THE WINNER'S CIRCLE

Indianapolis Chapter CSI Newsletter

October 2015

"Let's begin by taking a smallish nap - or two."

Deep Thoughts

- Winnie the Pooh

Please let us know if you have any ideas for future newsletters.

Your Humble Narrator,

Mike Halstead
Indianapolis CSI Newsletter Co-Editor

Mild Mannered Reporter,

Ryan Muzzillo
Indianapolis CSI Newsletter Co-Editor

The Insider

Mark your calendars for the CSI Indy Trade Show next year at the JW Marriott on Wednesday September 28th. We are looking forward to another successful event - so spread the word, we need to improve on attendance. It would be great if we could get more contractors, subcontractors, interior designers, architects and engineers. The more we collaborate with our sister organizations the stronger our chapter will be. I want to challenge all of our CSI members to join other organizations - NAWIC, IIDA, ISA, AIA, ABC, AGC, etc. Joining other organizations fosters collaboration, partnerships and knowledge of the construction industry - and if I remember correctly that is what CSI was formed to do. It's like what my good friend Karl Marx once told me - "CSI Workers of the World Unite!"

Henry Stellema needs some help on the CSI Indy Chapter History Video. We started work on this a year or so ago and we need some whiz bang creative types to help complete the project. Please contact Henry if the shoe fits.

October 23 is Duckpin Bowling night down in the hood at the Fountain Square Theater. Bring your family and make a fool of yourself - Ralph Pitman promises not to take any photographic evidence. We expect costumes!

December 17 is the Holiday Party at the Columbia Club. Pete Baker and his lieutenants have always done such a great job coordinating this annual event. Come out and celebrate the holiday season on Monument Circle.

Speaking of Holidays - is there anything better than Halloween? We get to dress up as ghouls and goblins, scare people, pretend to be evil characters and get treats in exchange. I actually always preferred the tricks. For example - would you rather carve your own pumpkin or smash someone else's? My favorite trick was "corning" - if interested I will tell you city kids all about it if asked.

- Your Humble Narrator

Upcoming Events

Programs Committee

Indianapolis Chapter CSI October Meeting: Exterior Continuous Insulated Claddings

Thursday October 15, 2015 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT

Attendees will recognize how the use of Exterior Insulated Claddings in envelope wall design provide a cost effective and aesthetically diverse solution to meeting the intent of the energy code and accomplishing overall improvements to building envelope performance for both new and renovation constructions.

Willows on Westfield

Indianapolis Chapter CSI Education Seminar: MBCI Factory Tour

Thursday October 22, 2015 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT

This will be a tour of the MBCI facility. The tour will take a look at the process of fabricating perimeter edge flashing, standing seam roof profiles, flat stock and coil, special fabrications, and MBCI's quality and audit process. The tour will begin at 3:00 pm and will take about 45 minutes. Plant manager Paul McIntyre will conduct the tour.

MBCI Metal Roof and Wall Systems

Indianapolis Chapter CSI November Meeting: Cummins Global Distribution Business Headquarters

Thursday November 19, 2015 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST

Join us for a discussion on the Cummins Global Distribution Business Headquarters. This 9-story tower is currently under construction on the site of the former Market Square Arena. RATIO Architects is the local firm working with Deborah Berke Partners, the project designer. Jake Plummer, AIA , of RATIO Architects will be the presenter.

Willows on Westfield

2015 Standing Reservation List

Thursday December 31, 2015 at 1:00 PM EST

Willows on Westfield

Duckpin Bowling

Action Duckpin Bowl at Fountain Square

All members and their families are invited to the 2nd Annual CSI Indy Duckpin Bowling Extravaganza on Friday October 23rd from 7pm-9pm at Fountain Square. We are looking for eight team captains. One spot has already been filled if you are interested please contact Jeremy Hoffman or Joel Young. We will be handing out awards for best costume, highest score, lowest score, most entertaining, and the traveling trophy will go to the captain of the winning team, last years winner Joel Young will present the trophy at the November Chapter Meeting. Also we still have sponsorship slots available for $100 each (although we are happy to take any contributions for social events). Sponsors will have their names hand written on a poster board by expert craftsmen (or Jeremy, whoever is available) on display at the event. Cookies, brownies and soda will be provided. Again if you have any questions please contact Jeremy or Joel.

