A Panel Discussion on Specifications
April 10, 2018 – Wood-n-Tap Restaurant, 2100 Dixwell Ave. Hamden, CT
“Specifiers Speak Out Again: More to Say About Specifications.
A Panel Discussion on Specifications” event was jointly event sponsored by The Housatonic and Hartford Chapters. The program featured a panel of some of the leading specifiers practicing in Connecticut today. Richard Abrahams, RA, CSI, CCCA from Silver Petrucelli + Associates, Roy Olsen, RA, CSI, CCS, LEED AP from JCJ Architecture, • Traci R. Hillebrecht, NCARB from Architx, LLC and Ted Smith RA, NCARB, CSI, CCS from Moser Pilon Nelson, Architects, LLC
Moderator Ross G. Spiegel, FCSI, FAIA, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP BD+C from The SLAM Collaborative led the panel in a round robin discussion of specification writing issues that confront them on a daily basis and how they resolve them.
The topics were timely and pertinent and the discussions were active and spirited.
- Addendums – Do you love them or hate them? Why do you feel that way about them?
- Your specifications are perfect so how did that typo slip into the section on roofing?
- How often do you ask for product information from the project team only to get it on the day that project has to go out bid? And why is this a problem?
- Whose responsibility is it to coordinate specifications prepared by multiple consultants with those prepared by you? Has your opinion changed since you began writing specifications?
- What are air barriers and how do you specify them? Are they different from vapor barriers?
- If you could choose a different profession, knowing what you know now, what would it be? And why?
- How do you explain the importance of specifications to achieving design intent to other team members? How successful are you in getting buy-in from them?
- Substitution requests/or equal/performance specifications: which one gives you the most heartburn?
- What is your opinion of specifying new, untried products on projects?
The event was well attended and considered a huge success. By popular demand this program promises to become an annual event.
