L.R. Kimball

Improving K - 12 Security

For K-12 educators, facility directors and planners, school security for K-12 has become a critical issue as schools across the Country work to ensure they are prepared for any eventuality.   Certainly all the appropriate actions and responses have not been formulated, but we can and we must be prepared as professionals to recommit to review and consider measures that can make a difference while permitting schools to retain the look of creative learning environments and not fortresses. At many contemporary K-12 facilities, security protocol for visitor access is in place at the school utilizing typical visual “vetting” and subsequent manual release of an electromagnetic lock at the entrance door. However, schools need to be aware of the risk of an unauthorized person to be able to gain access directly into the internal corridor network of the occupied school and the classrooms. This type of  incursion can overwhelm all the measures in place designed to detect and deter unauthorized access at defined perimeters. Currently in most schools, the primary premise of contemporary security systems concentrates on the surveillance, detection and reasonable deterrence of unauthorized entry.  Reasonable deterrence most typically translates to a locked door, and often to assist in the visual vetting process glass is present in both the door and the surrounding wall system. This glass may typically be either tempered or heat strengthened for safety reasons upon breakage, but it possesses very little  resistance capability.

 The search for solutions and new measures to safeguard the K-12 environment from unauthorized incursions and their negative impacts is reaching full speed. It has been an important educational premise to treat schools with special care to nurture creativity and the learning process; it would almost be unthinkable to take steps backward and move towards more correctional-like environments. To understand where improvements may be necessary it is important to consider the state of contemporary K-12 security. Currently measures may include any number of layered active and passive measures that focus on being able to identify a potential event and communicate and react to it as quickly as possible. Generally, security measures should afford school administrators more time to assess the situation, communicate with interfacing agencies, and notify occupants of the facility. Minutes, indeed seconds, can be critical in these assessments and interventions.. Disrupting the timing or progression of a potential event before it escalates is an inclusive part of an effective tiered strategy. Passive security measures can be simple things such as direct visual access from administration areas to the front door, access drive and parking lot and beyond  and redundant communication features to quickly relay the event to authorities and school occupants.  Active security measures include numerous types of physical safeguards such as restricted access doorways, metal detectors , secure areas or vestibules and even the use of supplemental armed security.

Although certainly not foolproof, one of the most direct but least invasive methodologies incorporated into contemporary security protocols for school access is the use of a security vestibule. This convention upgrades the ability to more fully evaluate every visitor of the school prior to granting direct access into the internal corridor network of the school. The security vestibule can augment the closed circuit interface process where direct visual access to the front door is not available. With this architectural configuration, all core hour visitors must use this designated location and are tentatively cleared and first routed directly into a secure or unsecured portion of the administration office of the school where they are credentialed and granted or denied access to the interior of the school. This strategy may now need to be revisited.

The configuration of this inner secure area as open to the interior administration area will undoubtedly be under greater scrutiny by administrators and designers. “Hardening” of this inner secure area by the use of concrete masonry walls and bullet resistant glass to detain the visitor from further entering or exiting the building if the need arises may need to be considered. This potentially new secure inner area effectively removes the face to face vetting of a visitor by school administration and both protects them and access to the interior of the school by destructive intrusion. The use of bullet resistance glazing for this hardened interior vestibule can be accomplished without unreasonable cost and it can be visually compatible with other glazing. Locations for this new hardened secure area could include adjacent main entries to buildings similar to current configurations or at a separate “visitor” location where they have the ability to be more remote from the administration area or “front door” of the facility. Other layered protocols can still be added to the sequence such as drivers license data base checks and/or metal detectors.  Precautions against destructive intrusion should additionally be reviewed at primary entrances for potential hardening, but notably main entry doors to the facility should be evaluated for inclusion particularly where they are associated with any new hardened secure area. This process will undoubtedly take much thought and discussion, but the best overall security strategies remain the ones that incorporate multiple layered and redundant protocols. The inclusion of hardening select building elements should be considered as an augmentation to those comprehensive strategies. Any protocol that provides additional minutes or seconds of time to has the potential to save lives.

NJ Building Our Future Bond Act for Higher Education

L.R.Kimball had the pleasure recently of collaborating with Middlesex County College on their grant application submission for Building Our Future Bond Act and other available grant funding including the Higher Education Equipment Leasing Fund and the Higher Education Facilities Trust Fund.

