Along the process of design and construction, incredible stories of conflict and triumph emerge in pursuit of the broad vision for a building. Detailed is a series that features architects, engineers, builders, and manufacturers who share their insight and expertise as they highlight some of the most complex, interesting, and oddest building conditions that they have encountered, and the ingenuity it took to solve them. Join host, aka CSI Kraken, a Senior Specification Writer at RDH Building Science, as she uncovers lessons learned to help you navigate similar challenges that may arise in your next project.

The podcast can be listened to on the ARCAT page here.  We'll always have the link on the blog sidebar here --->

Listen in on Spotify here. 

Listen in on Apple Podcasts here. 

If you have an interesting challenge or project you’d like to share, click here. 

Contributed by Eric D. Lussier

If you were a frequent reader to the "Let's Fix Construction" blog, you have, or at least I hope you have, wondered where the new posts and contributions have gone. So do I. 

Fourteen months removed from a monumental change to ALL of our lives, I have found myself more disconnected at times now than at any point in 2020. And that is just as the glowing light at the end of the tunnel seems to be brighter than ever. We're good to live a life unmasked IF you're vaccinated. Live concerts are returning. New cases are not the lead story on the news. A return to norm seems to be right in front of us.

But, what will be the new norm? Will offices go back to full capacity? Will you ever have an employer again that questions the work from home model? Will we be more apt to jump on a Zoom to connect with someone? Will virtual events be the standard and in-person be the exception? I don't know the answers.

I have struggled many times with where to bring this website and blog. The content that at one time flowed from contributors, including myself, has slowed. The energy and time to curate was getting harder and harder to find and that was before a global pandemic fundamentally changed everything we did. 

I, like many, hit a time of rock bottom in 2020. It turned out to be a rollercoaster of a year, and it included many highs and many lows. 2021 started much the same and I've experienced more emotions on a personal level than I anticipated after "surviving" 2020. I continue to look within, try to re-establish the groove that I found at times last year, and find it harder and harder to do so.

What does all of this have to do with "Let's Fix Construction"? Well, for background, the LFC movement was never about one person or one voice. It was always about the long list of contributors, whether they were a one-time poster, or offered multiple titles. As I internalize about which direction to push the website, I know that I don't want to be a one-voice channel, nor do I want it to only be about flooring. Meanwhile, I also recognize that through the voices of myself and others, that a destination has been established here for true form and proper function with the AEC industry. 

As business was booming within the construction industry a few years ago, I saw firsthand how the knowledgeshare went from a giving model to almost an SEO-model. Meaning those that I relied on for words and thoughts were doing so from their own freewill, and because they wanted to give. And when time became harder to find to continue to give, priorities were shifted elsewhere - to business, to family, to living. Myself included. 

So, as I plot out a future for "Let's Fix Construction" that I hope looks like pre-pandemic days, I ask for advice. What would you like to see going forward on these pages, in person and on airwaves? Are you consuming more podcasts and less blog reading now? Do you still look to the written word? How are you finding your trusted advisors? Please comment below or reach out to letsfixconstruction@gmail.com and I look forward to hearing from you. 

Contributed by Eric D. Lussier

Hi. 

It's Eric.

Yeah, it's been a while. I know.

I'm sorry. 

Please accept my apology? 

Thank you.

I could use your help.

As many in the AEC (Architecture/Engineering/Construction) industry face a return to some sort of office-life, normalcy or jobsites after COVID-19, I wanted to take this time to use your knowledge, experience and assistance in matters that are near and dear to my professional life, concrete and flooring finishes. 

Concrete moisture, surface planarity, adhesives, new products, lack of training and the skilled labor shortages are quite possibly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what many of us deal with on a daily basis. 

I would VERY MUCH appreciate it if you could take just three minutes to answer three different questions as it pertains to concrete and flooring. The best part is you can remain completely anonymous if you wish. Don't feel like answering this Google Form? Then please email me at letsfixconstruction@gmail.com or send a video or text to me at 802-922-8407. 

I cannot thank you enough.  I'm excited to read your replies.

Contributed by Eric Hardenbrook

After reading last week's post, 'Where Did the Good Drawings Go?', I wanted to comment. I tried to formulate a way to squeeze all the things I wanted to say into that little comment box while remaining coherent. It just didn't work, there was simply too much to say. Rather than piling on or picking specific pieces to react to, I need to go in an additional direction that dovetails with what that article had to say.

