Construction Specification Writing 6th Edition

Abstract

As the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) notes at the beginning of its Manual of Practice, the history of construction specifications can be traced all the way back to Noah's Ark. Instructions for construction of the Ark were expressed in specifications; there were no drawings. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. Genesis, Chapter 6, Verses 14–16 (The Holy Bible, New International Version, 1978, by New York International Bible Society) Specifications alone were apparently sufficient to design and build the Ark in ancient times. Today, however, the process has become more complicated and specifications have evolved into complex documents and drawings have been added, reflecting new technologies and contractual relationships. Both drawings and specifications have evolved as construction has become more complex. In the early 1900s, architectural drawings became virtually an art form, with ink drafting on cloth. Reproduction of drawings was by “blueprints”: white lines on blue backgrounds. Specifications were essentially notes on the drawings, except on some large projects where the notes were gathered into “book specs.” Now, production of graphic and text documents has been computerized with Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) and at least computer-based word processing. The prospect is pending for the abolition of traditional drawings and specifications in favor of an interoperable database of information, known as the Building