Drinking Fountains in Men’s Restrooms.
Can be done but must have the rim of the sink minimum 60" above finished floor.
The men’s restroom in the BeerStube at the Whitefish ski area in Montana has the lav (singular) mounted at least 48" AFF.
Bradley foot activated hand wash sinks are also at risk in both men’s and women’s washrooms if the venue is on a university campus, during frosh week, during a concert with beer vendors.
After stating in an email to the civil engineer on a project that they are not to include the geotechnical report as a contract document (they seem to always do that), this is what I got in return, just a few moments ago, regarding their specifications:
“I still need to work thru how the pavement sections will be addressed since the soils report is not considered a contract document, who is ultimately responsible for the pavement section design?”
And people complain that architects are trying to limit their responsibility by passing some of the work onto others.
This was not a question - but it was quite silly. I once worked for a corporate client who did not want to spend money on field checking. Instead, they wanted the A/E firms to rely on the existing drawings that they had available for each site location and to use their standard general notes. One of their corporate standard general notes read as follows: “The contractor is responsible to provide everything that is indicated on the drawings including items that are shown as existing that are not there”. They truly expected that if a door, toilet room or “whatever” was shown as existing, and it was not actually there that the contractor had to provide it. They even admonished me for field checking a project that was within close driving range.
oh… this just came through on some shop drawings:
“Architect’s approval of shop drawings shall be construed to mean acceptance of all deviations shown.”
our response: “no, it doesn’t. see Division 1”.
My first post architecture education home was an apartment in San Francisco I shared with an also just graduated architecture major from Yale.
As I was the graduate from U of Oregon, which seemed to imply real hands-on experience, I was put in charge of building out our photo darkroom in the attic.
Picking a board off the floor one day he asked me what this was, and when I explained, he said with a note of wonder in his voice, “So THAT’S a 2 by 4!”
I was just asked from an Architect, if architectural precast, acid etch finish looked like marble. ???
Am I missing a new finish from PCI?
New spelling:
TOILET /REST RM. ‘ABBRIBIATION’ LEGEND.
We were designing a hospital in a large California city. We had a meeting with a city contract specialist to go over contract requirements. Everything needed to be competively bid. Two of their chief concerns:
Provide an alternate source to code compliance than the California Building Code.
Provide and alternate source to issue permits than OSHPD (Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development).
“There are no silly questions, there are only silly people.” (or something like that)
[quote]
Provide an alternate source to code compliance than the California Building Code.
Provide and alternate source to issue permits than OSHPD (Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development).[/quote]
Wow, that’s fantastic. Let us know if you find any viable alternatives. We could make a fortune marketing it!
Mr. Bruneel,
I believe if I had heard those statements I would have told them that I was out of the project and to find another Architect! Did the project end well? It did not sound like it started off that way for sure!
Melissa “looking for an alternate source to my reality- a surreality if you will” Aguiar
Arnold must be looking for that contract person [to “terminate”???}
Not a question but latest “instruction”–
“This Change Transmittal goes out this afternoon, but date it, May 16th”
Huh???
Client request! Wonder who’s in trouble?
Similar to Mr. Beard’s: When told that certain information belongs in the specs and not in the drawings, the project architect’s response was “The Contractor told us to put it on the drawings.”
To all concerned: The project where the city bureaucrat wanted us to find an alternate code for competitive compliance is going fine. I would post a link to construction cams but lets keep this project “anonymous”.
Another one of my favorites, from several years ago:
“I need a spec for a ballasted roof system. The aggregates on the roof will be provided by a landscape contractor and not the roof contractor. Can you provide me with this? Don’t we have one that is already formatted from a previous job?”
I sent back a few silly questions of my own:
– What membrane material?
– What is the basis of design product / system?
– Manufacturer?
– Reinforced membrane or unreinforced?
– Overall roof assembly?
– What is exterior fire-test exposure class?
– Type of insulation?
– Thickness / R-value of insulation?
– Type of deck and substrate?
– What is roof slope?
– Is insulation uniform thickness or tapered?
– Wind uplift resistance requirements?
– Who is Owner’s insurance carrier?
– Does overall system have to comply with FM Global or UL, or other?
– Perimeter condition - parapet or roof edge/facia?
– Internal drains or scuppers or gutters?
– Has structural engineer verified in writing that roof structure (originally designed for modified bit roof) can carry the extra weight of the ballast?
– Will the manufacturer warrant the roofing system if someone else’s ballast is used?
– Will the manufacturer warrant the system if someone else other than their approved applicator installs the ballast?
– What is the desired warranty duration?
Never heard from him again.
He’s still trying to find answers to your questions
I got a request today for a “3-hour rated dock leveler”
After almost 40 years in the business, the last 12 as a spec writer, it seems to me that we are working with “dumb & dumber”
It’s really scary.
Not a question, but showing silliness is everywhere;
Latest News-In front of 5 lawyers, a registered/licensed architect, state certified code inspector, photographer, and statement recorder…the local inspector insisted as per IRC 1102.1.10…all vertical joints between immediately adjacent and nailed together studs, must be caulked to prevent air movement. All these joints are completely covered by OSB/Tyvek on the outside and drywall/low perm primer on the inside. In most cases, the thinnest feeler gauge could not be forced between the studs. The joints where the ends of the studs meet the plates was not addressed. There was no mention of the joint between the 2x6 top plates or bottom plate/floor joint, either. The local inspector pointed to the pairs of studs holding up headers over doors and windows and corners where multiple studs are nailed together. Individual studs, 16" oc were not mentioned as air movement sources.
There is a TV show that might be apropos in the situation. It’s called “Just Shoot Me.”