Architecture schools need to adapt or die. An alternate path to obtaining a license for technical architecture should be created and contain mandatory time at a construction site as a graduation requirement. If you have a problem with your foot, you don't go see a cardiologist. The medical profession figured it out, architecture should too. Why do I have to see a designer if my needs are technical when it comes to my building? There should be room for both.

The question of the drawings is what I found particularly vexing. I was delighted that we at least are not blaming the software at this point. A carpenter shouldn't blame the hammer if the cabinets are crooked. What are you looking at when you say 'drawings' these days? Are you holding one sheet of paper? A roll of drawings? An iPad or a smart device or a laptop? Did you get the whole set of drawings or just the parts that were deemed to pertain to what you're working on, without regard to where those references come from? Better, do you have a screen in the job trailer with a junior member of the team 'driving' you around a three-dimensional view of the project? Where did that model come from? Who made the decisions on all the parts that model was created from? In short ~ when you say 'drawings', what are your expectations?

That brings us to the expertise part. When you – or anyone really – are signing a deal, what are you agreeing to? Yes, there's all that so-called standard language at the front end of the spec, but is the AIA E203 or G201 included in the contract documents? Have you discussed any of what is in those with your team? And not just your own office, but any consultants you might be working with? When those items are part of the mix, you are saddling the team with very specific technology requirements along with 'just making drawings'.

Having a clear understanding of what you're signing up to deliver sounds like common sense, but is too often pushed aside with thoughts like, “we've built buildings for years, this can't be that hard...” or “we just need to get this work, then we'll figure out the technical bits...”. These thought processes are the root of a great many of these so-called poor drawings. The expectation in many offices is that we've done this with vanilla CAD for years, we'll cut the fee and hand the grunt work to a junior drafter.

This way of thinking must stop. The team tasked with creating project documentation requires a level of knowledge and skill that is vastly different from what it has been in the past. This includes numerous fields of study that are specifically NOT architecture. On any given day / project, I am required, at a minimum, to have a working (expert) or at least functional knowledge of no fewer than 15 separate computer programs to create the various parts of project presentations. That does not include video or audio production if we're trying to create one of those cool ten-second videos of our model to show clients or use in an interview. That's just the programs. That doesn't include the actual architecture parts. You know, little things like ADA, IBC, NFPA, rebar, flashing, expansion joints... you get the idea.

Members of any construction team, from the lead designer all the way to the team in the job trailer, need to have a clear expectation and understanding of what is behind what they are asking for. IF you are part of the boots on the ground, communicate what you need. Be specific about what you need to see in the drawings that you're not seeing. What are you asking for? If you're part of the design / production team, demand time to get out of the chair and into the field. Gain as much knowledge as you can from the people that put these things together.

Contributed by Jeffrey Potter

I recently was listening to a construction podcast where one of the topics briefly discussed was how terrible drawings have become. More like copy and paste, drag and drop type documents. This isn’t the first I have heard this, but this time, I stopped to think why. Why has an industry that was known for perfection and being detailed oriented now being referred to by a Contractor of almost the opposite? Well, personally I think it comes down to several areas where Architecture has failed.
 
The first, and probably, the most unpopular, as I’ll get some disagreement across the board is with Architecture school programs. Note, I am addressing what I see comes out of the local college Architecture programs, not everyone single one. I also didn’t go through an Architecture program, but I see what it is and what it focuses on and what it doesn’t focus on. Architecture school focuses on design and theory where students are almost suffocated with the amount of work they have to do. All the interns and recent new hires I ask, say they get about one semester of professional practice, but that no one pays attention because it doesn’t matter, and they have to spend more time on their design classes. Now design is great, it needs to be taught, it needs to be understood, because design gets you the “W”. If a firm puts out crappy designs, they are not getting Work. So, design is a huge component.
 
