Why Younger Architects Dont Want to Become Specifiers

Archive of Older Topics Archive - Specifications Discussions #4
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Seriously, there are some necessary attributes that I don’t find prevalent in “younger” (under 50?) architects. One is the desire to know construction products: how to evaluate, select and detail (in text and graphics) products that make the design real (other than GREEN attributes). Another is knowledge of construction contract documents. Communication abilities are secondary to these issues.

I try to inform and even educate the architects I work with. I don’t find much interest, however, only resentment that I’m making problems by wanting technical design directions, like which options to select for the specified product or even to want to know what specific characteristics should apply to an overly-generalized design direction, such as (the latest example) “add a ‘bulletproof’ ticket window.” After all, the expectation is that the spec writer will compensate for what architects don’t know (an ever expanding void).

But I’ll still ask the questions and inform the “designer” about what has been done in the past by the firm and state that I will follow that spec unless otherwise directed. Sometimes I get a response. Usually the issue gets resolved much later, as a response to an RFI from a bidder or contractor or from the owner when an unsatisfactory product gets installed. Of course, the issue then has turned into errors, omissions and uncoordinated descriptions in the specs rather than insufficient design directions.

I guess the fun will come back to spec writing when BIM takes over. The BIM objects will provide all the information a spec writer needs to whip out a clear, correct, complete, concise and expedient spec … or at least until the BIM program becomes robust enough to generate the complete set of specifications without a spec writer.

42

John, I am pleased to point out that I am fourteen months shy of my 50th birthday and still tremendously interested in all aspects of my work. I believe Ronald Geren and several others who contribute to this forum are similarly youthful as well. That said, we may be in the minority among all architects of our and the following generation. Maybe Im just a geek but I fondly remember poring over Sweets catalogs as an intern and being amazed at the number and variety of products listed. Thats back when Sweets was still sixteen volumes.

I am also happy to say that there are a number of young architects in my office and in this city who seem to be very interested in construction products and construction contract documents. Several have even taken, and in some cases passed, the CDT exam with no coercion or promise of immediate reward from their supervisors. These are the young professionals for whom I go out of my way to assist when they come to me with questions.

I see BIM as a further opportunity for a valuable dialog with these younger architects. I believe the huge change regarding the process in which we engage to do our work will force the issue of the experienced and technically knowledgeable senior architects imparting their know-how to the younger ones.

Though I have not yet reached the half-century mark, I do consider myself to be a part of the old guard in that the way I began practicing architecture twenty years ago was not so different from the way it was practiced 120 years ago. I also understand that I have an obligation as a professional, i.e. degreed, licensed, and a member of a national organization of similarly trained and accredited people, to further the ideals of that profession by continually developing my expertise and passing that along to the next generation.

To me that is an exciting thought as I know it is to some even more mature professionals. I expect that my efforts to fulfill that obligation will keep me young in the coming years. In short, there are young people out there who are interested in all aspects of this profession. When we find them we must do what is necessary to ensure that they maintain that interest and see the rewards, both monetary and otherwise, for doing so.

43

I have to 2nd John’s comment in his second paragraph “I don’t find much interest, however, only resentment that I’m making problems…”

As baby-boomer specifiers ( I am excluding anyone under 50 as a baby-boomer), we view drawings with the same critical eye as the contractor. However, many times our oversight and coordination attempts are viewed as meddlesome, unsolicited, and mostly ingnored.

Grant Simpson and James Atkins wrote in “YOUR GRANDFATHERS WORKING DRAWINGS”

“Criticism is presented to young architects with more thought of not offending than of teaching.”

“These days, senior project leaders…no longer mentor and coach…”

“The result all too often is incomplete, unworkable, or worse un-constructible designs depicted on drawings that must be revised to a sufficient and acceptable level of quality while under fire on the job site. It is not always clear who is teaching whom about the technical arts in architecture. It appears that, in a number of cases, the experience quotient has essentially turned upside down.”

“The relationship of working drawings and specifications is too often misunderstood.”