 

The College’s submission is for a new Academic Science Building which will house chemistry and biology labs, lab prep areas, department offices and support. Applications for the first round of funding were due in March to the Secretary of Higher Education. The Building Our Future Bond Act can make available a total of $750M to both public and private colleges and universities throughout the State. Of this amount, $150M can be available to community colleges to be divided among the 19 institutions. Each institution receiving a grant must supply a 25% funding match.

 

Middlesex County College’s recently completed Master Plan, also by L.R.Kimball, highlighted the need to upgrade and expand the college’s science curriculum and identified a site on campus for a new building. An up-to-date long-range facilities plan approved by the College’s Board of Trustees is one of the pre-requisites for submission of an application. In addition, the project must demonstrate that it advances the goals of the institution’s master plan, increases the academic capacity of the institution and provides a direct benefit to students. The Academic Science Building also supports a key objective outlined by the State: Advancement of study at all levels in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

 

The construction of the Academic Science Building requires the demolition of two aging and outdated facilities that were part of the Raritan Arsenal complex that was deeded to Middlesex County for the development of a Community College in the 1960’s. The demolition phase of this project, Phase 1, is scheduled to begin in September of this year. Once demolition is complete, Phase 2, environmental site remediation can commence with building construction, Phase 3, beginning in spring 2014.The project, if selected for funding, will be ready for classes for the fall 2015 semester.

Time for Coroners to Get Out of the Basement Morgue

We have all observed the scenes in popular crime fighting televisions series and in movies when a victim’s family member or a police officer meets with the Coroner or Medical Examiner in a dark, dingy basement morgue replete with 1950’s era drab green or penicillin yellow wall tile.  For many of our country’s city and county morgue facilities this depiction rings true today.  In many cases conditions are further exacerbated by severely cramped spaces.  As a result of collaborating with Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Forensic consultants on the design of these facilities we obtained a deeper understanding of the procedures and essential services they provide.  They are responsible for investigating the cause of death and then characterizing it as violent, accidental, suspicious or requiring identification.  The Coroner’s role differs from the Medical Examiner’s role in some states.  The Coroner is responsible to pronounce the cause of death, retrieve the body, transport it to the morgue, coordinate with law enforcement agencies and contact the immediate family while the Medical Examiner performs the autopsy.  In some states the Medical Examiner performs all functions.

It has become clear that these facilities need improvement, but often they fly under the radar of many counties. Coroners and Medical Examiners have had to persevere with their situation for so long that they are no longer seen as a top priority.   Hearing the Coroners’ and Medical Examiners’ challenges was eye opening and left me with the feeling that this situation is far too important to ignore.  Many facilities are located within hospitals, which often is not the best of locations. Most cases involve a body that is brought directly to the morgue and then transferred from the morgue to a funeral home or other facility. In hospital environments the observance of this activity by patients and their families creates problems.  For the family members of the deceased, now finding themselves in a deep moment of grief, to have to identify their loved ones in a cold and unsightly space only adds to their trauma. Some Coroners do not carry a roster of sufficient cases to support the facilities or a dedicated Medical Examiner to perform their autopsies, so they are compelled to transport the body to a county that can provide that service.

By working closely with our forensic consultant it became very clear to me that there are sensible solutions to this problem that can clearly benefit all stakeholders.  The stakeholders include the county commissioners and administration, law enforcement agencies, hospitals, families, coroner, and medical examiner.  

The first step in realizing a solution is to review the historic case load data and then project the number of cases expected in the near future based upon trends and demographics. This information will assist in determining the justification for developing a center that would either serve one county or point the way towards a regional center that would suit the needs of many counties. A regional facility could provide excellent service to an area while also providing a revenue stream to the hosting county.  Forensic medicolegal facilities are highly specialized spaces and their planning and selection of equipment demands a high level of professional design expertise. By engaging in this specialized design process, the working group will address all aspects of functionality including the facility’s ability to react to both single and mass casualty events; the facility’s work flow and circulation paths; the separation between administrative and clinical areas;  the physical controls relating to contamination and biohazards; provisions for a concealed sallyport receiving and discharge area; evidence processing and storage; decontamination procedures; facility security; law enforcement viewing; and a more sensitive provision for family identification of their loved ones.

