Construction Specification Generation via Selective Data Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current construction specification preparation techniques are cumbersome, error-prone, and time-consuming, as they require architects and engineers to manually sift through extensive product catalogs and templates, making it difficult to accurately represent complex product specifications within contract documents.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes a website to allow users to input specifications through a user-friendly interface, where selecting indicia corresponds to specific product characteristics, generating a configured specification by extracting or deleting relevant information from an unconfigured specification, compliant with industry standards, and providing additional information such as summary, standards, and manufacturer details.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If architects and engineers manually sift through extensive product catalogs and templates to prepare construction specifications, then they can accurately represent complex product specifications, but the process becomes cumbersome, error-prone, and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures specification templates with all necessary product characteristics, sections, and formatting requirements before the architect or engineer uses them. The unconfigured specification contains pre-organized portions corresponding to product characteristics, which are automatically populated when the user selects indicia, eliminating the need to manually assemble specifications from scratch
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables architects and engineers to independently generate accurate specifications by selecting indicia that correspond to product characteristics. The software automatically extracts or deletes relevant information from the unconfigured specification based on user selections, allowing the user to self-serve without requiring manual compilation or extensive review of product catalogs
2Adaptability or versatility
If architects use generic symbols in plans and describe products in text form, then they can represent commercially available products, but they must carefully consider and specify numerous options manually
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary layer between the generic product symbols and the detailed specification text. The unconfigured specification acts as a template that contains all possible product options and characteristics, which are automatically filtered and populated based on the user's indicia selections, eliminating the need to manually write and review extensive specification text
Solution Approach 2:
The specification is divided into discrete portions, each corresponding to a specific product characteristic. Users can selectively configure each portion by selecting or deselecting indicia, allowing them to easily adapt the specification to different product options without having to review or modify the entire specification document
3Loss of information
If manufacturers provide glossy photo-rich product catalogs with sample specifications, then they can make their products known to construction professionals, but architects must still manually complete template specifications and recheck them painstakingly
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the manufacturer's product information and sample specifications as a template (unconfigured specification) and automatically copies and populates the relevant information based on user selections. Instead of manually copying information from catalogs to specifications, the software automatically extracts or deletes portions from the unconfigured specification to create the final configured specification
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automatic generation of complete, error-free specifications by having the software self-check and self-configure based on user selections. The software automatically ensures that all selected product characteristics are properly represented in the specification without requiring the architect to painstakingly review and verify each detail
Data Source
AI summary
A system for producing a configured construction specification for a construction product includes a website and an unconfigured specification accessible by the website, the unconfigured specification including a plurality of portions of construction specification information relating to the at least one construction product, each of the plurality of portions corresponding to at least one of a plurality of characteristics that define the at least one construction product. A webpage is displayed on the website, the webpage containing a plurality of indicia selectable by a user via the website, each of the plurality of indicia corresponding to at least one of the plurality of characteristics. Software executing on the website prepares a configured specification based at least in part upon the construction specification information contained in the unconfigured specification and the indicia selected by the user via the webpage.