What are Tech Specs and why do you need them? Technical Specifications, or Tech Specs for short, is a compilation of the information on the building systems and products that will be used for the construction of your school project. This is a critical series of discussions that you will be having with your design professional prior to the design of the facility.Why is this important? The type and quality of the systems that go into the design have a direct impact on the cost of the facility. And as I stated in the Ed Spec discussion, the more information that you can impart to your design professional, the better the facility will function for its desired intent.
Tech Specs include information on all the building systems, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, structural, data systems, and architectural. You may be saying to yourself, isn't this why I hired the design professionals, to tell me what those systems should be? They can assist and should provide information on the different type of systems, costs and maintenance issues, but ultimately you the owner must make the decision. Many school districts have building standards that they have initiated regarding the maintenance of their existing buildings such as- a master key system for the locks, standardized air conditioning systems and controls for ease of maintenance and part replacements, light fixtures and bulbs, standardized paint, carpet and tile replacements, and roofing for example. These are the types of items that should be compiled to form the Tech Spec.
Who will provide the toilet accessories for the project? The architect will most likely specify what toilet paper and soap dispensers will be needed for the project, will those dispensers use the type of paper products and soap that your janitorial staff regularly stock? Will the air conditioning system be one that after it is installed your maintenance staff will be able to effectively work on? Complex systems may require that you hire personnel to run the system and to keep it maintained. This may or may not be in your budget.
Your design professional can assist in explaining the different systems and their long term costs and benefits, your maintenance staff can assist in providing the information as to what is currently being done to maintain your campus facilities. Take advantage of the resources you have around you to develop an effective Tech Spec for your next project.
Again, all this must be discussed prior to drawings being completed so that there are no surprises at the end of the construction phase.
Michael D. King AIA
Tech Specs are the district's level of a norm in building products and designs. Large districts generally have Tech Specs that they follow when planning new buildings (Like Mike said, what systems to be used, what type of floors, etc). Smaller districts or large districts looking to reveamp their standards of future building construction have to undergo the long process of developing a set of tech specs that fit budgetary and educational constraints. While it seems trivial, where one gets toilet paper or other seemingly insignificant aspects of the Tech Spec can drastically affect operations. For example, if products, like toilet paper dispensers, are installed but the refills cannot be ordered in quantity that would pose a huge logistical problem around something as simple as toilet paper. The key is to work closely with people in the educational system who know what the needs of the people using the building are and the professionals who can give advise on which products and services are available and appropriate for the building project at hand.
ReplyDeletej.purser tsu
Mr. King’s advice is excellent in my experience. The small and seemingly unimportant things can end up costing you in the long run. Understanding future costs to the decisions you make now is difficult in the best of circumstances. You need time for thoughtful consideration and investigation. Often times during construction, decisions must be made quickly. There may be no time for investigation. That is why planning for all technical aspects are critical before the project begins.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, selecting the “right” architect and CMR is just as critical as the tech specs. If you select the wrong individual to work with you through a building project, for instance one that is not a good listener, it won’t matter how well thought out your specs are. For the selection process I like using a matrix system, calling on references, visiting previous building sites, and a one-on-one interview with the top three candidates. This will help you to select the best person for your needs and in the end make the correct tech spec selection.
Pharper TSU
An area the Education Program may consider for a new facility or major space renovation is classroom acoustics. According to the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), classroom acoustics are often considered mediocre. From the youngest to the oldest students, good classroom acoustics are considered to be invaluable. Not only do students with hearing impairments suffer when poor acoustics exist, but so do students with normal hearing, learning disabilities, and auditory processing disorders. ASA reported when speech intelligibility tests are conducted, 25% of the words read from a list in the classroom are typically not heard. When a fourth of the lecture is missing, students must use their auditory closure skills to determine what the teacher is talking about.
ReplyDeleteASA encourages school designers, architects, and educators to include considerations for good classroom acoustics when developing the technical specifications for a new educational facility. Acoustical issues are easier to prevent during the planning stages than to correct after the facility is completed.
Source: http://acousticalsociety.org/about_acoustics/acoustics_of_classrooms
J. Barron TSU
P.Harper provided additional commentary which is well-worth noting again "selecting the 'right' architect and CMR is critial". I find this information very relevant to the blog posted. The process of Requesting for Qualifications (RFQ), interviewing, and hiring a qualified team of professionals whom will provide confident direction is essential to the process of new construction/renovation of educational facilities.
ReplyDeletePossible questions to ask during interview process:
(1) Who will be assigned to this project and what are their specific duties?;
(2) What is your process for handling conflict; and
(3) What is your leadership style?
Your collaborative team [in/out-side the district]will be your best asset to make the correct tech spec selection(s).
From experience, I have learned that another good tip, especially for districts that are looking at building more than one new campus, is to try and narrow your specific equipment to one brand name. For example, try to have your locks/door hardware, toilets, bathroom partitions, lockers, kitchen equipment, and sprinkler systems all be the same brand on all of your campuses. This will greatly assist your maintenance personnel by making their jobs less confusing and faciliatating the ease of repairs. It will also benefit your parts warehouse and save space by not having to store numerous different brands of replacement parts. Also important is the money the district can save via less time spent on waiting for different parts and diverse repairs.
ReplyDeleteAnother good starting point would be to visit facilities that this team has completed. This “walk through” visit would allow the planning team to note problems and design solutions and to form ideas and questions. Some time should be spent asking the administration, faculty, and staff questions about the facilities, noting things that are liked, as well as need improvement.