The forensic facility is also a place of business and, therefore, the daily needs of both permanent and part-time staff must be met.  We encourage the design of a facility that is filled with natural light, both in the administration areas as well as the clinical areas, where abundant natural light enhances the ability for all to perform. 

DB'S CORNER - BLOG 14 JOINT SEALANTS 101

There are several building products where the coordination between drawings and specifications are less than stellar, particularly joint sealants and painting.  This results from the number of those systems that are applied to various substrates as necessitated by project conditions.  How many times have you seen a drawing note that says “joint sealant” and the specification identifies over 7 or 8 sealant systems?  Can the contractor properly interpret what is being portrayed in the contract documents (CDs) for each condition?  A similar situation occasionally occurs with painting.  So what is behind all those sealants and why on occasion are numerous joint sealants required on a project?

 

Historical.  Joint sealants having been around for millennia, recorded twice in the book of Genesis: usage of tar in Noah’s Ark and bitumen at the Tower of Babel on the plains of Shinar.  Naturally occurring tar and pitch have been used throughout the history of building.  More currently, say prior to 1900s, many sealants evolved from mineral, vegetable, or animal substances.  Modern polymeric sealants were developed in the early 1930s; newest polymers like silyl-terminated polyether (STP) and polyurea are now available in the U.S.  No matter the material, the purpose of a joint sealant is to prevent water, air, and other environmental elements from ingressing and egressing a structure, while permitting limited substrate movement.  A similar term used to fill gaps and cracks between building components is caulking, however the main difference between caulk and sealant is elasticity, where caulks tend to become rigid when dry and are intended in areas with minimal expansion and contraction, while sealants tend to remain flexible and can be used in areas prone to expansion and contraction.

 

Selection Considerations.  Since joint sealants cannot make up for poor substrate conditions or improper or poor joint design, one should pursue proper solutions considering: a durable product appropriate for its environmental exposure and function; a design allowing for cyclic activity in moving joints versus a static joint, which is defined as moving less than 7-1/2% of the joint width; and sealant type and related accessories commensurate with the substrate.  Sealant product selection considerations include:

-  Joint Design:  amount of expected movement, installation practicality, interface with adjacent materials, and desired aesthetic.

-  Durability Properties:  resistance to moisture, temperature, cyclic movement, bio-degradation, and ultraviolet light (UV).

-  Physical Properties:  tear strength, fatigue resistance, modulus-of-elasticity, and stress and strain recovery.

-  Installation Properties:  sealant rheology (flowability) using non-sag sealants on vertical joints and pourable or non-sag sealants on horizontal joints, pot life, tooling time, tack-free time, and application temperature ranges.

 

Sealant Types.  Generally, sealants can be separated into two forms, preformed and liquid applied, that cure via different methods.

FACTORY PREFORMED:  consisting of dense and cellular gaskets, extruded and molded seals, and compression systems most often fabricated from preformed silicone or preformed foam.

LIQUID APPLIED:

-  Latex:  a water-based product for interior and exterior use in residential and light commercial applications for movement under 25%.

-  Acrylic:  a solvent-based product, mainly an exterior use in residential and light commercial applications with a maximum movement of 7-1/2%.

-  Urethanes:  an elastomeric sealant used in industrial and commercial applications with very good movement up to 50%; should not be used in structural glazing (avoid direct contact with glass); excellent adhesion, generally not requiring a primer; and can be formulated for good UV resistance.

-  Silicones:  an elastomeric sealant with an excellent movement to 100%; it can be used on many substrates, especially glass, but a stain test is recommended on porous materials such as concrete and natural stone (non-staining and non-bleeding formulations are available where aesthetic considerations are important); most formulations are not paintable; and are about 1/3 more costly than urethanes.

-  Polysulfides:  one of early high-performance elastomeric sealants with good performance in submerged applications; has a maximum movement of 25%; and requires primers on most substrates.

-  Butyls: a solvent based product that is stringy and difficult to apply neatly, it is generally used in concealed applications such as under door thresholds and in curtain wall and aluminum framing systems with a maximum movement of 7-1/2%.

