Design & Specification Flashcards
What is a feasibility study?
A preliminary investigation into the viability of a proposed project.
What may you include in a feasibility study?
- Required statutory consents
- Analysis of client budget and requirements
- Assessment of site information
- Budget costs for development based on outline options
- Procurement options
- Any limitations of the site e.g. conservation areas
What is the RIBA Plan of Work?
The RIBA Plan of Work is the industry standard for the differing stages of a construction project and the roles and responsibilities involved.
What are the RIBA Plan of Work stages?
There are eight stages:
- Strategic Definition
- Preparation and briefing
- Concept design
- Spatial coordination
- Technical design
- Manufacturing and construction
- Handover
- Use
What is a tender document?
A collection of documents created for the procurement of works. The document is made up of:
- A tender invitation letter
- Form of tender
- Preliminaries
- Specification
- Schedule of works
- Drawings
- Pre-construction information including risk register
What are preliminaries?
A description of the project which allows for the contractor to price for parts of the job not included elsewhere in the document e.g. scaffolding.
What is a specification?
A description of the products, material and work required for a job.
What do you include within a specification?
I include reference to the general materials to be used and the quality of workmanship required through reference to British Standards.
What is the NBS?
National Building Specification, they are the industry standard for specification information.
What types of specification are you aware of?
Performance based - open specifications which detail the desired output with the design and detailing left up to the contractor e.g. a rewire, I will specify that this is done to BS7671 but lack the required skill or experience to specify this myself.
Prescriptive - Detail the type of products and materials to be used and the execution and installation methods to be used e.g. moisture resistant plasterboard to kitchen, screw fixed, joints taped and filled.
What would you include within a tender drawing?
I usually produce floor plans to go alongside a tender. These show the basic layout of the property and provide additional information such as location of outlets or smoke alarms. I will often include a window / door schedule with sizes also.
Do you include sizes on your drawings?
No, I omit sizes and explicitly state drawings are not to be scaled from and that the contractor should measure on site themselves.
What standards do you sue for your drawings?
I have developed my own standard template and drawing style with different layers and colours for each building element.
Why would you specify a petrographic analysis?
I would specify a petrographic analysis to assess stone. This allows for a closely matching stone with similar properties to that in situ to be chosen for a project. This can aid in preventing uneven wearing of differing stone.
Why did you specify Lithomex for surface repairs to stone?
I specified Lithomex because it is a lime based restoration mortar. The lime base allows for the breathability / permeability of stonework be maintained in contrast to cement mortar.