ReplyDeleteACarter TSU
As I read J Barron's post regarding the importance of planning for acoustics when renovating classroom facilities I could not agree more. In fact I wonder how this factor is often overlooked. The last two facilities I have worked in have both been built or renovated in the last ten years with walls simply serving as partitions offering no sound protection from the other rooms or halls. Valuable time is lost to the distraction.
ReplyDeleteTo piggyback on this comment, I also consider lighting to be of utmost importance. Since many of the classrooms in my district house Promethean Boards, the overhead lights are turned out so that the projected content can be seen by the students while what is on their desk cannot be seen because they are sitting in the dark.
I know that in building a home, you consider the effects of utilizing natural light when considering how the structure will sit on the property and which rooms will face the sun. I know that you also consider the most economical way to adequately light each of the rooms according to use. As utility cost increase along with the availability of different types of lighting aligned with the government regulation of using certain types of lighting increase, I understand that the consultation of expertise is advisable when planning the building of a school facility. I hope that as the utilization of tech specs increase that lighting will also be included when planning to improve the functionality of classrooms to maximize the learning experience.
C Wayland, TSU
Tech Spec plays a vital role both during the construction and maintenance of facilities. Having worked on plans for providing Network facilities, wiring can not be an afterthought. Likewise, careful planning is critical to successful facilities construction and maintenance. I agree with M. Mercer that cross facilities alignment is vital.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alisa's comment about visiting current facilities to gather information about problems or design flaws. Our district uses the same building design a few times before moving to another model. Our elementary is the first in a new series and we recently had district administrators and the newest elementary principal visit to inquire about such things. They made improvements on a couple of issues for the next elementary, which will open this year.
ReplyDeleteJ. Martin, TSU
I agree with JBarron's comment regarding acoustics and would like to add to that regarding lighting.
ReplyDeleteNot only should we consider acoustics in new construction or renovation, but lighting is also a major concern. There are many students and adults that suffer from reading problems that are a direct result of florescent lighting. These lights cause undue glare that may cause headaches and according to the Irlene Institute, contributes to reading difficulties. Natural light should be used whenever possible in classroom settings. With the new green buildings and new and improved insulated glass windows, hopefully this will be a consideration for future construction.
PHarper TSU
What is the best approach to use when you are going to Tech Spec a net-zero school or building and have a limited supply of vendors and products to choose from, while understanding the potential for some products and services to be discontinued or upgraded?
ReplyDeleteregarding RH comment- if you have a limited supply of vendors and products to choose from, you just have to realize that your costs could be more than the average. Anytime you can create competition in the bidding market, you can rest assured you are getting a fair price. This is the rub, there are certain products that you simply cannot have 10 different vendors bidding on. Door hardware for example, in order to have a master key system for your campus you have to buy the key cores from one manufacturer. Another example is the energy management system, only one system can be employed in the facilty to monitor the functions of your HVAC system. Our advice is to shop around before you enter into those type of contracts to make sure you are getting what you want and need. Realize that you are establishing a long term relationship with that particular vendor and make your expectations very clear at the outset. Specialized products and services will always have a premium price tag. You have to weigh the advantages of that product/service against the value of the return.
ReplyDeleteThere is unfortunately not much you can do about discontinued products or services. The biggest culprits are flooring and tile manufacturers, they seem to change product lines every year. We recommend buying 10% more to have a stock available when repairs are needed because the manufacturer will most likely not have the last year's style. The next largest offender is of course technology changes. They seem to come faster than we can keep up with. Are we putting in a data cable system today that will be outdated in 2 years? What about wireless capabilities, can't they supplant the need for hard wiring a bldg? It can seem overwhelming when dealing with all the issues of the systems of a bldg. This is where you need to rely on the expertise of your design professionals. They should be abreast of all the latest products and services and be able to advise you on the best direction for today and into the near future.
Mr. King commented about the difficulty of keeping up with technology. This is truly difficult due to the quick changes in that market. From several experiences, I have a suggestion. The first is rather obvious, talk to the IT people within your school. The second is not quite as obvious, talk to IT people in other schools. I also suggest talking to people who are IT professionals in business markets. The language they speak can be rather intimidating. Write down some of the specs they are suggesting and then go to the web for comparisons. Not being ahead of the curve can really limit the utilization of future innovations in the field.
ReplyDeleteACarter TSU
While this is difficult to do in the initial stages of planning, but in regards to JBarron's comment about acoustics, it may be worthwhile to interview various stakeholders in the initial process to provide input on what works and what doesn't in the current buildings. For example, if your school or district serves students with specialized handicap needs, the facilities may needs certain requirements planners simply don't think of. Asking teachers about wall space, location of pencil sharpeners, or plugs may relieve even the simplest issues.
ReplyDeleteJDuckett
I find this article very interesting as I had not really given thought to the depth of the tech specs. I had assumed they were mainly the specs on the technology such as computers, document cameras, software... but nothing as deep as plumbing.... I can see why this is so important though. Of course the design team is responsible for these, but ultimately, they principal is the one who answers for the building, money, and success of the students. Therefore, it is extremely important to go back and double check other people's work! It is much better to catch a flaw at the campus level rather than at the administrative or even corporate level!!
ReplyDeleteB. Hassell (TSU)