CURE METHODS:

-  Moisture:  a single or multi-component formulation that cures by moisture in the air.

-  Chemical:  a single or multi-component formulation that cures by chemical mixing.

-  Acetoxy:  an older chemistry formulation that cures by an acid, which releases an odorous gas and can negatively affect metals; and used frequently in bathrooms and toilet rooms due to it having anti-fungal properties.

 

Specifications:  While there are as many as 23 ASTM standards and guidelines for materials, test methods, and installation, most specifications refer to ASTM C 834 for latex based sealants and ASTM C 920 for elastomeric sealants.  Each joint sealant type occurring in a project needs to be specified with the following as the minimum information to be included: appropriate ASTM reference; Type, being either single (S) or multiple component (M); Grade, being either non-sag (NS) or pourable (P); Movement Class (12-1/2, 25, 50, 100/50); and Use based on substrate type or exposure (there are 7 options).  Joint sealants are most frequently found in specification Section 079200 - Joint Sealants, however CSI’s MasterFormat includes the following Section references in the publication index:  078443 - Fire-Resistant Sealants, 079100 - Preformed Joint Seals, 079219 - Acoustical Joint Sealants, 321273 - Asphalt Paving Joint Sealants, and 321373 - Concrete Paving Joint Sealants.  In projects with multiple prime contracts, specifying joint sealants for engineering work scopes in Divisions 21 through 28 must be coordinated with Section 079200 that represents part of the architectural work scope.

 

Back to my original question about coordinating the joint sealants as specified to those referenced on the Drawings.  In a good - better - best world, the best coordination would be identifying each joint sealant by a number, say JS-1, JS-2, and JS-3 or maybe a letter JS-A, JS-B, JS-C, with that designation also being referenced as a Drawing note.  If the detail note only says “joint sealant”, there will be a certain amount of assumption made by the contractor, especially if two sealant types are specified for one substrate material.  Ambiguity is what we want to eliminate, therefore design team members need to discuss the approach to coordination, preferably at the beginning of the CD phase.

DB'S CORNER - BLOG 13; TESSALLATION

by Dennis Buirge

POTENTIAL SCENARIO: A client sophisticated in design and construction calls the architect to discuss a potential signature new building. The project manager (PM) and project architect (PA) attend the meeting with Facilities’ personnel. As conversation occurs about the program and building aesthetics are reviewed, the Owner identifies the desire for a large multistory entrance having a tessellated skylight with a corresponding tessellated floor pattern. The PM and PA silently turn to one another with that quizzical stare kept hidden from the client, and respond, ‘sure … we can do that’! After the meeting, the PM and PA assemble the assigned design staff to discuss the project and asks if anyone is familiar with tessellated assemblies. The specification writer questions, ‘are we using rhomboids, triangles, or another geometric shape’?

With that specification writer reading the May 2010 issue of The Construction Specifier as published by CSI, specifically the article ‘Getting Off the Rectangular Grid’ on page 84, the spec writer or anyone else would have a good understanding regarding the Owner’s request in the aforementioned scenario. The following link references that article from CSI’s archives: http://www.constructionspecifier.com/search/.

The term tessallare comes from a Latin background and means ‘to pave with tile’ (actually, tessares, which are small pieces of material such as marble, glass, or tile used in mosaic work). Tessellation may also be defined as completely covering a surface with a repeated shape or grouping of shapes and without gaps or overlapping, such as dividing a surface into polygons, i.e., multi-sided shapes.  In other words, a tessellated surface can be thought of as one being constructed or covered with tile-like panels.  In nature, tessellated shape examples can be seen in a turtle shell, honeycomb, pineapple, giraffe markings, fish scales, and divisions in a spider web.

 Tessellations of squares, triangles and hexagons are the simplest forms and frequently seen in everyday life. The pattern can occur on flat planes or on curved surfaces. They have been traced back to civilizations around 4000 BC and were also used by the Greeks in making mosaic designs. Throughout history, tessellated examples can be found in most cultures. In the 20th century, hexagonal modules are easily observable in Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes and irregularly shaped Dymaxion map. We see them today in building facades, floor, wall, and ceiling finishes/systems. 

