Meet the MasterSpec Architectural Review Committee (MARC) 2013

May MARC Meeting Sparks Review of Terrazzo Specifications

MasterSpec Architectural Review Committee members, alternates, and ARCOM staff at the May 2013 meeting

Each quarter, the MasterSpec Architectural Review Committee (MARC) assembles in Alexandria, VA, to review MasterSpec sections and discuss updates to content with ARCOM's architectural specification writing staff.

MARC members and alternates—those who attend meetings as participants but are not directly involved in decision making—include architects, engineers, and specifiers from across the country. ARCOM listens to the voices of independent specifications consultants as well as specifiers who work as staff members for A/E firms.

Established and funded by the AIA, MARC—and its engineering counterpart, the MasterSpec Engineering Review Committee (MERC)—help ARCOM maintain precise specifications and ensure that new technological advances and trends in practice are accurately reflected in MasterSpec products.

Greta Eckhardt, 2013 MARC Chair, said, “To design buildings that will perform as intended, architects are called upon to understand and work with an increasingly wide range of materials, assemblies, and requirements. Throughout my practice as an architect and specifier, MasterSpec has been an invaluable resource for developing this understanding."

"Serving as a MARC alternate and committee member over the past five years has been a welcome opportunity to return to the community some of what I have learned through research and practice. It is also a privilege to participate in discussions with extremely well-informed and thoughtful specifiers—both those who serve on the committee and those who work directly for ARCOM.”

During its most recent meeting—held Friday, May 3, through Saturday, May 4—MARC covered a typically ambitious range of topics.

Friday’s focus on six painting sections explored, among other themes, the pros and cons of using Master Painters Institute designations as a means of preparing paint specifications.

A highlight of Saturday’s sessions was a presentation by a former committee member, Peter Jordan, who has been working to update the National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association's standards and reference materials. This presentation provided helpful background for discussing updates to the MasterSpec sections for terrazzo. The review of terrazzo specifications, as well as specifications for wood flooring and access flooring, accentuated the importance of moisture control of concrete slabs prior to application of any of these types of floor finish.

Filling out the agenda for the two days of meetings were discussions on finish carpentry; window shades; mobile, stationary storage shelving; and interior planters.


Meet the 2013 MARC members (shown on front row in photo below):
Greta Eckhardt, Payette, Inc., Boston, MA, MARC Chair 2013
Julia Hall, LS3P Associates Ltd, Charleston, SC, MARC Vice Chair 2013
Robert L. Caldwell, Gensler, Baltimore, MD
Christopher McClure, McClure & Lockhart Consulting Architect, PLLC, Raleigh, NC
John C. Williams, HOK, Leawood, KS

Top Row, L-R: Joe Berchenko (ARCOM); Paul Brosnahan (ARCOM); Peter Jordan (Houston, TX)
Middle, L-R: Bill Munyan (Charlotte, NC); John Bunzick (Boston, MA); Helga Brown (San Diego, CA); Cynie Linton (Boston, MA); Tim Werbstein (ARCOM)
Front Row, L-R: Robert Caldwell (Baltimore, MD); John Williams (Leawood, KS);  Julia Hall (Charleston, SC); Chris McClure (Raleigh, NC); Greta Eckhardt (Boston, MA)

ARCOM thanks these members who give their time to MasterSpec. If you are interested in joining MARC as an alternate member, contact Paul Brosnahan, Vice President of Architectural Specifications at ARCOM, at pbrosnahan@arcomnet.com.

ARCOM Congratulates Our New CDT-Certified Employees

Last month, senior editor/workflow coordinator Tanya Coachman, engineering specification writer Michael Heinsdorf, and editor Amy Steele joined ARCOM's team of Construction Documents Technologists (CDT).

The three employees, based in ARCOM's Alexandria, VA, office, studied the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI)'s comprehensive approach to the construction process to earn their CDT certificates. Through the CDT Program, candidates learn about the development and management of construction documents, including the particulars of contractual relationships, project delivery methods, and facility life cycle stages.

"ARCOM believes that all our employees should be knowledgeable about construction documents in order to better serve our clients," said Christopher Bushnell, ARCOM’s President and CEO. "Our employees contribute a considerable amount of effort to understand construction project fundamentals and demonstrate their knowledge of specifications as they relate to other construction documents. We welcome Tanya, Michael, and Amy to ARCOM's team of CDT-certified employees."

