This recently completed hotel in Atlanta looks
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great, we can all agree. It features approximately 9,300 square feet of metal composite material (MCM) and it is a project we lost to a local competitor. I’m not here to gripe about losing a job. We win some, we lose some, but the way we lost this job makes me wonder what is the point of specifications if they are not enforced. This fabricator violated the specifications in two major ways.
First, the Quality Criteria section of the specifications for the MCM panels read: “Field measurements shall be acquired prior to the completion of shop fabrication. Coordinate fabrication schedule with construction progress as directed by the Contractor to avoid delay of work. Field fabrication may be allowed to ensure proper fit; however, field fabrication shall be kept to an absolute minimum with the majority of the fabrication being done under controlled shop conditions.”
A five-minute conversation I had on-site with our competitor’s outsourced installer one afternoon revealed that this job had extensive field fabrication. Specifically, I was told that all soffit panels needed to be cut down 3 inches. Clearly, the Quality Criteria section of the specifications was not enforced and field measuring prior to fabrication was not part of the process.
The next violation of the specifications was related to design wind loads and panel deflection criteria. The specification read: “Exterior aluminum clad panels shall be capable of withstanding building movements and weather exposures based on the following test standards required by the applicable code. Panels shall be designed to withstand the Design Wind Load based upon the applicable codes, but in no case less than 20 pounds per square foot (PSF) and 40 PSF on parapet and corner panels. Wind load testing shall be conducted in accordance with ASTM E330 to obtain the following results:
a) Normal to the plane of the wall between supports, deflection of the secured perimeter-framing members shall not exceed L/175 or 3/4-inch, whichever is less.
b) Normal to the plane of the wall, the maximum panel deflection shall not exceed L/60 of the full span.
c) This unnamed fabricator did not put ANY stiffeners on ANY panels for this project! Further, they did not even attach at the vertical joints in many locations. Preliminary calculations by our in-house engineer to meet specified wind load and deflection criteria required stiffeners on over 100 panels and of course, we would have attached the panels on all four sides.
Is it any wonder we lostthis project since we were carrying far more shop labor for panel fabrication and aluminum costs for panel stiffeners? Where was the architect during the construction process? Why do general contractors care more about schedule than meeting specified criteria? These are vexing questions.
Scott Stafford is the head estimator at The Miller- Clapperton Partnership Inc. in Austell, Ga. For more information, visit www.millerclapperton.com.