New software tools such as CAD and BIM allow easier implementation of tessellated shapes in architectural designs using various geometries.  Geometries can be grouped into several patterns: regular tessellations using regular polygons (equilateral triangles, squares, and hexagons), semi-regular tessellations, and demi-regular tessellations. Another branch of shapes use irregular polygons, while a non-periodic tessellation does not have a repetitious pattern. Tessellations can be altered by elongation or skewing of shapes. Some names can be quite long, testing one’s pronunciation abilities, like one shape, known as a rhombicosidodecahedron or as a truncated icosidodecahedron.

Mathematical formulae can be found, however algebraic formulations transcend the intent of this blog. Basic formations can be advanced by various embellishments, such as modifying panel heights to create different planes, folding panels to create facets, and coloration. Beyond aesthetics, panel surfaces can be treated to perform other functions, such as acoustic enhancement by perforations or micro-perforations.  Design and installation of tessellated shapes must be coordinated with building utilities, which could include sprinklers, HVAC diffusers and grilles, light fixtures, and communication systems to create a completely integrated ceiling or wall system.

 A tessellated roof assembly can convert a previous outdoor space into a dry public area, some examples being the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy, the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court at the British Museum in London, and the King’s Cross Station renovation for the upcoming 2012 Olympics, as well as new structures like the now 12 year old Eden Project Biomes in Cornwall, England.  The following photograph is of the King’s Cross Station, a master planned interior framed tessellation by John McAslan +Partners and can be seen on the following website with other London construction for the upcoming 2012 Olympics: http://archrecord.construction.com/features/2012/London-Now/.

 

  

 

 

DB's Corner - Substantial Completion

By Dennis Buirge

QUESTION:  How many inspection(s) does the design professional perform during the construction of a project, albeit site related, landscape related, building related, or facility related?

A.   None.  Only observations are performed.

B.   One.  Only at substantial completion.

C.   Two.  At substantial completion and final completion.

D.   Many.  During each site visit and job conference meeting, as stipulated in the Owner/Architect Agreement. 

During the construction period the design professional visits the site, attends job conferences, resolves design issues, and monitors the work via observations.  At some point during construction of a project and prior to Owner occupancy, it becomes necessary for an initial formal review of the completed work to confirm whether it conforms to the Contract Documents.  Anything not in compliance, either if not yet complete and/or being contrary to project requirements will be so noted for resolution by the Contractor(s).  This process is clearly defined in Section 007200 - General Conditions, identifying Contractor, Architect, and Owner actions. 

That INITIAL formal review is normally referred to as Substantial Completion (SC) and differs in time and action from the FINAL formal review that occurs during Final Completion (FC).  SC is defined as the date when the project, or a portion of the project, is determined by the A/E to be sufficiently complete so that the Owner can use it for its intended purpose.  While references to SC can be found in miscellaneous paragraphs of Section 007200, the main Article occurs as 9.8.  That article clearly defines 6 issues that must be addressed prior to the project being considered SC: all project parts and systems are accessible, operable and usable by Owner, including site work and HVAC systems; project is clean; operation and maintenance manuals have been submitted; training of Owner’s personnel has taken place; annotated Record Documents have been submitted; and certifications and approvals by authorities having jurisdiction have been issued.  SC includes the Contractor(s) providing a ‘comprehensive’ list of incomplete work that is given to the design professional, who then establishes its own list, which when combined become the ‘punch list’.  The punch list needs to include costs associated with each work scope and a total time to complete all outstanding and/or corrective work.  The design professional completes a form, includes various attachments, at which point the Owner may take possession of the facility.  SC could be established for the entire project; however phased SC can occur commensurate with phased construction.  While the date of SC will be defined in the Contract Documents as contract time, the date of FC may or may not, but it will be established as part of SC. 

While some work scopes are a bit easier to identify during design as it relates to projecting work time frames and establishing the date of SC, what about those few that might be problematic?  How are they to be defined in the Contract Documents?  At least one of you might be thinking, Denny, what are you talking about?  I am thinking about landscaping.  With growing seasons in various areas having limited time frames and work occurring around the site, it might not be possible for landscaping to be totally ‘complete’ within the contract time.  Complete for grass by my definition means grass sown, grass matured, grass cut, and grass fully established.  When does the grass become substantially complete when the building was SC months previously? 