However, I think the technical aspect of the profession is missing and contributing to the overall thought that construction drawings are terrible. These young students come out of school with no technical training. They are expected to learn this technical training, which is a huge part of the job, on the job from others. I have had conversations with PM level employees or employees who have been in this industry for a long time that don’t know what specs are, how to read them, or how they relate to their drawings!!! Are you kidding me!!!?? We expect these young professionals to be the production and the Project Architect to direct the technical aspects of the project, but what if the Project Architect has no idea either or is a poor teacher? How are these young professionals supposed to learn!? Many firms don’t invest in the training needed to learn and fully understand the implications of their Work. They have no idea that one simple mislabeled keynote could cost their firm thousands if not tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

​Personally, I think Architecture school should have two tracts. Those who are more design driven, and those who are more technical. I didn’t consider Architecture school because I am no artist, I can’t draw, I am a technical person. Now that I know what Architecture is, I would have thrived on a technical path, if it existed. This would partially solve the problem. It would teach those technical aspects of the profession and make it more real world. Especially when it comes to risk management. Something they also don’t learn until they get burned.
 
Second, we are in a transition period where the baby boomers are retiring with all this knowledge. Once they are gone, that knowledge of 30+ years is gone forever. As a profession, I think we are stuck trying to find out how to capture that knowledge so it can be kept and passed down. The world is moving digital, so how do we get all of this information and knowledge from human minds and documents from the last thirty years? I believe it starts with an information management system. Where communication between people can occur, documents can be kept and tracked, and all of this is search for future generations. I am not sure how many firms have a system like this, but it is one that my firm is attempting to do. It’s tough to get people on board, because there is no immediate reward. It is a reward that comes later, and probably to someone else looking for the answer.
 
Without all this information stored from these career professionals, we could lose decades of it. That’s why, we as younger professionals need to engage and learn. It is on us to ask the questions, not for them to just give answers. We need to take the time to learn and understand, rather than be told the answer without understanding it. The younger professionals need to take advantage of these more knowledgeable people, because one day, they might not be there… and then what? Where do we go for information? GOOGLE!
 
GOOGLE, believe it or not, is an information storage system that is searchable. It has all the answers, right?!? Most times I am never let down by the power of GOOGLE. So, why are we younger professionals not setting up our own GOOGLE within our firms that is SPECIFIC to our firm and its’ history. GOOGLE doesn’t know why we don’t use a certain product, but someone at our firm does, and we need those answers. What if we use a product or detail that ends up in a lawsuit? In which, we have had history with that product or detail and didn’t use it for certain reasons. How are we supposed to know this? By capturing knowledge and information on a firm specific information management system.
 
Third, understanding the cost of a mistake. One simple word, such as “galvanized”, being omitted can have huge ramifications on a project. I think young professionals need to understand that the production work they are doing can have a huge negative cost attached to it if done incorrectly. Yes, QA/QC procedures are there for a reason, to check the work, but nobody is perfect.
 
If people don’t understand the costs of mistakes, then the thought process of, oh "they will just figure it out in the field as the contractors and tradesmen / tradeswomen are experts at putting it together, so they will know", or "they will ask an RFI". Let me tell you, if that is the case, figure it out on the field, it costs a lot more money to answer an RFI or receive and approve a Change Order, than figuring it out during DD (Design Development) or CD  (Construction Documents) and having it detailed and specified correctly.
 
Most production level professionals don’t see the bottom line, they don’t see the change order costs or the average cost to process an RFI. They should, so it scares them, and shows them the importance of their work and also gives them a sense of responsibility. It holds them and everyone on the project team accountable for a good set of contract documents.
 
Finally, better training. Young professionals coming out of school get training from more experienced staff, but what if this more experienced staff is not a good teacher or teaches bad habits? I firmly agree that all young professionals should have a mentor and go through a training program at their firm. The more experienced and knowledgeable staff need to step up and train the younger generations to be just as capable as they are.
 
My firm recognized this and has invested in training programs. It’s something that every firm should do, if it can afford to. We want to fix this industry, but we can't do it if we don’t train. Otherwise, Architects will lose their grip even more, and Contractors will take advantage of our mistakes more often with greater cost.
 
Are there other reasons why drawings suck? Yes, most likely, but I firmly believe in these four. These four contribute in some capacity, no doubt in my mind. No matter how popular or unpopular some of my thoughts are above, we all have to recognize that drawings or simply contract document are not what they used to be. It will take time, but together, as an industry, we can change this perception.

(Editor's Note: You can view this blog and more on Jeffrey Potter's blog, In My Element.)