Project Phases and Codes

So we started talking about the idea of phasing and codes and how those things start to relate to each other. This particular exam, as you remember, is about programming in that early schematic design phasing so we really focus on that beginning phase, but just to put it in a little context, we have zoning issues, we have building code issues, we have let's say 80A issues, we have any number of other specifics to any specific project, there might be convenance, it is a whole series of different types of issues that we would have on any one project.

Pretty much every project will have zoning code and building code issues, but then the other aspects would be specific to that particular project. These will different moments of importance as you go along so you could start to map this out at the beginning and once you get the program set, how is this gonna go, what are the issues that we need to start to think about, and from a zoning standpoint, under a schematic design, the big aspect is where does the building go, so how does that building fit into the situation, so that's about the setbacks and about all those sorts of issues.

Under design development, it's are we meeting everything. It's asked for maybe outside area in a residential setting for people to be able to play or have barbecues and things.

Well, do we have enough space for that? Do the numbers work? Is it actually functioning the way that we said it was? And then when we get into contract documents, we're talking about did we document, is it clear that this amount of space has been left in order to allow the kids to play, for the barbecue, or whatever it is, is it clear that the reason the building is placed where it is is because we set setback off the side because that's the zoning rule, is that documented and clear?

So the schematic design is what's happening, what's the big thing, how do we make sure it's working. The design development and zoning is gonna be all right, making sure the numbers, making sure we're getting at the right scale, we're getting at the right little everything, we said the massing needs to work, well now we're calculating it out very closely and making sure that even after the various changes and alternatives it still works.

Well, contract documents is about documenting all that stuff. It's about being able to tell people. So who are we telling? Well, one, we're telling the contractors and all of that so that they can make sure that they're building it accurately. It's one thing to say, yeah the building should be about two feet off the property line. It's quite another to say there is a legal restriction of two feet off of the property line. Once we say that this is a setback, that contractor now has a very clear sense it's not like two one-foot tens, no it's two feet.

It's a legal restriction and if we've been clear in our documentation, that shouldn't even be an issue. It should be very straightforward. They would know it immediately. Well, that's not the only person that's getting that information. The other people who are getting it is gonna be the code officials. We're presumably getting a permit from somebody. We're showing the work to somebody to say yes in this municipality, yes you can build this structure. They need to be able to see that information so we're communicating that information to those folks. So, it all has to be documented in some way that you're telling that story and it's gotta be told in a way that they are expecting it to come and know where to look to find it so that you're not just floating these issues out in the world and hoping that somebody will find them.

And then when you start getting into some of these other phases, like say construction administration, hopefully there's really very little zoning question at that point.

By that point, you've gotten a permit. You've got the project started. And it's possible you're putting out fire is maybe the only thing that's going on there, but you're not really focused on any zoning code issues. When we start looking at building code, you're looking at the big issues so general ideas of egress schematic design and these big scale separations if you will. The idea that maybe we're gonna have retail and residential in the same building.

Well, there has to be a very clear separation that's gonna be a fire rated separation between those or we're gonna have vehicles in one part of the building and then there's gonna be residential in another part. Well, there's gotta be a very clear separation so that the smoke and the toxins from the vehicles can't make their way into the residential units, those big picture ideas of how we're making sure that everybody's gonna be safe and separated, that they're gonna have the space to be able to get out.

In design development, again we're going through the numbers like all right, we said we would do that, is it actually working? We're actually calculating it all out. We're making sure that everything meets and if it doesn't, we're changing the design in order to make it meet. We're putting it to the test. And then we get to contract documents and now we're really documenting all of that information in that same way that we were talking about for the zoning, but even in the contract documents, now we're actually also getting to the spot where we're getting more and more detailed so we're not just saying all right, there's a two-hour separation between this use and that use.

Now we're saying that not only is it a two-hour separation, but here's the UL number for that wall type that demonstrates that it's a two-hour separation. So that idea of communication is even more robust than the one that we were talking about for zoning. It gets even more detailed. And then we start getting into construction administration, there's actually quite a lot of discussion that happens under the building code in that because we have inspectors coming and the inspectors are making sure that things are following the way the drawings are going and that they're looking to make sure the light and vent is actually matching and they're making sure that venting devices from the HVAC equipment aren't too near a window and they're gonna contaminate the fresh air that's supposed to be coming in.

They're looking for all of that and there's a lot of time that you spend dealing with code inspectors and making sure that that process so that's that troubleshooting aspect of things which is a big part of making sure that a project can actually get done, that you're finding that way.

So you start to see a pattern of how these things go and where are the strong points and where are the time commitments. As I said for this particular exam, we're really in this moment, right? We're just at the beginning.

We started from programming and now we're going into that schematic design and so we're really thinking about how does the thing fit, what are the big ideas, egress and basic separations. We're not really getting into all the numbers. We're not really getting into the documentation yet. That's for the later exams. We're not worried about troubleshooting. That's down the road, right? That's somebody else's worry. Or not somebody else's, your worry but down the road, but these basic concepts would absolutely be figured out at this point because if they weren't, then you're gonna run into trouble down the road.

All of these other things would go exactly the same way if you're talking about the 80A. We're talking about making sure things, maybe there are some ramps to be able to get from a grade height up to a first floor height, where basically is that ramp gonna go. It should be that the front door is the same entry for everybody, steps and ramps, so can we do it without any ramps?

Maybe we can do it with landscaping. Those kinds of big rough justice ideas would be happening in those early schematic design phases, but then with the 80A as we start getting deeper into these phases, there's gonna be more and more detail that has to be worked out, like is that really gonna fit in that design development phase? We've gotta make sure that the exact heights that we're gonna actually make the one and 12 ramp and that our ramp isn't more than 30 inches 'cause if it does then we have to have a landing in between, We're going deeper into the code in order to make sure that we're actually meeting all of the issues and then it will go along and again, we're troubleshooting down at the end.

So each of these things has their moment. They go from the big idea to the detail, to the communication, to the troubleshooting, and some of those are gonna be much more important at different points along the way and other ones are gonna be more important at a different point along the way because that's just the nature of when those issues pop up.

It's useful to map it out and see what's coming, but it is not something that we're supposed to have all of the information all at the beginning. You need to build that information in as you move along. Otherwise, it overwhelms the beginning of a process. So thinking of the phases, whenever we think of phases, we're thinking of the contracts.

We're thinking of the program. We're thinking of the codes. We have those moments where we use those phases specifically to be able to do these kinds of reviews and to be able to plan out the work. All right, that's the whole point.

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