PageArchitectural/Hammurabi Archives - Page 2 of 14

There are five key components needed to address in each construction contract as a protection against litigation in an industry that is rich in possibilities.

Scope of the project. …
Total cost and payment requirements. …
Project timeline. …
Lien law protection. …
Dispute resolution.

Today at the usual hour we examine a few representative contracts:

List of all current AIA Contract Documents

University of Michigan Standard General Conditions

Wayne State University Supplementary Conditions of Construction

Princeton University: General Terms & Conditions for Construction Contracts

Universities Wisconsin: General Conditions of the Contract for Construction

The cost of compliance with general conditions in a typical construction project can vary widely depending on factors like project size, complexity, location, and specific requirements. General conditions refer to the indirect costs that support the project—things like project management, temporary facilities, safety measures, and administrative expenses—not the direct costs of labor, materials, or equipment tied to physical construction.

In percentage terms, general conditions typically account for 5% to 15% of the total project cost, with most projects falling in the 5% to 10% range for standard residential or commercial builds. Smaller projects might see percentages closer to or exceeding 10% because fixed costs (like a site trailer or a project manager’s time) don’t scale down as much as direct costs. Larger, more complex projects—like industrial or infrastructure work—might trend toward the lower end (5% or less) since direct costs dominate, diluting the relative impact of general conditions. For example, a $300,000 residential project might allocate $15,000 to $30,000 (5% to 10%) for general conditions, while a $10 million commercial project could see $500,000 or less (5%) if efficiencies kick in.

Methods of Building Measurement

Global Consistency in Presenting Construction & Life Cycle Costs

Higher Education Estates Management Report 2023

Modular Classrooms

Planning, Design & Construction Team

Architecture and Aesthetic Education

How Blockchain Will Change Construction

Carnegie Classifications

Design Age Institute

Kindergarten

International Building Code: Group A Model Building Codes: 2024/2025/2026 Development Cycle

“One Hundred Children Playing in the Spring” | Su Hanchen 蘇漢臣

Safety and sustainability for any facility begins with an understanding of who shall occupy the built environment and how. University settings, with mixed-use phenomenon arising spontaneously and temporarily, often present challenges. Educational communities are a convergent settings for families; day care facilities among them. First principles regarding occupancy classifications for day care facilities appear in Section 308 of the International Building Code, Institutional Group I; linked below:

Section 308 | International Building Code

The ICC Institutional Group I-4 classification includes buildings and structures occupied by more than five persons of any age who received custodial care for fewer than 24 hours per day by persons other than parents or guardian, relatives by blood, marriage or adoption, and in a place other than the home of the person cared far. This group includes both adult and child day care.

We maintain focus on child day care. Many educational communities operate child day care enterprises for both academic study and/or as auxiliary (university employee benefit) enterprises.

Princeton University Child Care Center

Each of the International Code Council code development groups fetch back to a shared understanding of the nature of the facility; character of its occupants and prospective usage patterns.

The Group B developmental cycle ended in December 2019. The 2021 revision of the International Building code is in production now, though likely slowed down because of the pandemic. Ahead of the formal, market release of the Group B tranche of titles, you can sample the safety concepts in play during this revision with an examination of the documents linked below:

2019 GROUP B PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE I-CODES ALBUQUERQUE COMMITTEE ACTION HEARINGS

2019 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ACTION HEARINGS ON THE 2018 EDITIONS OF THE GROUP B INTERNATIONAL CODES

Search on the terms “day care” and “daycare” to get a sample of the prevailing concepts; use of such facilities as storm shelters, for example.

“The Country School” | Winslow Homer

We encourage our safety and sustainability colleagues to participate directly in the ICC Code Development process. We slice horizontally through the disciplinary silos (“incumbent verticals”) created by hundreds of consensus product developers every week and we can say, upon considerable authority that the ICC consensus product development environment is one of the best in the world. Privately developed standards (for use by public agencies) is a far better way to discover and promulgate leading practice than originating technical specifics from legislative bodies. CLICK HERE to get started. Contact Kimberly Paarlberg (kpaarlberg@iccsafe.org) for more information.

There are competitor consensus products in this space — Chapter 18 Day-Care Occupancies in NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code, for example; a title we maintain the standing agenda of our Model Building Code teleconferences. It is developed from a different pool of expertise under a different due process regime. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [18-166]

Category: Architectural, Healthcare Facilities, Facility Asset Management

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Richard Robben

Several names for this occupancy class:

Nursery
Crèche
Playgroup
Montessori
Preschool
Kindergarten
Childcare
Toddler group
Daycare
Early learning center

A Study of Children’s Password Practices

Storm Shelters

2024 GROUP A PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE I-CODES

Educational Settlement Finance

Giovanni Paolo Panini, An architectural capriccio with figures among Roman ruins

The post-pandemic #WiseCampus transformation requires significant capital to meet the sustainability goals of its leadership. Campuses are cities-within-cities and are, to a fair degree, financed in a similar fashion. Tax-free bonds are an effective instrument for school districts, colleges and universities — and the host community in which they are nested — for raising capital for infrastructure projects while also providing investors with, say $10,000 to $100,000, to allocate toward a tax-free dividend income stream that produces a return in the range of 2 to 8 percent annually.