Since James brought his age into the discussion, for the record, I am 8 months shy of my 63rd birthday, have been a spec writer for 36 years, and in the profession for 42.

Wayne

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Since we’re talking age here, I’m slightly less than one month away from my 66th birthday, but have only been in the profession for about 24 years, and writing specs for 14 years. So I’m sort of straddling the fence - I’m older (older even than real baby-boomers), but relatively new to spec writing. (I graduated with my MArch in 1985).

Maybe I’ve been fortunate, maybe it’s the region of the country that I’m in, maybe it’s that I’ve worked with larger firms, maybe it’s something else that I can’t identify, but I find, for the most part, that the young, emerging architectural professionals are eager to learn, welcome corrections and questions, want to publish good documents, and participate in learning opportunities. This is also true of many of the interior design professionals with whom I have worked.

(I find it less so with engineering professionals in the same situation).

However, as much interest as these younger professionals show in good documents, I’ve found perhaps one who expressed an interest in writing specifications. Perhaps educational background is an issue; as John pointed out so eloquently above, well-written language is not stressed as it once was. I see poor communication skills, acceptance of below-par grammar and spelling, and misuse of language all around in our culture. Signage, advertising, print and audio media all contribute to the lowering of standards.

This isn’t necessarily new, either: how many of you have seen the sign “Slow Children at Play”? And there are many more examples of this “shorthand” version of language that we’ve accepted and understood for years! I think we have to blame ourselves somewhat for this shortcoming - to some degree, we “have met the enemy and they are us”.

With the advent of short communication - texting and tweets especially, our language will suffer even more unless we take steps to help ensure that language skills are maintained and raised. Language that is appropriate in one genre is not in another.

Maybe, just maybe, encouragement of our younger professionals in communication and improvements in their language abilities, will make writing specifications more inviting and less scary and daunting.

45

Hear, hear, Lynn. You are so right. Isn’t it ironic that the quality of communication has decreased as our power to communicate has increased? When I write anything, even entries to this forum, I have Webster’s on-line up and running. I often refer to other web sites as well to “check my facts” as well as the medium will allow. Indeed, there do seem to be some slow children at play these days. My two children (one in college and one a senior in high school) groan when I insist on checking their work. Maybe one day they will appreciate my effort just like all the other swell things I’ve done for them over the last 19 years.

Oh, by the way, I’ve decided that I will actually be turning “thirty-nineteen” on my next birthday.

46

My experience has been that a REALLY good designer is VERY interested in materials, because they understand how material differences can affect their design. And, a firm that enforces their specs (and expects the contractors to follow them) tends to develop project architects who assume that specs mean something.

While I’m 55 now, I did start as a full time specifier when I was 24 years old, after working for a spec consultant for a year or so. I never could draft, and I figured that every architect has to learn everything anyway, so I decided to learn it verbally. I also made sure my employers understood that interest. so, I’ve been a full time specifier since a very young age. I had a lot of contract law in college, but that’s probably the only thing that was different about my education.
Anyway, I think specifiers get paid what they think they are worth and can convince others to pay them. I know that a number of firms now are “getting by” without their specifiers, and my assumption is that after the high costs of construction administration on those projects start coming into the office, there might be some re-thinking about the value of the discipline.

47

I am having the 23rd anniversary of my 30th birthday next birthday.

48

I wonder if this is just not a symptom of the larger trend in our education system today. Artistic endevors are encouraged much more than they were 50 years ago when engineering was emphasized. I know that it my grandpa always wanted Dad to be an engineer, not an architect.

Personally, my first real firm after college understood the importance of specifications, however, it all fell on one person. That guy was a great detail who also did spec’s and was not very good at mentoring. He became overloaded and the spec’s kept getting passed on to people who never really like doing it. It back the necessary evil in our office. It took me 15 years before someone saw the potential and gave me the opportunity (or get laid off!) do spec’s. Once in that role, I realize I like that stuff! Unfortunately after a couple of very sucessful years, they did not see the value I was adding and would not pay me appropriately.

