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Put drawing notes and information where it belongs

Although many design professionals take great pride in their Construction Documents – drawings, specifications, cut sheets, shop drawings - they are not the final product of the design process.  Your end game is to have a well-constructed, completed, functioning and successful restaurant.

Toward that end, the information on these documents must not only be complete but must be in the right place.  The construction trades – plumbers, electricians, mechanical contractors, carpenters – usually reference the drawings that pertain to their discipline. If you put notes and details for the plumber on an Architectural sheet (A series), rather than the plumbing drawings (P series) they won’t be seen.

While you can fall back on the idea that the General Contractor is responsible to review and understand the complete set of documents and to work with his trades to ensure that everyone understands all aspects of their work, the reality is that if a note or detail is missed, errors and delays will occur. Nobody wins.

One of the most egregious abuses of this process occurs with the Food Service drawings (FS or K reference letters). Kitchens and bars are a black hole to many contractors. When wall blocking, wall types or critical dimensions are put on these drawings, they are not necessarily seen by the trades that are responsible for this work.  The same is true for plumbing and electrical notes regarding accessories, mounting details or location of fixtures. These notes and details need to be coordinated with the MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) engineer and noted on their documents.

There is a remedy for this. It goes back to coordination of documents.  Your food service designer/consultant needs to provide this information to the architect who then needs to include this information on the appropriate drawings, where it will be seen by the appropriate sub-contractor.

Throughout the process of completing the Construction Documents, there is constant communication among the design team. Wall locations are refined, dimensioned adjusted to accommodate equipment, seating, aisle and traffic clearances, etc. Additionally, millwork and finish details are finalized.  It is during this period that detailed information is noted on the drawings for the General Contractor and his sub-contractors to rely on for their scope of work. Where this information in located is critical and must be correctly documented by your architect.

Pretty drawings that are not well organized or properly documented will create havoc, delays and added costs on a job site. No one wants that!