Design and Specification Flashcards
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What document has RICS published on Design and Specification?
RICS guidance note on Design and Specification 2013
What is an effective project vision?
An effective project vision should result in distinct objectives capable of clear understanding by third parties not yet involved in the project.
Give me an example of a project outcome.
Achieving key performance indicators (KPIs)
What are the potential sources of design resources?
- The client organisation
- General construction consultants; architects, engineers, surveyors, etc.
- Specialist construction consultants – building systems, installations
What role can a lead consultant have in risk management?
In the absence of a project risk manager, the lead consultant can be seen as the one who identifies; analyses and responds, especially during the early stages of the design process.
How can the lead consultant ensure consistency in design undertaken by others?
By influencing the designers
What is a design programme?
A design programme (or design schedule) describes the sequence of design tasks from the initial appointment of the design team to the completion of the design.
For straightforward projects, this might be a simple Gantt chart showing each consultant’s planned resources for each stage.
What are typical areas of content definition
drawing scale conventions and the implications for detail and accuracy
title references; general arrangement, sketch, component, assembly, schematic
building grid and service/structural zoning
What is BIM?
Building Information Modelling is the use of a shared digital representation of a built asset to facilitate design, construction and operation processes to form a reliable basis for decisions.
What is a project brief?
The project brief is the final stage in the process of defining the client’s requirements for the development of a built asset.
What may a project brief include?
A description of the client
Site information
Spatial, technical, component and project requirements
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What is the RIBA Plan of Work?
The RIBA Plan of Work organises the process of briefing, designing, delivering, maintaining, operating and using a building into eight stages.
What are the stages of the RIBA Plan of Work?
- Strategic Definition
- Preparation and Briefing
- Concept Design
- Spatial Coordination
- Technical Design
- Manufacturing and Construction
- Handover
- Use
What is the strategic definition stage?
The stage outcome is getting the best means of achieving the Client Requirements confirmed.
What is the preparation and briefing stage?
The outcome is that the Project Brief is approved by the client and confirmed that it can be accommodated on-site.
What is the concept design stage?
The outcome is that the Architectural Concept is approved by the client and aligned with the project brief
What is the spatial coordination stage?
The outcome is that all design information required to manufacture and construct the project is completed.
What is the Technical Design stage?
The outcome is that all design information required to manufacture and construct the project completed.
What is the Manufacturing and Construction stage?
The outcome is that the manufacturing, construction and Commissioning completed.
What is the Handover stage?
The outcomes are that the building is handed over, Aftercare initiated and Building Contract concluded.
What is the Use stage?
The outcomes are that the building is used, operated and maintained efficiently
What should a lead consultant undertake during the design process managment stage:
Design process management:
- Assess options available for a project based integrated information system
- Determine the project protocols and promote a unified standard process between designers
- Reinforce aspects of design definition and change control
- Identify system call on project resources.
What should a lead consultant undertake when establishing the project?
Establishing the project:
- Guide the client through the briefing process
- Manage expectations, identify uncertainty
What should a lead consultant undertake during the outline design and specification stage?
Outline design and specification
- Review against the project brief, identify change and performance
- Provide a design report
- Take the opportunity to obtain an independent review.
What should a lead consultant undertake when preparing for the detailed design stage?
Preparing for detailed design:
- Identify areas of prescription and performance
- Identify methods of expressing quality and its verification
- Assess the requirement for warranties and other design undertakings
- Review design method and report.
What should a lead consultant undertake when preparing for the design production stage?
Design production:
- Control and review document consistency, coverage and co-ordination
- Review the design against the brief objectives and the project outcomes
- Report on detailed design and make recommendations.
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What is a specification?
Specifications describe the products, materials, and work required by a construction contract.
They do not include cost, quantity, or drawn information, and so need to be read alongside other information such as quantities, schedules, and drawings.
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What is a perscriptive specification?
A perscriptive specification is where the design is already complete.
Prescriptive specifications typically contain detailed descriptions of the following components:
- General requirements relating to regulations and standards.
- The type of products and materials required.
- The execution and installation methods required.
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What is a performance specification?
A performance specification gives the contractor and suppliers more scope to innovate and adopt cost effective methods of work, potentially offering better value for money.
When are the different specification methods used?
performance specifications are written on projects that are straight-forward, standard building types, whereas prescriptive specifications are written for more complex buildings.
most projects will involve a combination of performance and prescriptive specifications, where items crucial to the design will be specified prescriptively (such as external cladding), whilst less critical items, or items requiring specialist design are specified only by performance (such as service lifts).
How should a specification be structured?
Specifications should be structured according to work packages mirroring the separation of the works into sub-contracts.
This makes it easier for the contractor to price and so may result in a more accurate tender. A standard classification system should be followed, such as Uniclass.
What is a bill of quantity?
A bill of quantities is a document prepared by the cost consultant (often a quantity surveyor) that provides project-specific, measured quantities of the items of work required to complete the project.
These quantities are usually highlighted in the drawings and specifications that form part of the tender documentation.
What is a schedule?
The term ‘schedule’ simply refers to a list
What is the typical tender process?
- invitation to tender
- Clarification
- Submission
- Settlement
- Contract engrossement
ICSSC
What are the types of tendering
- Open tendering - anyone can submit a tender
- Selective tendering - only allows suppliers to submit tenders by invitation
- Negotiated tendering - negotiating with a single supplier
- Serial tendering - for multiple or notional projects
What is single-stage tendering?
Single-stage tendering is used when all the information necessary to calculate a realistic price is available when tendering commences
What is two stage tendering?
Two-stage tendering is used to allow early appointment of a supplier, prior to the completion of all the information required to enable them to offer a fixed price.
How would chose between specification types?
Who is best placed to select that components.
What is JCT?
The Joint Contracts Tribunal was formed by RIBA and now produces a range of standard forms of contract for the construction of buildings accompanied by guidance notes and other standard forms of documentation.
What is an outline specification?
An outline specification is a brief description of the main components to be used in construction. They should be described in sufficient detail to allow the cost consultant to prepare some approximate quantities.
What is an output based specification?
Output-based specifications define the client’s functional requirements for the proposed development.
What are the most common procurement routes?
- Traditional contract
- Deign and build
- Management contract
- PFI
What is Design and Build
Design and build is a procurement route in which the main contractor is appointed to design and construct the works. Design and build can be attractive to clients as it gives a single point of responsibility for delivering the project.
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What is the RICS paper on Modern Methods of Construction?
RICS paper on Modern Methods of Construction 2018
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Can you give me some examples, pros and cons of MMC?
CLT
Pros: high strength-to-weight ratio, timber is a carbon sink - sustainable
Cons: Less thermally efficient than concrete
Offsite modular building
Pros: Building offsite within a controlled factory environment minimises risk, resulting in a faster build programme, assured quality control and enhanced build performance standards.
Cons: Offsite manufacturing requires a large investment up front and returns over the long term, so you need a stable market
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Why will the sale of fluorescent lights be banned in the UK from September 2023?
Restriction of the use of Hazardous Substances directive bans the sale of fluorescent lights from 1 September 2023
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What is a Design Risk Assessment?
DRA is not mentioned under The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.
A DRA is meant to guide or even justify the decisions made by a designer.
What did you learn from reading parts of the building regulations?
How does regulation affects the design and specification process?
What’s a schedule?
