The Bay Dimension - Edition 3

the newsletter of tbd consultants - edition 3, 3rd qtr 2006

Printable PDF version
Subscribe to our newsletter
In this Edition
The TBD Bid Index
Value Engineering
Museums
MasterFormat 2004

Construction Management Specialists
111 Pine Street, Suite 1315
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 981-9430
www.TBDconsultants.com

The TBD Bid Index

How are bid prices changing in relation to the changes in labor and material prices? There are plenty of cost indexes that show how labor and material costs change over time, and we are starting an index to show how changes in bid prices. Click the link below to find out more about the TDB Bid Index.

Value Engineering
Value engineering was devised during World War II, and has continued to prove its worth since that time. We discuss the history and practice of Value Engineering in this article.

Museums

I wonder if anyone has ever considered compiling a museum of museums. What you would end up with would be a collection representing just about every building type going. Historic, modern, large, small, bare walls or marble lined hallways, they would all be represented in this collection.
Some museum buildings are basic warehouse-type structures. A transport museum, for instance, is frequently little more than a large shed to house a collection of vehicles, with the addition of a pay booth to collect the entrance fee (if any), a gift shop which, ideally, the visitors have to go through before they can exit restroom facilities and maybe a refreshment area serving snacks.
Museums depicting the lifestyles of bygone eras are frequently restored or reconstructed representations of houses, mansions, castles, etc., of the eras being depicted. In some cases these museums utilize existing buildings, an old "ghost town" for instance, or the buildings may be reconstructions. But in either case there are normally no major special requirements outside of maintaining the visual integrity of the period, addressing life-safety issues, and providing for public access. There are usually "back of house" areas, away from public view, where maintenance vehicles and equipment, workshops, storage, laundry facilities and the like are housed.
The type of museum that springs immediately to mind when the word "museum" is used, is one that houses a display of some particular type, such as a natural history collection, or an art collection. These are normally organized in one or more galleries, and frequently have special construction requirements to safeguard the collection. But again, the building types can vary, although they tend to fall into two categories: (i) existing buildings, frequently historic buildings, and (ii) new purpose built buildings.
If a building's previous use and the subject of the collection are related, then the decisions to be made in preparing the building for use as a museum are normally fairly straight-forward, but often that is not the case. Because of this, conflict can arise between the needs for the museum display, and the wants of the preservation societies in relation to the conservation of the building's character. One compromise is to maintain the exterior as original, while the design and finishing of the interior is governed by the needs of the museum collection. If there are special finishes to walls or ceilings that might be in conflict with, or detract from the display, but which should ideally be preserved, one option is to cover it with drywall. If there is a grand entrance hallway, and possibly a monumental staircase, these are often maintained in their original condition, but the interior of the galleries themselves is often required to be as simple as possible, so that the collection is prominent. In the Getty Villa, in Los Angeles, the interior room finish is designed to match the country and period of the exhibit in the particular room. This can be a very effective design feature, but is only practical where the display is not expected to change dramatically.

Above: The Smithsonian Aerospace Museum, DC
When a new building is being designed for a museum, a lot of interesting possibilities arise. For instance, the design of the building represents the theme of the museums collection, such as with Clapham's Clock Museum, in Whangerei, New Zealand, where the building is built to resemble a clock, with a giant sun-dial as a sculpture in front of the main entrance. In this way, the building acts as an advertising billboard for the collection it houses.
But whether a new or existing building is being utilized to house the collection, there are certain considerations that need to be addressed:

The galleries housing the collection need to direct the visitor's attention to the collection, not to the building itself. That doesn't mean that the room should be a simple drywall box - there is plenty of latitude for innovative design without it becoming distracting. For instance, alcoves and the like can add a feeling of discovery to a tour of the museum.
Frequently it is only a small proportion of the total collection that is displayed at any one time. Consequently, there is usually a need for storage space for the remaining part of the collection. Ideally this storage space should be organized in such a way as to make it easy to find individual items, either for incorporation into the public display, or for researchers to study.
There is often a need for workshops where exhibits can be repaired, prepared for display, maintained, or studied. It may be possible to incorporate some of these workshops into the visitor experience.
Often the exhibits need special climate control to prevent them deteriorating. This may be achieved by special air conditioning of the building as a whole, or specially air conditioned display cases (or a combination of both).
Likewise, the exhibits need to be protected in the event of a fire, but often water will have an equal potential as a source of damage, so regular automatic sprinkler-type fire protection may not be desired as the first line of defense.

CSI's MasterFormat 2004
MasterFormat has 16 Divisions, right? Well, the 1995 edition has, but what about the 2004 edition? Here we look at the changes occurring in MasterFormat.

