In the last post, we looked at the complementary clause, and saw how powerful it can be; we also looked at the limits of that power. Many architects know of that clause, and I have occasionally heard it cited, something like this: "I don't care if there is no specification for it; it's on the drawings, and you have to provide it!" In the same conversation, it wouldn't be unusual to hear, "No, I don't know how you're going to do it - that's means and methods!"

I’m very surprised that it’s already 2016. Last year evaporated before my eyes! Not only that, but January has come and gone and it’s mid-February now and it’s onward and upward for most of us.

Greetings! We will be conducting our April Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Flex the Specs" Presented by Vivian Volz, AIA, CSI, SCIP, CCS, LEED AP BD+C who is the Principal Specifier and President of VVAS. Mark your calendars for April 13th at 12:00pm EDT. We look forward to having you attend this free webinar, register today as space is limited!

Greetings! We will be conducting our March Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Why the Fuss over Volume Solids" Presented by Johnathan Meany, CSI - Behr Paint Architectural Representative. Mark your calendars for March 9th at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend this free webinar, register today as space is limited!

CSINext continues to look for ways to expand and meet the ever changing needs of Social media. While we have all of the stuff of a traditional chapter (meetings, newletters, board, etc). We don't want to loose focus of our mission. Bridging the gap between members, the industry and social media. With that we are please to announce the CSINext Discussion Groups.

Greetings! We will be conducting our February Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Digital Art - This is not BIM" Presented by Daniel Hargreaves, FCSI, CDT, AIA, RAS, he is the Operations Manager for SRa Architects located in Tucson, Arizona. Mark your calendars for Febraury 10th at 11:00am EST. We look forward to having you attend this free webinar, register today as space is limited!

It is with Sad news that another one of the CSI 'greats' is no longer with us. Richard A. Eustis, PE, FCSI, Lifetime Member, CCCA, CSC passed away on January 26, 2016. There are several post on Facebook that I wanted to repost here and add my own tribute to him.

Welcome to the all new, yet old CSINext. At the end of 2015 CSINext got a very special belated Christmas Present. The virtual host got hacked...

Although it didn't seem like it at the time, one of the best parts of my CSI chapter's certification classes was reading the A201 - not selectively, but the whole thing, beginning to end. Being the heart of the construction contract, anyone who works on a project should know what's in it. I can't quote every part of it, but it's familiar enough that I can find what I'm looking for fairly quickly. I don't deal with much of it, e.g., claims and time requirements, but there are a few parts that I find of particular interest.

I remember being, as a new CSI member, somewhat confused by our election process. Having been a voter for many years, I knew that the US president did not take office immediately, but was a president-elect for a short time. So it seemed strange that, instead of voting for the next president of CSI, we vote for a person who won't take office as president for at least a year. The other problem I had had nothing to do with the process; I simply didn't know who was running for office! But we'll get to that later.

Greetings! We will be conducting our December Chapter Meeting and in the best CSINext tradition our Holiday party in the form of an Open Forum. We are honored to have CSI President Lane Beougher and Executive Director Mark Dorsey. Mark your calendars for December 9th at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend this free Webinar event.

Greetings! We will be conducting our October Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "How Low-e Coatings Improve Building Performance" Presented by by Nathan McKenna, CSI with PPG. Mark your calendars for November 11th at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend this free Webinar event.

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. In "Tell me again part 2" we saw how proper use of Division 01 can eliminate repeated requirements in specification sections in other Divisions. Now let's look at redundancies found on drawings and inspecifications.

Once again, I’m a day late and a dollar short. While contemplating a September President’s message (which turned into an October message and now possibly a November message if I don’t hurry), I was listening in on the September session of CSI’s Specifiers’ Practice Group. I think a lot about the fact that CSI is a well-kept secret in our construction industry, and it has occurred to me on more than one occasion that the practice groups are a hidden jewel within CSI. So, I was jotting some notes down about what the practice groups do, how the first one of which I was aware was the Product Representation Practice Group, how we all practice differently and yet the same. Then, as happens with most of us, Real Life took over and the notes were shoved into a Word document in a “possible president’s messages” folder.

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 continuing to maintain the professional development units that obtaining a Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) requires I was selected to be one of the Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) to participate in the overall content review of the upcoming release of the PMI’s 4th Edition of the Construction Extension to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) 5th Edition.

Greetings! We will be conducting our October Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Architects Guide to Construction Specifications" Presented by by Nina Giglio, FCSI, CCS, SCIP with PerkinsEastman. Mark your calendars for October 14th at 12:00pm EDT. There is a lot to cover and we will be extending the program to 1.5 hours. We look forward to having you attend this free Webinar event.

Welcome to the new fiscal year at CSINext! If you’re not familiar with us, we are CSI’s virtual chapter – a group of construction industry professionals who happen to live and work all over the world. We share an energy and enthusiasm for what we do in our paying jobs and for what CSI has to offer the construction world.

Greetings! CSINext September Chapter meeting will present "Designing Media Walls" Presented by Peter Lawrence and Chris Lookenott with Planar Systems Inc.   Mark your calendars for September 9th at 12:00pm EDT. We look forward to having you attend this free Webinar, please use the link below to RSVP!

For many years, there have been debates about the future of construction specifiers. Where will we find new specifiers? Are they all dying off? Is the profession no longer needed? While I believe there is reason for concern, I don't think much has changed.