Building Bye Laws V

ARCHITECT'S OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE, FILING

AND RECORD KEEPING......
Architectural Office
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction
of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the
design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site
surrounding the buildings, that have as their principal purpose human occupancy or use.

Part 1 - Architecture
An architect is required to provide services in respect of the following :

Taking clients instructions and preparation of design brief.

Site evaluation, analysis and impact of existing and /or proposed development on its
immediate environment.

Design and site development.

Structural design.

Sanitary, plumbing, drainage, water supply and sewerage design.

Electrical, electronic, communication systems and design.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning design (HVAC) and other mechanical
systems.

Elevators and escalators, etc.

Fire detection, fire protection and security systems etc.

Periodic inspection and evaluation of construction works.

Part 2- Allied Fields

Landscape architecture.
Interior architecture.
Architectural conservation.
Retrofitting of buildings.
Graphic design and signage.

Different Departments In An Architectural Office

Chief architect
Senior architects
Architects
Senior draftsman
Draftsman
3-d team
Landscape architects
Interior department
Even the type of project which has to be done plays an important role. There is an assigned
team who works for a particular kind of a project. For example: a particular team is assigned
for the institutional projects or residential or educational or the commercial project.

Architectural Record
A Record is a collection of elements, typically in fixed number and sequence and typically
indexed by serial numbers or identity numbers.
Where as an Architectural Record is a pictorial representation of manmade structures intended to
show how they will appear when completed. These drawings can represent a building before,
during and after construction, or they may show structures that were never built. Land surveys
and topographic site plans of future buildings -- in other words, maps -- are often considered as
architectural records.
Architectural records produced include drawings of federal buildings such as post offices,
embassies, hospitals, schools, penitentiaries, the Parliament Buildings, courthouses, experimental
farm buildings, customs offices, national museums, railway stations and other railway buildings,
grain elevators, RCMP and military buildings, airports and terminals, office buildings, pavilions
for international.

Architectural records document the four stages in the production of

architectural drawings:

Stage 1 - CONCEPT DESIGN

1. Design proposals
2. Sketches
3. Schematic drawings
4. Perspective drawings
5. Presentation drawings
6. Three-dimensional models

Stage 2 - SITE SURVEY

1. Plans
2. Contour Maps

Stage 3 - CONSTRUCTION
1. Working drawings of the building, equipment, heating, plumbing and air conditioning
systems including plans, cross-sections, details and elevations
2. As-built drawings
3. Shop drawings
4. Key plans
5. Change orders

Stage 4 - POST CONSTRUCTION

1. Annotated plans
2. Measured drawings, i.e., precise scale drawings of existing structures based on
measure or mathematical calculation.

Besides, there are also some books kept as record in offices which are frequently referred
for the sake of designing. For e.g. National Building Code (Latest Edition)
Building Bye-Laws Of The Particular Area.

Organizing Architectural Record

Due to technological advancement, the office keep records of drawings and details as soft copy
in CDs/DVDs, hard disks, pen drives etc and as well as hard copy in file fold system,
photocopies, blue prints, banners or films etc.
The offices need to organize all their records so that information can be identified, located and
retrieved quickly and accurately. The arrangement of records should be dictated by the nature of
the records, the needs of the institution and the needs of the users. It will involve many
decisions, such as choosing the best storage locations, selecting a classification scheme, assigning
control numbers, and creating finding aids, indexes and other retrieval mechanisms.

Registration

Numbering

Sequential Chronological Numbers

Labeling

Description

Related documentation

STORAGE OF RECORDS

Tubes

Architectural drawings are often too large to be stored flat. They are often received in rolls,
however, and there is neither the time, the resources nor the space to unroll them and store
them flat. There are a number of fairly safe ways to store rolled documents. To prevent damage,
rolls should not extend beyond the ends of the shelves and should always be stored
horizontally, never in an upright position. Never stack rolls one on top of the other as this will
crush the records and also make storage and retrieval more difficult.
The only records that can be rolled are those on flexible media, for example, linen, polyester
film (Mylar), and supple paper of high quality and in good condition. Never try to roll delicate
records on brittle, thick or rigid paper, or on cardboard, or composite records.
Rolled records may be stored in a single row on the same kind of shelves as those used for
large folders . Shelf storage is an especially good idea for small rolls that are not encased in
tubes.

Open metal shelves can easily accommodate boxes and tubes.

Videotapes, Videodiscs, Digital Imaging And Microfilm

In recent years, sophisticated technologies such as videotape, videodisc and digital imaging have
been developed and adopted by a number of large archival repositories and government
institutions.

Scanning or recording architectural records allows offices to protect the original records from
excessive handling, in addition to offering many advantages for the users, such as quick visual
access to a collection, enhanced presentation on monitors and, in some cases, the ability to
manipulate the electronic image. A collection could then include multiple examples of scanned
images in different media, thereby reducing the amount of time required to view or study the
collection.
Microfilm, rolls or microfiche, is always an excellent method for reproducing records. The 105
mm micro-fiche (on which a single document is reproduced) is especially convenient for the
reproduction of large records, although the cost of the camera and its operation is prohibitive
for most organizations.

Filing system
Filing means keeping documents in a safe place and being able to find them easily and
quickly.
Documents that are cared for will not easily tear, get lost or dirty.
A filing system is the central record-keeping system for an organization. It helps you to be
organized, systematic, efficient and transparent. It also helps all people who should be able to
access information to do so easily. Everyone who needs to use documents should know where to
get them.

EQUIPMENT USED FOR FILING

1.Filing Cabinet - It is used to keep flat files and suspension or hanging files.
2.Steel Cabinet - It is used to keep big files that need to be locked up.
3.Date Stamp - It is used to date stamp documents that are received on daily basis so
that they are filed in chronological order and so we have a record of when we received
the document.
4.Register - It is used to record files taken out and files returned.
5.Filing Shelves - It is used to file box files.
6.Box File - This is a big file that is used to keep big documents that cannot go into a
filing cabinet. They are kept in shelves.

METHODS OF FILING
There are 3 methods of filing:

Filing by building type.

Filing by year of construction.

Filing by places.

HOW TO SET UP A FILING SYSTEM

Filing Categories
To make a filing system more useful, we can group files into CATEGORIES. A
category is a group/collection of things that belong together.

Filing Key
Once you have decided on your categories, you will have to draw up a filing index
so that everyone can understand the system you used and find the information they
want. This index is called a filing key.

New Files
Don't create new files unless you are absolutely sure the information does not
logically fit into an existing file. Put the new file in the correct category and write
it in the filing key immediately. Give everyone a copy of the new categories as soon
as possible.

FILING CORRESPONDENCE
All letters must be filed in 2 places:

Incoming Mail
1. The original letter together with a copy of your answer goes into the SUBJECT
FILE.
2. A second copy of the letter goes into the CORRESPONDENCE IN file.

Outgoing Mail
1. One copy of the letter goes into the SUBJECT FILE. Any letters in answer to your
letter must go into this file; and all future correspondence about the subject.
2. One copy goes into the CORRESPONDENCE OUT file.

Maintenance of Filing System

One of the most important reasons why we file is to keep document safe. It is therefore very
important to make sure that all papers and files are kept in good condition. Here are some ways
that we can do this:

Keep documents that are waiting to be filed in trays, do not leave them lying about on
desks or shelves.

File documents away at least once a day, or if your organization is very small you can
do it once a week.

Do not put too much in files or folders

Put new covers on old files which get a lot of use and have become worn or torn.

Box files and lever arch files can hold more than simple folders.

Never allow filing drawers or shelves to become too full. Acquire new filing cabinets
when necessary.