Interpreting Specifications 241
Even well-drawn construction drawings cannot adequately reveal all the aspects of a construction
project. There are many features that cannot be shown graphically. For instance, how would a designer
show on a drawing the quality of workmanship required for the installation of electrical equipment or who
is responsible for supplying the materials, except by extensive hand-lettered notes? The standard pro-
cedure is to supplement construction drawings with written descriptions. These detailed written instruc-
tions, commonly called specifications (specs), define and limit the materials and fabrication according to
the intent of the engineer or the designer. In fact, when there is a gap between the building as visualized
by the designer and the contractor’s interpretation of the documents, specifications—not drawings—are
the tool to close that gap. The specifications are an important part of the project because they eliminate
possible misinterpretation and ensure positive control of the construction. There are several different
types of specifications.
Specification Material Sources.
Because of time and cost restraints, few individuals (or small firms) would today venture to write a com-
pletely new set of specifications for each job. Specifiers would normally rely on the many sources of ref-
erence material that are currently available and from which they could compile a set for each new proj-
ect. Moreover, because of liability issues, specifiers often feel more comfortable relying on specifications
that have repeatedly proved satisfactory in the past. When specs have to be modified to fit the condi-
tions of a given job or new specs incorporated, text is generally taken from one of the master spec sys-
tems. These contain guideline specifications for many materials, allowing the specifier to edit unneces-
sary text rather than generate new information each time.
Another advantage of using master systems is that they use correct specification language and for-
mat for ease of specification preparation. Listed below are some of the major sources from which spec-
ification material is available, much of which can be retrieved via the Internet:
- Master specifications (Masterspec®, SPECSystem™, MasterFormat™, SpecText®,
BSDSpeclink®, ezSPECS On-Line™, CAP Studio for the furniture industry, and many others) - City and national codes and ordinances
- Manufacturers’ industry associations (Architectural Woodworking Institute, American Plywood
Association, Door and Hardware Institute, Tile Council of America). - Manufacturers’ catalogs (Sweet’s Catalog File, Man-U-Spec, Spec-data)
- Manufacturers’ on-line catalogs via the Internet
- National standards organizations such as the American National Standards Institute,National
Institute of Building Sciences, National Fire Protection Association, National Institute of Stan-
dards and Technology, and the Association for Contract Textiles - Testing societies (American Society for Testing and Materials, Underwriters Laboratories)
- Federal specifications (Specs-In-Tact, G.S.A., N.A.S.A., N.A.F.V.A.C.)
- Magazines and publications (Construction Specifier, Architecture, Architectural Record)
- Books on specifications (see bibliography)
- Individual files of previously written specifications
During recent years, numerous firms that provide online specification-writing services have
emerged. These services are discussed later in the chapter.