Architecture Gift 10-5-78 METRIC DIMENSIONAL COORDINATION THE ISSUES AND PRECEDENT Abstract: Proceedings of Joint Conference These edited proceedings are a summary of a Joint Conference of the Design Sector and Construction Products Sector of the Construction Industries Coordinating Committee of the American National Metric Council, which was held in Washington, D. C., on June 6, 1977. They may be used as a general reference document dealing with the background of and precedent in metric dimensional coordination. a basis As the United States prepares to join the metric building world, both the issues 1. 2. 3. Dimensional Coordination An Industrial Management Tool, which reviews the issues and application of dimensional coordination; Building Standards Development in Sweden and in the Metric Building World, which outlines issues in national and international standardization in the context of building design, production and construction dimensions; and, Metrication The Opportunity for an Industry-wide System of Dimensional Coordination: Precedents and Issues, which reviews precedent in metrication and the simultaneous change to preferred building dimensions and preferred sizes in component production. The questions and answers emanating from the Joint Conference reflect the concerns of the United States' design and production communities at the outset of metrication and dimensional coordination. Key Words: Dimensional coordination in building; International standards for building; PREFACE Since the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 was signed into law by former President Ford on December 23, 1975, industrial, commercial, and governmental groups in the Nation have begun to assess ways and means of accomplishing a successful and cost-effective transition to metric measurement. In the construction industries it has been recognized that metrication brings with it the opportunity to transfer to a comprehensive and industry-wide system of dimensional coordination for buildings and building products. It is expected that the Design Sector and the Construction Products Sector of the American National Metric Council (ANMC) will be the main forces to bring about this transfer. The Office of Building Standards and Codes Services, Center for Building Technology of the National Bureau of Standards, provides Secretariat and technical assistance to three sectors of the ANMC Construction Industries Coordinating Committee; namely, the Construction Codes and Standards Sector, the Design Sector, and the Construction Products Sector. In this vein, the Center for Building Technology cooperated with the Design Sector and the Construction Products Sector to arrange for this Joint Conference. In the metric building world there is ample precedent of the benefits that can be achieved with coordinated dimensions for design, production and construction. One of the major benefits is greatly improved communication between all parties connected with building as an activity. At the international level, the concepts that underlie dimensional coordination are being set down in a series of international standards prepared by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Technical Committee (TC) 59, on Building Construction and especially by Subcommittee (SC) 1 on "Dimensional Coordination." TC59/SC 1 held its first meeting outside Europe in Toronto, Canada, from May 31 through June 2, 1977. Following this meeting, three participants, recognized as international experts in the field of metrication and dimensional coordination addressed this Joint Conference on June 6, 1977. This document contains the proceedings of the Joint Conference, which was held at the Headquarters of the American Institute of Architects. It was prepared in response to requests by many of the attendees to make available the Conference technical papers and discussion on a much wider scale. Special acknowledgment is given the American National Metric Council for cooperation in arranging for a joint meeting of two of its sector committees; the American Institute of Architects for making the facilities available; and, to the session chairman, speakers, and all Conference participants. The special efforts of the following people are acknowledged for their contribution to the publication of these edited proceedings: Mr. Rudy Dreyer Ms. Sandra Berry Chairman of the AIA Metrication/Dimensional Coordination Task Building Standards and Codes Information Specialist in the Ms. Sue Dzamba Graphic Designer in the Center for Building Technology, James G. Gross Chief, Office of Building Standards and Codes Services Center for Building Technology ABBREVIATIONS USED IN TEXT ANSI American National Standards Institute BST CEN CIB Building Standards Institute of Sweden [Byggstandardiseringen] European Committee for Standardization [Comité European de Normalisation] ECE Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations Economic and Social Council OECD SAR SC SI SIS TC WG International Modular Group of CIB Inter-Nordic Standardization Committee [Internordisk Standardisering] International Organization for Standardization international basic module in building (100 mm) Modular Coordination millimeter Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development of the United Nations Foundation of Architects Research [Stichting Architekten Research] International System of Units [Système International d'Unités] Swedish Standards Commission [Standardiseringskommissionen I Sverige] Technical Committee (in ISO) Working Group (in ISO) WELCOMING REMARKS GERALD PRANGE Welcome to this joint conference of the Design Sector and the Construction Products Sector of the Construction Industries Coordinating Committee of the American National Metric Council. We look forward to a lot of good discussion today under the guidance of two international authorities in the field of modular coordination and one world authority on metric conversion in the construction field. I know that Anna Halpin, Chairperson of the Design Sector, is very sorry that she cannot be with us today. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Board of Directors and is attending a Board meeting out of the city. We are very pleased, however, to have with us today the Chairman of the Construction Industries Coordinating Committee (CICC), Mr. Clark Tufts. Much of the motivation in the construction products and labor sectors of the building industry essentially is based on the view that metric conversion is coming--so let us soften the impact, if possible, by preplanning and problem solving. The Design Sector appears to be more positive in its approach, with envisioned simplification of engineering design and standardization of architectural drawings and building components among other expected benefits. All groups, however--product manufacturers, building contractors, labor, and the design professions--are motivated to reanalyze the design and construction process, and to assess the extent to which modular or dimensional coordination presently is practiced in the United States. Mr. Charles T. Mahaffey is the Senior Building Standards Specialist in the Center for Building Technology at the National Bureau of Standards. He is closely acquainted with our distinguished speakers and will make their introduction. |