Louisville Chapter CSI
Churchill Downs - CSI Day at the Races

November 13, 2015

4th Floor Millionaires Row

Gates open at 11:30AM

1st Race at 12:45PM

Tickets are $40.00 per person

Includes Program, Lunch Buffet (11:30-3PM), and FREE CD guided tours.

Raffle Prizes.

Table CDT Trivia Pursuit! Each person at the winning table receives a gift.

CSI GLR Race Recognition.

View from the Tower
Joel H. Young, Assoc. AIA, CSI, CDT, LEED Green Assoc.

This may be true every year, but I think it may be hard to top the month of September. We had our annual Tra

deshow which was a huge success and a step in the right direction. And we had our CSI National Convention (lately coined as "CONSTRUCT") in St. Louis. These are certainly two of my favorite events that CSI has to offer. Each is slightly different each year, and each brings a lot of friends and comrades together in a fun way.

Not to mention, September brings the beginning of my personal favorite season(s): fall / football season. Leaves falling... college and pro football every weekend... plus my grass doesn't grow nearly as fast!

CONSTRUCT was fantastic as always. I'm always a huge fan of the education sessions available. Those were very good, and I truly wish I could attend them all. Not to be out-done by the events, which were very fun. For the night out at the City Museum, we had our run of the place that evening, and it was basically a playground for adults. Really cool, and really fun... Collin got to see his daddy spin around on a top/chair (see the picture!). The expo was full of good stuff, and the Friday Night Out was the highlight of the week. The latter I have to report second-hand, as I came down with a stomach flu that had me bedside at my hotel for 24 hours. Luckily I regained my strength and returned for the annual meeting on Saturday.

Also notable in St. Louis was the fact that Joe McGuire attended this event for the 51st consecutive time, and four of his sons attended with him this year. Words cannot describe the level of commitment Joe has shown to CSI, and I for one continue to be amazed.

About the photos: The first one is me enjoying myself at the host event at the City Museum in St. Louis atCONSTRUCT (read above). But nobody really cares about me... I've come to accept that Collin is much cuter and thus more interesting. In this photo of Collin, he is enjoying himself as he attends his first Expo. As we were walking around, a fellow CSI member came up to us and handed Collin this "Behr". Clever advertising indeed, Behr paint brought bears as a token to remember them. They ran out by the time we stopped by that booth, but this CSI gentleman was nice enough to give his "Behr" to Collin. This is now Collin's favorite bear. And I must say, Collin is a great companion to go around the show floor with. I didn't have any shortage of compliments walking around, and it was never difficult to start a conversation at a booth. I think I'm onto something...

Buy raffle tickets at our monthly meeting! For a gift card prize, this month I will continue to promote the 50/50 raffle by having a second pull from the hat. As it may be awhile before I can join the C-Note club (my money goes to daycare, diapers, formula, and now car payments...), the goal of this is to further encourage people to buy tickets and support the Education Foundation.

Please feel free to contact me at any time. I welcome any suggestions, questions, concerns, or constructive criticism regarding Chapter business. You can reach me at 317.879.6052, and by email at joelyoung3@gmail.com (for normal correspondence), or joel@delvdesign.com (for more urgent matters).

CSI Indianapolis Chapter . . . UNITING, CONNECTING, BUILDING . . .

YouTube Channel

Visual Education

The Indianapolis Chapter CSI has entered into a new phase of the digital communication era, and now has a dedicated YouTube Channel for the benefit of our membership.

