specifications. While it would be
impossible to have combination of
an open and a closed specification, it
is possible to have combinations of
performance,
descriptive,
and
reference specification.
5.8 A performance specification is not
necessarily
better
than
a
descriptive
specification. In a case where the specification
stated, “the basement walls shall be
watertight,” the contractor applied no
waterproofing whatsoever. It was a dry year
and no leaking was discovered during the
one-year (1-year) warranty period however,
shortly thereafter in a bad rainstorm, the walls
leaked badly. The owner suffered a bad loss
but was unable to recover his money.
END