Division 32 specification Sections regarding landscaping would define acceptance parameters for grass and plantings.  Possibilities for defining SC for this work scope could be:  1) identify the grass/plantings as a phased element, coordinating its SC date with the landscape architect, and stating such in the bidding documents; 2) include the grass/plantings as part of the original SC and identify the grass/plantings as a punch list item with a sufficient FC date allowing for full development of the landscaping. 

During my early years in the business, I was incorrectly informed regarding the meaning of observations and inspections with the true definitions being learned through CSI related activities. Initial and final formal reviews performed by the design professional during SC and FC are considered inspections; previous reviews are observations.  Therefore the correct answer to the initial question is C, two inspections.

Next Blog:  What’s with ASTM?

Delaware Valley Intelligence Center Designed To Streamline Emergency Operations

Across the country, local, regional and state authorities have struggled to organize and exectue coordinated responses to major emergencies.   This stems, in large part, from the lack of centralized clearinghouses for real time information that can be accessed by entities from various jurisdictions and levels of government. 

Data Fusion Centers close this critical information gap by providing partners with the data they need to quickly and accurately analyze a situation, develop a strategic plan to address it and implement a coordinated response. With engineering and architectural support from L.R. Kimball, the four-state Delaware Valley Intelligence Center (DVIC) is helping to set the standard for 21^st century data fusion centers.

The System of Systems Security Integration Initiative (SOSSEC) is the driving force behind the DVIC design.  This consortium combines the expertise and perspectives of nearly 40 U.S. Department of Defense, industrial, civilian and academic partners. Among other priorities, SOSSEC is charged with developing a state-of-the-art data fusion center that will tie together information from approximately 200 entities across 12 counties and four states.

To meet the objectives of SOSSEC, L.R. Kimball experts designed the DVIC to:

• Provide 24/7/365 data access to approximately 200 DVIC entities
• Allow authorities and analysts to monitor developing situations around the clock
• Directly connect to the DVIC any first responders with a radio system to facilitate real-time information sharing
• Leverage existing resources to the greatest extent possible
• Anticipate and be prepared for future security, emergency, technology and personnel needs

The Delaware Valley Intelligence Center will be state-of-the-art. Through this all-hazards, all-crimes data fusion center, first responders and government officials can exchange information and intelligence, maximize their resource effectiveness, streamline operations and improve the ability to respond to disasters, fight crime and terrorism by analyzing data from a variety of sources. 

Highlights include:

• 40,000 square-foot adaptive re-use of an urban 1940s era Navy manufacturing and distribution structure
• Houses Philadelphia Police Department’s Homeland Security and Criminal Intelligence Units, state and federal agencies, and private sector resources
• Watch Center that enables authorities and analysts to monitor developing situations 24/7/365
• Secure Room Suite that provides a strictly controlled space for handling classified information, with encrypted connections to federal agencies
• Security features, including hardened windows, card access system, biometrics and CCTV
• Expansive water tanks to be used in the event the public water system is compromised
• Collaborative spaces that facilitate interaction between partners, including conference and breakout areas with tackable surfaces
• 24-hour amenities, including showers, locker rooms and lunchroom 

P3 Provides a New Approach to Student Housing

Across the country, colleges and universities are turning to an alternative approach for student housing.  The Public Private Partnership, or P3, approach joins a private developer with available funding with a higher education institution in need of additional housing.  Typically, the private developer funds, designs, constructs, and often manages, the facility for the college or university, thus enabling college resources to be used elsewhere. 

The benefits of this arrangement are far reaching.  First of all the college or university can retain their land and enter into a lease arrangement with the developer.  The institution is then able to accommodate enrollment growth without self-funding the project.  Finally, the project is usually delivered more efficiently and expeditiously by the developer, becoming available in a shorter time frame at less cost. 

Success of the project is measured by the strength and creativity of the team assembled for the project.  The P3 developer orchestrates the process and assembles the team of professionals which includes architects and engineers, a finance team and a management group.  This team must take a number of items into consideration including financing, branding and housing and residence life amenities.

