Uncoordinated Drawings Cost Money in the Field - Coordination Is the Architect's Responsibility
The most common source of construction change orders and contractor claims is drawing conflicts discovered during construction - a structural beam that conflicts with a mechanical duct shown at the same elevation; an electrical conduit that runs through a shear wall without a code-compliant penetration detail; an HVAC diffuser location that conflicts with a structural column on the reflected ceiling plan. These conflicts are preventable, and preventing them is primarily the architect's responsibility. The architect does not design the structural or MEP systems, but the architect is responsible for coordinating all consultants' drawings into a coherent, conflict-free set of construction documents. On the ARE PDD exam, drawing coordination - what to check, how to resolve conflicts, and what the architect's coordination responsibilities are - is a core construction documents competency.
Types of Drawing Conflicts
Plan conflicts: A structural column shown on the architectural plan at 18 inches in diameter but shown on the structural plan at 24 inches; a plumbing chase that is 6 inches on the architectural plan but 12 inches on the plumbing plan. These conflicts require reconciliation before the documents are issued for bid. Section/elevation conflicts: A ceiling height shown as 9-6 on the architectural section but 8-0 on the MEP reflected ceiling plan due to duct routing. A structural beam depth that reduces clear height below the rated corridor 8-0 ADA requirement. Above-ceiling conflicts: The most common conflict in commercial construction - multiple systems (HVAC ductwork, structural steel, electrical conduit, plumbing pipes, fire protection piping, light fixtures) must fit in the same plenum space. Without coordination, conflicts are discovered during installation at significant cost to resolve. BIM clash detection is the most effective tool for identifying above-ceiling conflicts before construction.
The Coordination Process
Effective coordination requires: (1) Establishing a coordination drawing sequence and schedule at the outset - which discipline's drawings go out first for overlay by other disciplines, and when each discipline must have their documents at a specified completion level for cross-check. (2) Conducting inter-discipline drawing review sessions at key milestones (end of DD, 50% CD, 90% CD). (3) In BIM projects: creating a federated model combining all disciplines' models and running clash detection. The architect reviews the clash report, prioritizes conflicts by severity, and facilitates resolution between the disciplines whose systems conflict. (4) Issuing coordination bulletins or coordination sketches to resolve conflicts and making sure the resolution is reflected in all affected disciplines' documents before bid issuance.
Key Exam Points
- Architect's coordination responsibility: does not design consultants' systems but is responsible for ensuring documents are coordinated.
- Common conflict types: plan conflicts, section conflicts, above-ceiling coordination (plenum crowding).
- BIM clash detection: most effective tool for above-ceiling coordination; produces clash report for resolution.
- Coordination schedule: establish early; all disciplines must meet coordination deadlines to allow effective cross-check.
- Unresolved conflicts become change orders: cost of coordination errors in the field is 3-10x the cost of resolving them in design.
AREprep's PDD construction documents content covers drawing coordination responsibilities, conflict types, coordination schedules, BIM clash detection workflow, and how coordination failures translate to construction claims - giving ARE PDD candidates the coordination knowledge the exam tests in multi-discipline construction document production and project management questions.
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