What is coordination and why is it so important? First, the definition:
“Coordination is the process of organizing people or groups so that they work together properly and well.”
From my experience as an infantryman in the US Army, proper coordination and communication – prior to actual boots on the ground – is vital to setting your team up for a successful mission. Infantry teams coordinate with other teams such as artillery, mechanics, medics, and others to make the mission go as smooth and safe as possible.
Much like the military, here at WGI we believe that coordination and communication is key to completing a successful project. This is especially important to establish early on between the architectural and structural engineering teams to avoid problems down the line when they are harder and more expensive to fix: things like columns in front of windows, beams too low in egress paths, unexpected openings in shear walls, or misaligned slab edges. People are human, and mistakes happen, but many common problems can be averted simply by communicating clearly, early, and often.
To make the process easier for both the architect and the structural engineering team, here is a short list of items that can make a project start-up successful and set the stage for smooth coordination throughout design and construction. Not all apply to every construction type, but this is a good place to start.
Things the architect should provide the structural team:
Within a short period of time, the structural team should provide these things to the architect:
This is a good beginning, but it’s only the beginning. When in doubt about anything—ask, request, inquire, or query; or notify, inform, advise, or apprise via email, phone, fax, telegraph, or carrier pigeon. At WGI we believe that it is never possible to over-communicate. Plus we like to hear your voice.
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