Preparation
Design Policy
Standard regional procedure is as follows:
Selection of pilot projects is an important factor in
whether a metric project will be successful.
All projects need not be done in metric now.
Internal Preparation
Project managers starting a metric project receive:
National policy requires all projects be in metric after
January 1994. Our regional policy, in place since
1) This design guide 2) Metric scale
January 1992, shall remain prior to that time.
3) 1 hour metric design orientation course
4) Metric / english tape measure (if needed)
As our major capitol project designs have been metric
for some time, the vast majority of all major project
Most people (except field inspectors) use tape measures
construction dollars in 1994 will be metric.
infrequently after a few months of daily metric usage.
Regional Design Policy All renovation and new
Metric training cannot have the same training effect as
construction projects of $ 500,000 or more, shall be done
immersion into metric design or construction.
completely in metric.
We did not purchase metric conversion calculators.
All specifications for new construction lease projects
shall be metric. The same firms that provide construction
services to developers on lease projects perform
External Preparation For Design Firms, Construction
construction for us in direct federally funded projects.
Managers, and Real Estate Developers
1.
Provide this design guide to staff members
Projects under $ 500,000 may be done in SI, based on
2.
Metric experience can only be a plus, as federal,
feasability. About half of our projects under
state, and local government projects increasingly go
$ 500,000 are currently selected for metric design.
metric. To obtain experience, consider using metric
for other government or private projects.
Feasability of doing projects below $ 500,000 is based
3.
The architectural and engineering communities have
on the number of hard metric products used. Small
in general responded favorably to metric
projects using mainly soft metric products can usually be
conversion. We have not provided wholesale
easily done in metric.
training to all firms that commonly do business with
us. We provide detailed consultation (~ 2 hours if
Very small projects under $ 50,000 are generally not
needed) once firms sign contracts and are about to
being done in metric yet.
start design.
Timeframe To Convert Projects To Metric
External Preparation for Product Manufacturers
Our past year reinforces earlier policy: It is fully feasible
Contacts with product manufacturers should now always
to convert medium and large projects to metric up to
discuss available metric products and literature, although
about 25-30 % design completion.
many have been exposed through projects.
This can be up to about 40 % for smaller projects.
Submissions have unfortunately been returned for
For CAD drawings, it is usually easy to convert to SI and
resubmittal based on lack of understanding of the
select similar metric structure dimensions.
firmness of this requirement. This can be avoided by
thorough communication.
Many projects nationwide, at the federal, state, and local
levels, have now been converted to metric up to the 30%
design stage, with success.
Construction Firms, Construction Personnel
CAD While regional policy requires all projects be 100
Agencies like New York State Department of
Transportation are working with local AGC chapters to
% CAD, projects are being done nationwide in metric in
alert contractors of upcoming metric activities. Our
freehand format with little difficulty.
construction management firms have helped us by also
contacting AGC, unions, other construction related
groups, to advise of upcoming metric projects.
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