Interpreting Construction Drawings and Specifications

This 16 hour interactive course will teach the student how to read various types of drawings used in Construction projects. The importance of reading, understanding and using drawings is pivotal in maintaining effective communication that impacts cost, time and overall management of a successful construction project.  Drawings created by different disciplines including architects, engineers, interior designers, technologists all mean different things and must be read in conjunction with one-another for project success.

This course has been accredited with 2 Gold Seal Credits.    

Using an example project, the student can expect the following outcomes:

• Understand the role and responsibility of contributors to the construction document process: Architect, Engineer, Designer, Draftsperson, Sub-Contractor shop documents, Manufacturers and Suppliers.
• Decipher between a complete set of drawings and incomplete for scope requirements
• Read and interpret INTENT versus construction detailing of different drawings and how and where to get further information. 
•  Understand issuances of drawings and obsolete or amended information
• Understand all symbols and abbreviations used by design professionals and what they mean relative to each other navigating a set of drawings
• Introduction to using and navigating a specification and its purpose relative to the responsibility of stakeholders
• Concepts in Law for the use of drawings and specifications in the project 
• Basic understanding of Ontario Building Code, NFPA, and other codes that impact drawing content.
• Basic understanding of requirements of authorities having jurisdiction for planning control and satisfying permit to construct requirements
• Basic take off for preliminary estimating
• Basic introduction to current physical changes happening in the electronic creation of construction documents.

This course is valuable for new project managers, owner agent project managers and administrators, buyers of construction services, interns in the architectural or engineering disciplines, junior estimators or sub-contractors required to produce shop drawings.

Derek Smith, President/Lead Facilitator - Constructionlab

Derek Smith spent 15 years of his career in construction boots on-site and behind the drawing board and CADD equipment honing his craft; drafting and designing buildings.  As part of the pioneering generation shifting the production of construction drawings and contract documents from the drawing board to digital format, Derek was engaged to work on some of Canada's most recognizable retail and commercial building projects from Newfoundland to Victoria.   His roles have included prime consultant, job captain/owners' project manager for Chrysler Canada, and design firm principal for over $400 million in built work.  Along the way, Derek honed his teaching and facilitating skills at St. Clair College in Windsor Ontario as an adjunct professor in the Architectural Technology and Interior Design diploma and undergraduate degree programs.  Derek served a 2 year term on the Donald J. Smith School of Building Technology Program Advisory Committee at Fanshawe College in London ON between 2009 and 2011

In 2007, Derek shifted his career path by taking the helm at the mixed trade London & District Construction Association where he assisted unionized signatory contractors, and open shop contractors with day-to day challenges they faced in performance and outcomes of projects.  In 2010, Derek assisted in bargaining OLRB board area 3 unionized employers to a strike free round, bargaining multiple collective agreements that avoided work interruptions in the ICI construction sector.

Derek is the principal of Constructionlab Ltd., and serves as the Executive Director of the Walls and Ceilings Association Ottawa (WACCA).  His duties include assisting employer’s signatory to OLRB board area 15 ICI and residential agreements and navigating legislation, building code changes and more.  WACCA is an accredited ErBA for the region. 

Since 2013, Derek has worked with over 12,500 attendees in his workshops, developed over 15  general and topic specific industry courses and workshops and co-created with the Ontario Construction Secretariat, Canada’s only Fundamentals of Construction Labour Relations course recognized by McMaster University.   Derek maintains a BCIN and limited license in architectural consulting and is a regular speaker/contributor at The Buildings Show held each year in Toronto.