rounded. Ceiling heights are dds. Bar placements and
simpler and more desirable.
wall thickness are dds. Slab to slab heights (ex, 5 m) are
dds.
Ex, a code might state 44" (1118 mm) minimum width.
While it is very helpful to have metric included, rounded
Conduit, alarm systems, motors, receptacles, switchgear,
design might lead to 1200 or 1150 being used.
air handlers, boilers, pumps and valves will have product
dimensions soft converted, but installation dimensions
The greatest improvement would be new dimensions in
(ie, dds) are hard converted.
100 and 50 mm sizes. Could 1100 be the new size?
This is ofcourse a professional judgement.
Marine Mooring posts, cleats, piles, fender systems,
buoys, and precast breakwater units have product
However, since rounded metric sizes are not in codes
dimensions which could be soft converted. Yet turning
yet, many still use english sizes during daily speech.
basins, breakwaters, freight terminals, bulkhead wharfs,
Grade A codes would greatly assist metric transition.
dolphins, fixed mooring berths, rock moles and trestles,
have dimensions that are readily rounded.
Fortunately, many code sizes are lengths, which when
converted usually get smaller, and offer many little cost
Rail 136 RE rail and standard joint and tie components
savings. Ex, from above, if 1100 is possible, small
may be used in elevated high speed rail, with products
savings would appear over many situations.
soft converted, yet center to center for support piers
could be hard, such as 25 m. Top and subballast
5. Partnering with the Construction Community
thickness are dds, as well as right of way, such as 20 m
each side. Frogs, spikes, and wood ties could probably
Construction firms have little time to prepare bids for a
be soft converted.
project. This pressure increases on a metric project.
Water Engineering Prefabricated components in
Prepare your community with: 1) Reference Material
hydroelectric facilities may be soft converted, such as
2) Clarity on Hard Metric 3) Advance Notice
impulse or reaction turbines. Yet a primary product is
concrete, so the dds such as height, thickness, spillway
Reference material reveals what you obtained from
and intake tower dimensions, could be hard metric.
months of metric design. This document may be a good
first step. List other suppliers you have found.
100 % Rule Over 90 % of current products will be used,
but strive for 100 % hard design dimensions.
At pre-bid meetings, identify the hard metric products.
Explain most products are the same as previously used.
Most drawings show installation dimensions, which can
be varied, often independent of product sizes.
Advance notice means alerting local groups, unions and
Thus drawings will be mostly hard metric and make
societies of forthcoming metric projects.
installation by our partners in the trades easier.
In summary, from our experience with metric, we feel
4. Metric Codes and Criteria
we could design and build about any project in this
Criteria We recommend new or revised criteria for
country, completely in the metric system, using this
design (ex, handbooks, specs) be issued in metric only.
compromise philosophy.
People no longer debate if or when, but realization of
From discussions with builders nationwide and talks
permanence emerges, and metric thinking begins.
with managers on metric projects, we could provide 10
firms to bid any metric project over $ 500,000, almost
Directives to go metric, along with issuance of dual
anywhere in the United States.
dimensioned criteria, appear contradictory.
January 1994 is feasible for all construction in our
If the new ceiling height is 2700 mm, those with any
country to be designed in metric, utilizing techniques
experience will not forget this is about 9 feet.
established in this document.
Old documents propagate for years, even decades, and
The design and construction projects now being done in
will bridge the gap from metric to english as needed.
metric indicate to us this is possible.
Codes Grade A metric codes would make metric design
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