Certification Quiz

Jack Morgan - Quizmaster

1. The recommended format for an addendum is:

a. Changes to Procurement Requirements, changes to previous Addenda, changes to Conditions of the Contract, and changes to the Agreement.

b. Changes to previous Addenda, changes to Procurement Requirements, changes to Agreements and other Contract Forms, changes to Specifications, and Drawings

c. Changes to Specifications, changes to Drawings, and changes to Previous Addenda.

d. Contract Documents and changes to Specifications

2. The document named "Available Information" is part of the:

a. Instruction to Bidders

b. Contract Documents

c. Specifications

d. Procurement Documents

e. All of the above

3. What functional considerations must the A/E use to design Project elements and their relationships in a manner that ensures proper function of the Project in accordance with the Owner's program and related AHJ requirements?

a. Adjacency of Project elements, contextual compatibility of materials, aesthetic effects of Project elements

b. Contractor's ability to procure materials, Owner's programmatic requirements

c. Quantities and arrangements of elements, juxtaposition of light and shadow

d. The size of Project elements, performance capacity of Project elements, and arrangement of Project elements

4. Which of the following is not included in typical Site Studies?

a. Environmental issues

b. Hazardous materials

c. Similar facilities

d. Archaeological Surveys

5. The Design Stage of a Project includes all of the following except which one?

a. Preliminary Project Description

b. Engineering design criteria

c. Feasibility Studies

d. Outline Specifications

Answers located at the end of this newsletter....

Table Tops

Kent Hughes

Indianapolis Chapter CSI

The Indianapolis Chapter of CSI is accepting reservations for Table Tops for upcoming Chapter meetings. The list of programs for upcoming Chapter meetings is published in this newsletter, the web site, or contact Program chairman Jeremy Hoffman - jhoffman@crewtech.com , if you would like to target a particular meeting, be sure to make your reservation early. We do have a limit of four spaces available for Table Tops in a standard meeting room and 10 if we have a double room.

Table Tops are an opportunity to promote your company, products, or services to all attendees of our regular chapter meeting during the social hour. There is a maximum of 20 minutes for Table Top presentation at a regular Chapter meeting. You have the floor for maximum of five minutes after dinner before the speaker to communicate to the entire group if there are four presenters. If there is a greater demand, the 20 minutes will be divided by the number of presenters and rounded down to the nearest 30 seconds.

The Table Top presentations are FREE, one time, to new members, and cost current Indianapolis Chapter members only $75. Non-members get the same opportunity for $125. A 30 by 60 table with a cover and skit will be included. All proceeds go to support the Chapter. Payment is due at the time of setup.

Another opportunity for a Table Top is during an Education Seminar. The cost is if you combine it with the Chapter meeting and Education Seminar the cost would be $100 for current members and $150 for non-members.

If you would like to schedule a Table Top for a future meeting or seminar, contact:

Kent A. Hughes RA CDT - American Structurepoint

khughes@structurepoint.com - 317.690.5820

Be sure to put 'Table Top Request in the subject line

Chapter Photos
Capturing Memories

Gene King accepts his National Award for Certification Programs.

Who's kissing who?

Joltin Joe and his four sons!

For more photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/108805355001168951987/September2014CSIIndianapolis41stTradeShow

notebook

Board of Directors' Minutes

Online Archive

Minutes of the Indianapolis Chapter CSI Board of Directors can be read here. Please contact the president with any comments or questions.

Tell me again, part 2?
Sheldon Wolfe, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, CSC

In "Tell me again part 1" we looked at how proper use of reference standards can reduce the amount of text required by making those standards part of the specifications. Going back to the "say it once" principal, proper use of Division 00 and Division 01 can go a long way toward eliminating needless text.

In the good old days, it was common to include at the beginning of every specification section a statement similar to this: "Drawings and General Provisions of the Contract, including General and Supplementary Conditions and Division - 1 Specification Sections, apply to this Section."