An aging population may be receptive to investment opportunities that protect their retirement savings from taxation.

Curious about the municipal bond market? Check out the MSRB’s new resource “Municipal Market Basics” to start your journey through the MSRB’s newly updated Education Center: https://t.co/BIMBxWpKGk https://t.co/PLhtaXzdD9 pic.twitter.com/FVARkkYZAD

— MSRB (@MSRB_News) November 28, 2023

Once a month, we walk through the prospectuses of one or two bond offerings of school districts, colleges and universities and examine offering specifics regarding infrastructure construction, operations and maintenance. We pay particular attention to details regarding “continuing operations”. Somehow the education industry has to pay for its green agenda. See our CALENDAR for the next Finance colloquium; open to everyone.

The interactive map provided by Electronic Municipal Market Access identifies state-by-state listings of tax-free bonds that contribute to the construction and operation of education facilities; some of which involved university-affiliated medical research and healthcare delivery enterprises.

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR INTERACTIVE MAP

If you need help cutting through this list please feel free to click in any day at 11 AM Eastern time. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our hope page. We collaborate with subject matter experts at Municipal Analytics and UBS.

Issue: [Various]

Category: Administration & Management, Finance, #SmartCampus

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, John Kaczor, Liberty Ziegahn

*We see the pandemic as a driver for a step-reduction in cost in all dimensions of education communities. We coined the term with a hashtag about two years ago.

*College and university infrastructure projects are classified with public school districts under the rubric “municipal bonds” at the moment. CLICK HERE for more information.

Good question. pic.twitter.com/FtW0eSaQs7

— Thomas Sowell Quotes (@ThomasSowell) January 27, 2025

More:

Duke Law Review: Don’t ‘Screw Joe the Plummer’: The Sausage-Making of Financial Reform

An Expanded Study of School Bond Elections in Michigan

An Expanded Study of School Bond Elections in Michigan

Gallery: School Bond Referenda

As of January 2022, there were a few municipalities in the United States that allowed non-citizens to vote in local elections, but no entire states. These municipalities included:

San Francisco, California: Non-citizens are allowed to vote in school board elections.
Chicago, Illinois: Non-citizens are allowed to vote in school board elections.
Takoma Park, Maryland: Non-citizens are allowed to vote in local elections.

It’s worth noting that these policies may change over time as local governments make decisions regarding voting rights. For the most up-to-date information, it’s best to consult the specific laws and regulations of each municipality or state.

“Election Day, 1944” | Norman Rockwell for the Saturday Evening Post

School bond elections — either at county or district level — are processes through which communities vote to authorize the issuance of bonds to fund various projects and improvements in their local school districts. The elections determine the quality of educational settlements –new school buildings, renovating existing facilities, upgrading technology, and improving safety measures. The outcomes of these elections directly affect the quality of education and learning environments for students within the county. Successful bond measures can stimulate economic growth by creating jobs and attracting families to the area.

Community involvement and voter turnout are essential in determining the allocation of resources and shaping the quality of life for its citizens. In recent years, however, voter ambivalence about the education “industry” in general, the rise of home schooling and other cultural factors, complicate choices presented to voters.

Financial Services

Gallery: School Bond Referenda

In terms of total spend, the US elementary and secondary school industry is about twice the size of the higher education industry according to IBISWorld. About $100 billion is in play every year for both (which we cover during our Ædificare colloquia); with higher education spending only half of what elementary and secondary school systems spend on facilities.

Note that some districts are including construction for faculty housing.

Our focus remains on applying global standard to create educational settlements that are safer, simpler, lower-cost and longer-lasting — not on the hurly-burly of local school bond elections. We recommend consulting the coverage in American School & University for more detailed and more timely information.

Beauty in a World of Ugliness

This is happening Thursday at Peterhouse:
13:00 – 13:30
Fellows Orientation
14:00 – 15:30
Session I: Scruton’s Aesthetics
A. O’Hear
F. Hörcher
A. Frost
16:00 – 17:00
Session II: Art and Modernity
C. Varry
J. Kolata
17:30 – 19:00
Keynote I: Beauty and the Sacred
D. Hedley
J. Orr pic.twitter.com/EYnWIbDwtl

— Ferenc Hörcher (@HorcherF) September 13, 2023

Architect students building a playground

Om SIS

Sweden

Building Environment Design

I don’t build in order to have clients.

I have clients in order to build.

— Ayn Rand

Google Data Center

“Détruire est facile ; construire est difficile.”