It has really helped me to understand what I am good at and what I am not as good at.

BTW, I will be celebrating my 47th birthday. That doesn’t bother me as much as the idea that someone will be calling me grandpa before this year is done.

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Grandpa (or, in my case, grandma) is probably the best thing I have ever been called. My heart leaps with joy at the sound. “Grandma, watch me” or “Grandma, can you play with me?” says volumes about not just my life, but about all the lives in my family that have gone before and all those that are to come. I hear “grandma” from our twin grandsons and from our older granddaughter and I can’t wait to hear the same wonderful word from our younger granddaughter. (And this after spending a week with the 3 older ones during what was supposed to be my vacation! Exhausting!)

Oh, and I am one of a group of parents and grandparents who correct their grammar - they all speak well, using parts of speech correctly, too.

50

Only problem is they don’t say things once!
Grandpa

51

Anne’s point about really, Really, REALLY good designer is very well taken. I have only met a handful of good designers and only one or two really good ones in my career.

I have met a number of capable designers who justify the rigid separation between the “Design Department” and the “Production Department”; in those cases the most capable designers are the people on the design team who understand what the “DESIGNER” is trying to do and make it happen with the fewest compromises in the aesthetic vision.

I would like to think at the spec writer, I am one of the people who tries to understand the vision and make it happen.

52

In all fairness, I have worked with some really good designers and technical architects. But the mood and attitude on the technical architect side of the coin has changed for the worse.

53

The related specifiers’ survey thread is evidence that most specifiers started later, in mid-career. But I think we all knew that.

If younger architects are not attracted to specifying, there’s nothing wrong with that, because they do not really become aware of the need for specifying, and the corresponding opportunities in specifying, until after they gain more experience. (And they need that experience to be good specifiers, so that’s fine.)

To paraphrase the first post in this thread, there are a number of reasons why younger architects don’t want to become specifiers—and also, why some change their minds as they age:

  1. Preparation for architects (especially formal academic education) strongly emphasizes visual quality as paramount—but with experience, some realize that there’s more to successful architecture than meets the eye…

  2. Perception of specifying as not being a critical and necessary part of design practice, but only tangentially related to design practice—is replaced by the realization that specifying is indeed critical and necessary, and that there will always be a need for experienced architects who can take an inexperienced designer’s concept and “make it work”…

  3. Perception of specifying as a narrowly focused specialty of only peripheral importance to being a real" architect—gives way to the realization that an understanding of materials like that gained through specifying is integral to being a “complete” architect…

  4. Perception that being an architect whose work is limited to the mundane duties of project management, CAD drafting, checking submittals, contract administration etc. is just as much a dead-end job as specifying (i.e., without a prospect of ever getting to design buildings), and that there’s a lot less competition in a non-graphic [verbal] specialty like being a specifier…

  5. Perception that architecture (in general, the profession as a whole, not just specifiers) is poorly compensated, that there may be more security in a job not many others want to do (or even learn how to do), and that if poor compensation is a given, then the prospect of enhanced job security is, at least, something…

54

Looking back on my beginning years of specifying, I most remember two things: 1) that I was better at writing spex than anyone else in our office [which was not saying much at all]; and, 2) it paid more than a project architect.

But the most memorable thing I think back on is that, at times, it terrified me – mostly because I started to really understand that I didn’t really know “do-do” about materials and systems. Sure I did OK in the standard, more commonly used, sections but there were so many sections that were new to me. I was writing sections on plaster walls with truss-type wire studs and other sections that are no longer even available today. And, yes I remember adding asbestos to the plaster for additional insulation values. There weren’t very many of the plastics and no foams [at least not many that could be trusted]. Roofing and dampproofing where all asphaltic [I still thick coal tar is a great system]. Issues like moisture migration through a building were only topics that were discussed amoung scientists - not by architects.

I started writing spex before there were “canned” or packaged spex such as Masterspec [and their great evaluation docs] and before there was access to the internet - only Sweat’s and mfrs catalogs. One really had to dig for and write away [snail mail] for information. Sometimes sections took weeks to understand and to write. CSI Industry members were a great resource from the earlist days.