CSI's Manual of Practice, Product Resource Manual, and Construction Specifications Practice Guide explain how to eliminate this statement:

Although the Division 01 role in governing the work has been accepted in practice for many years, this authority is not explicitly stated in either the AIA or EJCDC general conditions. Until that change is made, the authority should be established by a provision in the supplementary conditions as follows: Sections of Division 01-General Requirements govern the work of all sections of the specifications.

Even though the A201 and other general conditions make it quite clear that the contractor is responsible for means and methods, I expand this statement to read, Sections of Division 01-General Requirements govern the work of all sections of the specifications. The Contractor shall ensure that all Subcontractors, Sub-subcontractors, and suppliers are aware of and comply with the provisions of Division 01.

Having established the role of Division 01, there is no need to restate it in every specification section. The A201 agrees with that position, stating "The Contract Documents are complementary, and what is required by one shall be as binding as if required by all." Other general conditions typically have similar statements.

Interestingly, while some specifications have followed CSI's advice and deleted the "Drawings and General Provisions..." paragraph, many specifications now have added several more needless references to Division 01 such as these:

Conduct pre-installation meeting in accordance with Division 01 Section 01 31 19.
Submit in accordance with Division 01, Section 01 33 00
Comply with requirements of Section 01 65 00 and Section 01 66 00.
Comply with provisions of Section 01 78 00.
Substitutions: Under provisions of Section 01 25 00
Examine conditions and proceed with work in accordance with Division 01, Section 01 71 00.
General: Comply with requirements of Division 01, Section 01 45 13.

"Well, I just want to help people find what they're looking for!" Following that logic, why stop there? Why not include references to information about taxes, or contract modifications, or final payment in each section?

Division 01 can save a lot more text than that found in the above references. Properly written, they can minimize or eliminate many statements commonly found in specifications. One of the most important requirements, with the widest applicability, is "Follow manufacturer's instructions and recommendations."

The drawback with relying on manufacturers' instructions is that they might miss something, or you might choose to specify more restrictive requirements. In those cases, Division 01 sections can reduce the need for many statements in the specification sections.

For example, consider the article for delivery, storage, and handling. Most materials should be protected from the elements until they are installed. A comprehensive Section 01-6000 - Product Requirements can include storage requirements such as temperature range, humidity, and protection from moisture, that are suitable for all but a few products. Add the basic requirement for complying with manufacturers' instructions, and there isn't much left to say. Do the same for packaging, labeling, and handling, then go on to other subjects of Division 01 sections, and you may find you can delete some of the standard articles in the specifications.

Another place to look for redundancies is the "Common Work Results" sections found in mechanical and electrical specifications. These sections often state requirements already found in the general conditions, in bidding requirements, and in Division 01 sections. The only time those subjects should be addressed is when mechanical and electrical specifications have additional or unique requirements, and even then I would try to take care of the differences in Division 00 and in Division 01.

I have looked at many of these sections at the beginning of mechanical and electrical Divisions, and rarely have I found anything not already specified in the front end of the project manual. At best they are merely redundant; most of the time they are contradictory.

We spend a lot of time talking about Division 01, but it's also worth taking a look at what's in the general conditions. I have seen many specifications that discuss payment for testing, for re-inspection, for concealing work before it was inspected, for unauthorized work, and for similar activities. These typically are covered in the general conditions; in the A201, they are found in Articles 12 and 13.

Why are we so concerned about redundancies? Perhaps the biggest problem is that when different people state the same thing they may do it differently. Another problem, which isn't so obvious, is that the longer the specifications are, the longer it takes to read them, and the more likely that things will be missed. Why add a lot of unnecessary text, making it harder for the contractor to understand?

Shorter specs are more likely to be read, will be easier to read, and will be easier to interpret.

� 2015, Sheldon Wolfe, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, CSC

Agree? Disagree? Leave your comments at http://swconstructivethoughts.blogspot.com/

Vent

An editorial section for members to "let it out" about the Construction Industry, the Chapter, CSI National, etc. Members can email the Co-Editors anonymously with comments for publish by clicking on the image to the right.