Summary Questions.........

Star-Board Construction (SBC) is the prime contractor for a large skyscraper project in Cape
Town. SBC is working directly from drawings received from the architect, Santaro Associates
(SA). Robert Santaro, owner and chief architect of SA, viewed this building as similar to others he
designed. However, one difference between this building and the others he overlooked was the
building’s facing, which was to consist of large granite slabs – slabs much larger than anything
with which either he or SBC had prior experience.
Halfway into the project, Kent Star, project manager for SBC, starts to receive reports from his
site superintendent about recurring problems with window installation. The windows are factory
units, pre-manufactured according to SA’s specifications. The granite facing on the building has
been installed according to specifications that allow for dimensional variations in the window units.
The architect provided the specification that the tolerance for each window space should be 12.5
mm (that is, the window space between granite slabs could vary as much as 6.25 mm larger or
smaller than the specified value). This created a problem for the construction crew, which found
the granite slabs too big to install with such precision. As a result, the spacing between slabs is
often too small, making it difficult or impossible to install window units. Most of the 2 000 window
units for the building have already been manufactured so it is too late to change their
specifications and most of the granite slabs have been hung on the building. The only recourse
for fitting window units into tight spaces is to grind away the granite. It is going to be very
expensive, and will certainly delay completion of the building.
Source: Nicholas JM & Steyn H. 2012. Project management for engineering, business and
technology; fourth ed. London:Routledge Taylor & Francis

What To do:
In 450 to 500 words discuss what you have learnt from the case study with regards to
specifications and construction. What are the do’s and don’ts from both the Employer’s Agent’s
(Engineer) and the Contractor’s perspective? Submit your work only via the Learner Management
System (Blackboard) on the link provided.

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Answer rating: 100% (QA)

The case study highlights the importance of specifications in construction The architect overlooked the fact that the granite facing on the building w... View the full answer