Design consultant: Katie Levine of Vallance, Inc.



the newsletter of tbd consultants - edition 3, 3rd qtr 2006


		Printable PDF version Subscribe to our newsletter In this Edition The TBD Bid Index Value Engineering Museums MasterFormat 2004
	Construction Management Specialists 111 Pine Street, Suite 1315 San Francisco, CA 94111 (415) 981-9430 www.TBDconsultants.com


	The TBD Bid Index How are bid prices changing in relation to the changes in labor and material prices? There are plenty of cost indexes that show how labor and material costs change over time, and we are starting an index to show how changes in bid prices. Click the link below to find out more about the TDB Bid Index.


	Value Engineering Value engineering was devised during World War II, and has continued to prove its worth since that time. We discuss the history and practice of Value Engineering in this article.

	Museums I wonder if anyone has ever considered compiling a museum of museums. What you would end up with would be a collection representing just about every building type going. Historic, modern, large, small, bare walls or marble lined hallways, they would all be represented in this collection. Some museum buildings are basic warehouse-type structures. A transport museum, for instance, is frequently little more than a large shed to house a collection of vehicles, with the addition of a pay booth to collect the entrance fee (if any), a gift shop which, ideally, the visitors have to go through before they can exit restroom facilities and maybe a refreshment area serving snacks. Museums depicting the lifestyles of bygone eras are frequently restored or reconstructed representations of houses, mansions, castles, etc., of the eras being depicted. In some cases these museums utilize existing buildings, an old "ghost town" for instance, or the buildings may be reconstructions. But in either case there are normally no major special requirements outside of maintaining the visual integrity of the period, addressing life-safety issues, and providing for public access. There are usually "back of house" areas, away from public view, where maintenance vehicles and equipment, workshops, storage, laundry facilities and the like are housed. The type of museum that springs immediately to mind when the word "museum" is used, is one that houses a display of some particular type, such as a natural history collection, or an art collection. These are normally organized in one or more galleries, and frequently have special construction requirements to safeguard the collection. But again, the building types can vary, although they tend to fall into two categories: (i) existing buildings, frequently historic buildings, and (ii) new purpose built buildings. If a building's previous use and the subject of the collection are related, then the decisions to be made in preparing the building for use as a museum are normally fairly straight-forward, but often that is not the case. Because of this, conflict can arise between the needs for the museum display, and the wants of the preservation societies in relation to the conservation of the building's character. One compromise is to maintain the exterior as original, while the design and finishing of the interior is governed by the needs of the museum collection. If there are special finishes to walls or ceilings that might be in conflict with, or detract from the display, but which should ideally be preserved, one option is to cover it with drywall. If there is a grand entrance hallway, and possibly a monumental staircase, these are often maintained in their original condition, but the interior of the galleries themselves is often required to be as simple as possible, so that the collection is prominent. In the Getty Villa, in Los Angeles, the interior room finish is designed to match the country and period of the exhibit in the particular room. This can be a very effective design feature, but is only practical where the display is not expected to change dramatically. Above: The Smithsonian Aerospace Museum, DC When a new building is being designed for a museum, a lot of interesting possibilities arise. For instance, the design of the building represents the theme of the museums collection, such as with Clapham's Clock Museum, in Whangerei, New Zealand, where the building is built to resemble a clock, with a giant sun-dial as a sculpture in front of the main entrance. In this way, the building acts as an advertising billboard for the collection it houses. But whether a new or existing building is being utilized to house the collection, there are certain considerations that need to be addressed: The galleries housing the collection need to direct the visitor's attention to the collection, not to the building itself. That doesn't mean that the room should be a simple drywall box - there is plenty of latitude for innovative design without it becoming distracting. For instance, alcoves and the like can add a feeling of discovery to a tour of the museum. Frequently it is only a small proportion of the total collection that is displayed at any one time. Consequently, there is usually a need for storage space for the remaining part of the collection. Ideally this storage space should be organized in such a way as to make it easy to find individual items, either for incorporation into the public display, or for researchers to study. There is often a need for workshops where exhibits can be repaired, prepared for display, maintained, or studied. It may be possible to incorporate some of these workshops into the visitor experience. Often the exhibits need special climate control to prevent them deteriorating. This may be achieved by special air conditioning of the building as a whole, or specially air conditioned display cases (or a combination of both). Likewise, the exhibits need to be protected in the event of a fire, but often water will have an equal potential as a source of damage, so regular automatic sprinkler-type fire protection may not be desired as the first line of defense.


	CSI's MasterFormat 2004 MasterFormat has 16 Divisions, right? Well, the 1995 edition has, but what about the 2004 edition? Here we look at the changes occurring in MasterFormat.


	Design consultant: Katie Levine of Vallance, Inc.