Construction Documents - The Final word

Petroleum equipment installations are improved when formal construction documents are used. Architect Larry Jacobsen explains.

Mies van der Rohe
one of this century’s most famous architects, once said, “God is in the details.” With deference to Mies, I would say that “Quality is in the construction documents.” Everyone expects that quality comes with the purchase, whether it be a new automobile, medical treatment, or, more to the point, a fueling system installation. But exactly what is quality, who defines it, and how do you control it?

We are in a unique business, the design and construction business. Every job is unique. The sites are different, the soil conditions are different, the owner’s needs are different, and the weather on the day you install the tank is different.

There are so many variables in the design and construction business that the process of defining and controlling quality seems almost unattainable. And yet quality is the benchmark of a project’s success, the user’s safety, and ultimately, the livelihood of all of us who design and install these systems.

That’ s why I strongly believe that the guidebook to attaining quality is all contained within the construction documents – those general conditions, technical specifications and drawings that define what is to be constructed.

Discuss