Knowing what I know today, I don’t even think I would fully trust a “young” specifier or even an “old” inexperienced specifier in todays’ market. Furthermore, IMHO, I think a specifier to reach that “experienced” level has to have at least some experience in (i) drafting to better understand how to put a building together, (ii) contract administration to better understand how to write section administrative requirements, and (iii) some field experience to better understand the real world in the field.

55

not to entirely disagree with Ron, but I think a specifier, above all, has to ask questions. about everything, and continually. I never drafted, never did CA and didn’t have field experience, but I think I’ve managed to do okay in the spec world… and I think that those items can be compensated for. specifiers need a certain mind-set in order to think both specifically and globally about their projects (and their jobs) and whatever process you use to do that is equally useful. I would say that having 2 years of business law should be a requirement, but then, I did that, and its not a normal requirement in the architectural world.

56

Well said, Mr. Woodburn. Anne too is so correct: continuous questioning and learning is the key. Experience in “drafting” and construction contract administration is a big advantage but absence of that experience does not have to be a permanent hindrance to someone who is intelligent and inquisitive. I also agree with the statement regarding the value of knowledge of the law. I am fortunate to have an attorney who acts as our firm’s contracts consultant in the next cubicle. She is a great resource.

57

Regarding asking questions, I came upon an article highlighting Commodore Builders in Buidling Design+Construction, April 09 titled “Creating a Culture of Performance”. Commodore Buildings have 6 qualities of excellence. Two jumped out at me.

“-Capacity to anticipate - Be aware of what’s around the corner before you get there.”

AND

“-Ability to focus on the details - Assume nothing and ask everything. Seeing the big picture is important but you can’t mess up on the minutia, because construction has a zero tolerance for error.”

58

I began as a project architect, and moved into specs for most of the reasons Colin described. I’ve always felt that there’s little substantive difference between drawings and specs: to do both well, you think and communicate clearly, one in the language of drawing, and the other in prose. It sometimes seems that when specifiers discuss the profession, they define themselves by their difference from architects.

In our office, the PA’s edit their project specs, and as the previous spec manager said, even though there may not be deathly prose going out the door, the projects are better for it. The firm has been doing this for over 20 years, and we continue to do so because it works. Our architects answer [practically] all the issues that come up on their projects without having to consult with someone else on the specs. I believe that most of them could become full time specifiers; I believe that none ever plan/want to, and I don’t blame them. They control their projects, technically and schedule-wise, to a greater extent, and feel more ownership.

I’m often asked how the firm made the transition to this mode. I wasn’t here [for which I’m grateful], but obviously, it required management support. One of the reasons it came to pass: When there was a full staff of specifiers, it seemed that project specs was a bottleneck, and the projects ‘flowed’ around it, of necessity. [This is as was described to me; I’m not making a general statement on staff specifiers.]

I was interested in the ‘dead end’ nature of PA work referenced in one of the reasons given for moving into spec work full time. Here is a question that I wish was answered by the survey: for those full-time specifiers not working as consultants, what percentage reached leadership positions in their firm? I believe that PA work is a much more likely route to that.

59

Problem Solving or Why I Took a Job Writing Specifications, part 37: As an Architect, I found that I excelled at problem solving, finding technical solutions to other peoples’ design ideas. Yes, I needed a M. Arch and a stint teaching design studio to figure this out. I was happiest making someone else’s designs into reality, rather than staring at my own blank page. So I could continue drafting door and window details, eventually advancing to stair details, or… begin writing specifications.
When I explain what I do for laypeople, I usually tell them what I wrote on my LinkedIn job description, “I help other Architects, both designer types and project managers, be green, solve problems, and get their projects built.”
Sound familiar to anyone else?

60

Certainly, Ms. Robbins, a cogent and insightful sub-theme for CSI and each of us.

Well put!

Now to get that concept to the prospects very early-on!