The CDT is a prerequisite for the Certified Construction Specifier, Certified Construction Contract Administrator, and Certified Construction Product Representative certifications. CSI lists Construction Documents Technologists in its Certificants Directory, found here.

Nominal, Utilization, and Service Voltages in MasterSpec

Michael A. Heinsdorf, P.E., LEED AP
MasterSpec Engineering Specification Writer


Electrical equipment specified in MasterSpec typically has the voltage specified in a manner that will match a manufacturer's nameplate data. This includes specifying the rated voltage using what is called the utilization voltage. The utilization voltage usually differs from the typical voltage rating used when discussing a power system, the nominal voltage, which may differ from the actual delivered, or service voltage.

ANSI Standard C84.1L Electric Power Systems and Equipment – Voltage Ranges defines standard electrical equipment voltage ratings and tolerance limits for steady-state ac electrical systems from 100 V to 1200 kV. The nominal system single-phase voltages under 600 V are 120, 208, 240, 277, and 480 V. For each nominal system voltage, there are two voltage ranges, Range A, or the ideal voltage tolerances, and Range B, which includes Range A but goes beyond the limits of Range A on both the high and low ends.

Within each range are service and utilization voltages. The service voltage specifies tolerances for delivered voltage to the service entrance; the utilization voltage limits specify voltage tolerances for electrical equipment. Range A limits are significantly tighter than Range B. For Range A, the service voltage limits are plus or minus 5 percent of the nominal voltage; for Range B, the service voltage limits are approximately 8 percent below and 6 percent above nominal voltage. Range A utilization limits are 10 percent below and 4 percent above nominal voltage; Range B utilization limits are 13 percent below and 6 percent above nominal voltage. Utilization equipment should be designed to properly operate within Range A. Range B includes limits that allow for operating conditions and design limitations, but if conditions are sustained outside of Range A, yet inside Range B, corrective measures should be taken to bring the system into Range A limits, as equipment is only designed to operate within Range B limits for a brief duration.

Transient voltages, or sags and surges, are not accounted for within these limits and are covered by other standards that will be discussed in a future SpecTalk article.

ANSI C84.1 sets these voltage limits to ensure that the nominal electrical service delivered to a facility is within a certain range and that once the service voltage is delivered, the electrical equipment within the facility is able to properly operate after losses from the facility's electrical distribution system are accounted for. NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, allows for up to a total of a 5% voltage drop for a feeder and a branch circuit (see NFPA 70, Article 215.A.4), which is why the lower limit tolerances are a significantly higher percentage than the upper limit tolerances.

This means that a 480-V nominal voltage may have a Range A service voltage anywhere between 456 to 504 V and a utilization voltage between 440 to 500 V. To ensure that electrical equipment properly works within these voltage ranges, manufacturers will design for proper equipment operation within the lower and upper limits of the chosen range. Note that this applies to motors, tripping devices, light fixtures, etc.

As a rule, MasterSpec uses Range A utilization limits as a baseline. For instance, motors are specified as operating at 440 V ac. The Engineer needs to verify that the available service is within the Range A tolerances and, if not, specify corrective measures or Range B, if that option is available.

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To speak with one of our product experts, call us at 800.424.5080.

ARCOM Announces Continuing Education Program through ACEC

Last week, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) welcomed ARCOM as a registered provider for the Registered Continuing Education Providers Program (RCEP), a continuing education system for professional engineers.

ARCOM is a long-time provider of continuing education programs for The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). In 2012, ARCOM joined the ranks of registered providers for the Society for Design Administration (SDA).

ARCOM's continuing education programs include hands-on workshops, webinars, and independent study activities offered to MasterSpec and SpecText licensees. ARCOM hopes to expand its offerings with more technically oriented programs for both ARCOM licensees and non-licensees.

ARCOM architectural specification writer Joe Berchenko, AIA, CSI, CCS, coordinates independent study programs geared towards architects and landscape architects, and ARCOM’s Salt Lake City-based technical and support staff manage the company's software training programs. Through ACEC's RCEP, ARCOM engineering specification writer Michael Heinsdorf, P.E., LEED AP, CDT, will manage continuing education programs for engineers.

Stay tuned on SpecTalk and LinkedIn for more information on ARCOM's continuing education opportunities. Or call us at 800.424.5080.