L.R. Kimball has seen this trend take off in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and believes that it will continue to grow in popularity, allowing colleges and universities to fill their housing requirements in the most cost-efficient manner.  The firm has recently released a white paper dedicated to the considerations and steps a higher education institution should take when considering a P3 approach.  Download it now. 

Architecture & Social Media: Finding the Right Applications

By Mike Pappas

Well, I’ve been a little busy.  I have been testing the social media concepts outlined in my first blog and have some things to report.

The biggest issue I ran into is that many companies have policies regarding the use of social media software from the office.  For all of the right reasons, many companies prohibit use by employees so that the employee is not spending his or her day on Facebook or Twitter talking to their spouse or family when they are billing to a project.  So, getting permission to be connected is certainly an issue.  There are ways to deal with the issue, some of which I will outline in the conclusion to this posting.

Quickly, here are some social media tools and how they fared in my first attempt.  I divide them into passive -meaning things are posted and await participation by others, and active - where the participant is immediately informed that a communication need is active and live.

As you could imagine, active has its benefits, but also a couple pit falls.

Facebook: Facebook is a passive tool.  Things are posted more as a ‘…hey, look at me, I need to talk to you when you are ready, here is the problem…’ type of tool.  This could be very useful if a number of people need to participate and there are photos that all must review to be informed.  Again this has uses if timely responses are not necessary.  Post today and wait a few days for everyone to responds.

Tweets:  Tweeting is passive as well, though with smart phones, people who are connected will be beeped that there is an incoming communication on both Facebook and their Tweet page.  Communication will be back and forth and can be relatively immediate.  Therefore, this is a tool, that if used when other participants are connected, could help  resolve issues while on the site for a construction meeting.

Texting:  This is a more immediate tool, typically texts are a back and forth communication tool.  I have never attempted to include photos from the job site though I have done so in personal communications, so it would work though I did not test it for this effort.

Facetime: This is a fully active tool and incredibly useful for site work.  I was completely unaware of this software until I purchased my new iPhone.  This tool is like a phone call with a live recorder feed.  The new 4G phones allow the caller to either look toward themselves or away from themselves like a conventional video recorder.  This is incredibly useful when on a site trying to explain to someone in an office what they are looking at.  The only drawback is that it is not available at this time on PC… but if you have a Mac iPad or Notebook, you are good to go with an app called ‘fring’.  I haven’t used it though it is discussed on numerous blogs.  I don’t have an iPad or Notebook.

Skype:  This is also a fully active tool.  Just like Facetime, it allows you to communicate like a phone call with video.  I have Skype loaded as an app on my phone, though I haven’t used it to date.  I have a friend deployed overseas and will attempt using this once he is situated at a permanent base, just to see how well it works on my iPhone.

Conclusion: The biggest roadblock to using these softwares is company support.  It is difficult for companies, particularly in these trying fiscal times, to justify employees having these softwares on their company PC’s with the risk of having employees communicate with family and friends when they should be working.  There are a number of ways to get around this, a company could start a new section of their company Facebook or tweet page.  Tweeting and texting occur in offices anyway and an individual could ask other teammates if they had their own social media on their personal phone and if it would be acceptable to communicate using that tool if a problem arose on site that could be handled using a phone.

Finally, one aspect I touched upon in my previous blog post, is liability.  Sometimes answers deserve more consideration than what Facetime or Skype would provide, putting site personnel in a position where they could be compromised by trying too hard to solve the problem.  The site employee must have the experience to discern the difference. 

To sum up this blog, there is certainly a role for both passive and active format communication tools in offices.  There are ways around the liability issues, we have no choice but to find a way or continue to marginalize the difference we make for both our companies and our clients.  So many people use these social media networks today that implementation will occur in the very near future one way or another.  It would be best for companies to see social media for what it is.  Like BIM, it is another tool to make the design team more efficient, effective and, maybe more importantly, more relevant.

DB's Corner - Procurement Documents

 

 As referenced in the last issue of The Spec Den Blog, document types include construction documents, procurement documents, and contract documents; this entry attempts to describe procurement documents.  These documents are prepared by the Professional (Architect/Engineer/Landscape Architect) and used during the process of selecting a constructor.  In its simplest definition, to procure means ‘to obtain or receive’, which in our case relates to construction materials.  There are many different methods of construction procurement; however the three most common types of procurement are:  traditional design-bid-build; design-build; and management contracting.  Of these three, bidding is the most frequently used procurement process.

