Construction documents have become “unconstructable,” according to Bert Jones, architects, and professional engineers participating in a discussion in mid-November at Schnabel Engineering headquarters in Glen Allen.
Jones’ solution was to do it better, to “Do it right the first time. Pay attention to the documents as they are being prepared and talk to each other when we can still affect change before we are under construction. It is always more effective to do it right the first time than to do it and redo it three or four more times.”
Jones, an architect, was speaking from his position as the associate vice chancellor for facilities management services with the Virginia Community College System. With him was Ed Gillikin AIA, immediate past president of VSAIA and deputy chief facilities officer for VCCS.
Meeting with them were architects and professional engineers from throughout the Richmond region.
The consensus seemed to be that the electronic media used by architects and engineers makes it so easy to develop and revise construction documents that the coordination of those documents within the architects’ offices and among all of their consultants becomes inconsistent at best and non-existent at worst. In addition, the schedules placed upon professionals by clients/owners might be unrealistic.
Jones related his experiences in other positions and agencies in years prior to the advent and adoption of building information modeling (BIM) programs. Years ago, he or one of his staff would sit down with architects for one, two, or three weeks to review the drawings for constructability. These meetings were designed to find the conflicts among structure, plumbing, and mechanical systems and to avoid as much as possible the concept and expense of “working it out in the field.”
At that time, though, he had three times the staff he currently has at VCCS. And the number of projects, he said, is about the same. The VCCS encompasses 23 colleges on 40 campuses. This includes about 350 buildings and 8.8 million square feet of occupied space. Currently, VCCS has $480 million in projects under construction.
The stumbling block, Jones suggested, might be the unrealistic schedules, which lead to a circle of inefficient reviews for incomplete work.
It does not help, he said, to meet the deadlines if the coordination is missing. “The constructability checks are too brief or not done at all. Add time for a group review with the whole team, including the owner/client. If you get an unrealistic deadline, tell me,” Jones said. “What we’re doing right now isn’t working. We have to find a way to get you those ‘two weeks.’ It is more effective to do it right the first time.”
He indicated that he would be flexible on the schedule and would support such a request from the professionals working on VCCS projects. Further, he indicated a willingness to lobby other agencies to do the same in the common goal of getting it right the first time.
In response to a question of fees, he said VCCS does not use a maximum percentage or an artificial dollar limit on fees. “All fees are negotiated,” he said. And he said VCCS has never walked away from negotiations with a top-ranked firm since he has headed the agency.
Ben Hatcher, AIA, with Clark-Nexsen agreed with Jones’ comment. “If you don’t get the fee you need, it’s your own fault.”
On the other hand, Lindley Vaughan, PE, with structural consulting firm DMWPV, said his project requirements have increased four times from several years ago, “but the fees have not.” He said that a project that requires a 20-sheet set of drawings now required but four or five in the past.
Despite the additional workload brought on by technology and ever increasing requirements, Jones believes the efficiency gained through proper attention at the proper time would make a difference. “I do not think additional staff are necessary. [Concentrating on constructability] will allow us to redirect our resources from fighting with each other to focusing on doing it right the first time. In order to affect this change, it has to be a joint effort.”