Chapter 9 – Understanding Specifications

Publisher Summary Specifications essentially consist of precisely written documentation that describe a project to be constructed, supplementing drawings and forming part of the contract. Specifications describe qualities of materials, their methods of manufacture, and installation into the project, workmanship and mode of construction, in addition to providing other information not shown in the drawings, including description of the final result. Many designers have considerable difficulty preparing a competent set of standard building specifications, partly because it demands a shift of gears using a different medium to express design content—using written documents instead of drawings. It also propels the designer into the technical realm of materials that are not normally dealt with on a daily basis. Technology and green-related practices have had a tremendous impact on the construction industry and on the general way one conducts business, including the way in which specifications are written. Construction specifications are usually required because drawings alone can rarely define the qualitative issues of a scheme. Technical specifications are a critical component of the contract documents as they reflect the design intent and describe in detail the quality and character of materials, as well as the standards to which the materials and their installation are required to conform, in addition to other issues that are more appropriately represented in written rather than graphic form.