Considering bidding scenarios, the following are the most frequent ways for the Owner to receive a bid:

*  Closed, Selective, or Invited Bidding:   Method of competitive bidding where the Owner restricts those who are permitted to submit a bid.  The Owner, at its discretion, establishes a list of bidders to the exclusion of everyone else.  This method cannot be used on projects where financing occurs via public funding.

*  Open Bidding:   Method of competitive bidding where bids are received from all interested contractors, rather than from a select list of bidders privately invited to compete.  This procurement method generally involves advertising in local newspapers to legally notify contractors of the bidding process.  This is the process most frequently used on projects with public funding.

*  Two Step Bidding:   Method of competitive bidding procedure where bidders submit technical proposals in response to performance specifications.  Each bidder whose technical proposal is acceptable, then submits a sealed bid in accordance with normal bidding procedures. The government is one entity using this process.

*  Total Cost Bidding:   Method sometimes used for FF&E where the purchase price from the buyer is guaranteed and will not exceed a set maximum amount during a fixed period.  The equipment will be repurchased at a set minimum price when the original period ends.

But the question of this blog is what documents are used in the aforementioned bidding methodologies?  Bidding or procurement documents can be divided into 5 general components:  procurement requirements, contracting requirements, specifications, drawings, and resource materials.  Within each of these general components are the following elements:

*  Procurement Requirements:  ‘Solicitation’ (Advertisement for Bids, Invitation to Bid, Request for Proposals); Instructions for Procurement (Instructions to Bidders, Procurement Meetings); ‘Available Information’ (Existing Condition Information, Environmental Assessment Information, Geophysical Data, Geotechnical Data); ‘Procurement Forms and Supplements’ (Bid Forms, Bid Supplement Forms such as Allowance Form, Unit Prices Form, Alternates Form, and Wage Rates Form); and ‘Representations and Certifications’ (Bidder’s Qualifications, and Non-Collusion Affidavit).

*  Contracting Requirements:  ‘Contracting Forms and Supplements’ (Agreement Forms) Project Forms (Bond Forms, Certificate of Insurance, Schedule of Values Form Request for Interpretation Form, Change Order Form, and various Closeout Forms), ‘Conditions of Contract’ (General Conditions and Supplementary Conditions), and ‘Revisions/Clarifications/Modifications’ (Addenda, Record Clarification and Proposals, and Record Modifications such as Change Orders).

*  Specifications:  General Requirements (Division 01), Facility Construction (Divisions 02 - 19), Facility Services (Divisions 20 - 29), Site and Infrastructure (Divisions 30 - 39), and Process Equipment (Divisions 40 - 49).

*  Drawings:  For all contracts relative to the project.

*  Resource Materials:  These include any other type information needed to completely describe the Work so that constructors can adequately prepare their bid or proposal for the Owner’s consideration. Examples could be Owner’s Record Drawings of an existing building and/or of a previous construction phase.

 “BIDDER has examined copies of all the Bidding Documents.”  This statement that might be observed on a Bid Form raises another question that comes to mind relating to proper terminology used throughout the project manual: Should the words Procurement Documents, Bidding Documents, or something else be used in the Procurement and Contract Requirements?  MasterFormat 04, a publication from the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), identifies recommended names and numbers of Documents and Specifications used in the project manual.  While the previous edition, MasterFormat 95, to my recollection used the term Bidding Documents, its 2004 replacement generally uses the term Procurement Documents.  MasterSpec, as prepared by Arcom, typically uses the term Procurement instead of Bidding.  The following illustration is a Paragraph from MasterSpec’s Document 001116 - Invitation to Bid:

“Printed Procurement and Contracting Documents: Obtain after <Insert date> by contacting <Insert Owner, Architect, or reprographic house address>.  Documents will be provided to prime bidders only; only complete sets of documents will be issued.”

 Is there a ‘right way’, a ‘wrong way’, or a ‘better way’ when referring to Procurement Documents throughout the project manual?  My interpretation is to use the term Procurement Documents.  This is an issue that I will continue to research and discuss with others who are specification writers and users of these Documents.

 Next Blog:  Contract Documents.