Engineering and Construction

Just as the construction drawings are prepared separately by the architect and each consultant for their respective portions of the work, so are the specifications. The specifications from various design team members are assembled by the architect in a single document called the   project manual . Because the specifications consist of printed (typed) pages (not graphic images), a project manual is a bound document—like a book.

The major component of a project manual is the specifications. However, the project manual also contains other items, as explained later in this chapter.

The set of construction drawings (from various design team members) and the project manual together constitute what is known as the   construction document set, Figure 1.3. The construction document set is the document that the owner and architect use to invite bids from prospective contractors.

FIGURE 1.3 A construction document set consists of a set of architectural and consultants’ construction drawings plus the project manual. The project manual is bound in a book format.