— Victor Hugo

The highest level of standardization for the building interiors on the emergent #SmartCampus originates in ISO TC 205 — Building Environment Design. This committee is charged with standards setting in the design of new buildings and retrofit of existing buildings for acceptable indoor environment and practicable energy conservation and efficiency. Building environment design addresses the technical building systems and related architectural aspects, and includes the related design processes, design methods, design outcomes, and design-phase building commissioning. Indoor environment includes air quality, and thermal, acoustic, and visual factors. The business plan is linked below:

STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN ISO/TC 205

Some of the key ideas in the scope of this project are listed below:

– the design of energy-efficient buildings
– building control systems design
– indoor air quality
– indoor thermal environment
– indoor acoustical environment
– indoor visual environment
– radiant heating and cooling systems
– heating and cooling systems
– building commissioning planning
– moisture in buildings

We see many of the foregoing ideas in the catalog of ASHRAE International — ANSI’s US Technical Advisory Group Administrator in this project, as well as a number of others (CLICK HERE). There are 31 Participating member and 28 Observing member nations.

Generally speaking, ISO consensus products are performance standards and contrast sharply with prescriptive standards in the energy-related domains in the United States. Prescriptive standards are easy to enforce but difficult to write. Performance standards are easy to write but difficult to enforce.

Facility managers that oversee building automation units in education communities in the United States are encouraged to participate in the development of ISO 205 by communicating directly with Brian Cox at ASHRAE (bcox@ashrae.org). We keep all ISO standards on the standing agenda of our periodic Global and AEdificare standards colloquia. We also maintain this committee’s catalog on the standing agenda of our Mechanical colloquium. See our CALENDAR for the next online meetings; open to everyone.

university of wisconsin eu claire twitter people snow best interior 1919 721

Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine interior health facebook cover 1921 721

EPpu-vzX4AAu3J6 university of washington students interior media tech 1923 721

EQiyUQrWAAo2Fha northhampton high schools students interior pennsylvania 1921 720

northern arizona university twitter interior people 1925 721

Issue: [10-30]

Category: International, Mechanical, Energy, Facility Asset Management

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Richard Robben, Larry Spielvogel

More

Bygningsinformasjonsmodellering

Architectural Billings

Architectural Record July 23, 2025

AIA Global Campus for Architecture & Design

Selecting architects for designing large educational campus buildings typically involves a structured process that ensures the chosen architect meets the project’s functional, aesthetic, and budgetary requirements. Here’s an overview of the typical steps involved:

1. Defining Project Goals and Requirements

The institution or client identifies the purpose of the building, the estimated budget, sustainability goals, and any specific design or functional needs.
A detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is prepared, outlining project objectives, scope, timeline, and submission requirements.

2. Public Announcement or Invitations

The RFP/RFQ is distributed through professional networks, industry publications, or procurement platforms.
Invitations may also be sent directly to pre-identified firms with expertise in similar projects.

3. Initial Submissions

Interested architectural firms submit their qualifications or proposals. These typically include:
- Firm portfolio: Highlighting past projects, especially in educational architecture.
- Design approach: How the firm plans to address the project goals.
- Team composition: Key personnel and their relevant experience.
- References and certifications.

4. Shortlisting Candidates

A committee reviews submissions and shortlists firms based on criteria such as experience, design philosophy, project understanding, and compatibility with the client’s goals.

5. Interviews and Presentations

Shortlisted firms are invited for interviews to present their ideas, discuss their approach, and answer questions.
Some institutions may request preliminary concept designs to gauge creativity and alignment with the campus’s vision.

6. Evaluation of Proposals

Proposals are evaluated based on:
- Design capability: Innovation, sustainability, and functional design.
- Experience: Success in similar projects.
- Cost efficiency: Ability to meet the budget without compromising quality.
- Cultural fit: Alignment with the institution’s mission and values.

7. Final Selection

The committee selects the architect based on scoring, deliberations, and sometimes a voting process.
Contract negotiations follow, detailing scope, fees, and deliverables.

8. Community and Stakeholder Engagement

In some cases, stakeholders, including faculty, students, and local communities, are involved in providing feedback or participating in design workshops.

9. Formal Approval

The governing board of the institution or a similar authority often gives final approval.

This process ensures transparency, accountability, and the selection of the most qualified architect for the project.

Society for College and University Planning

Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963

Carnegie Classifications

Bechtel Projects

Beauty in a World of Ugliness

Duncan Stroik Architect

American Vitruvius

Robie House

Architecture and Aesthetic Education

Category Archives: Architectural/Hammurabi

General Conditions of the Construction Contract

Kindergarten

Storm Shelters

Educational Settlement Finance

An Expanded Study of School Bond Elections in Michigan

Gallery: School Bond Referenda

Beauty in a World of Ugliness

Architect students building a playground

Building Environment Design

Architectural Billings

DIRECTIONS