Today’s innovative construction firms are aligning competencies and coordinating a wealth of capabilities, via data and design knowledge.
As an example, InterSpec Inc., www.interspec.com, Vienna, Va., recently announced Design Collaborative, www.designcollaborative.com, Fort Wayne, Ind., has selected its e-SPECS solutions as the firm-wide specification solution.
Founded with the mission to improve people’s worlds, Design Collaborative is an integrated design firm providing architecture, mechanical, and electrical engineering, and interior design services for higher education, healthcare, and corporate design clients.
When Design Collaborative had a need to standardize its construction documents, the firm audited a number of software programs in search of a solution that would offer it increased efficiency in production time. While upgrading its workflow, the firm additionally identified a need to catalog the knowledge amassed in more than 10 years of product research and project manuals.
Essentially, the company’s engineering team wanted to move towards the industry standard, according to Jason Baker, associate partner and professional mechanical engineer, Design Collaborative. With editing of custom Microsoft Word files, the firm wanted integration of the years of experience used in those custom sections into the MasterFormat 2004.This would allow a united firm and use of a consistent, single software that met its specification writing needs.
The answer lied in incorporation of AIA MasterSpec master specifications to enhance commitment to clients, when Design Collaborative selected e-SPECS to streamline its specifications process. By integrating e-SPECS across the firm’s disciplines, Design Collaborative could standardize project manual development using e-SPECS Linx and archive the years of design knowledge using e-SPECS Designer to begin building an internal office master.
Before e-SPECS, it was a monumental task for Design Collaborative staff to put together project manuals. With e-SPECS, staff was able to generate a lot of project manual content very quickly, says Lori Donovan, project secretary, Design Collaborative. The result is increase in efficiency using e-SPECS, with extensive use of e-SPECS within offices.
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