Demonstration by USG Design Studio

• By: admin
• On: 02/09/2010 14:52:41
• In: Sustainability Practice Group
• Comments: 0

USG’s tool:

• Delivers details in CAD, Revit or PDF format
• Includes information on UL listings
• Allows users to select datasheets and MSDS, then email them to clients
• Allows users to select, rate and sort assemblies
• Provides CAD and Revit information in SectionFormat’s three-part format for easy cutting-and-pasting
• Provides related LEED information
  

“Architects and contractors quickly and accurately design, compare, change, select and specify the right products and systems for interiors and exteriors,” said Wayne Jenkins of USG. “We keep the data very clean. There's not a lot of USG gobbleygook in the files -- we want it to be as easy to use as possible."

In part of his demonstration, Wayne developed an interiors spec using filters to specify ceiling material, floor material, fire rating, framing type, and other information. In minutes he had a spec he could download in Microsoft Word format to detail further for his project.

He said that the design tool can help an architect achieve a particular appearance by starting with the look they want and working through the details to create a spec that produces it. The tool can be used to develop a guide spec as well.

USG’s LEED tool was designed for use by sub-contractors who must collect data about the products contractors and architects to use when completing LEED documentation. The tool allows users to develop a report that lists the products and quantities used, relevant data about those products, and a cover sheet.

"You’re building a list of products used on the project,” Wayne said. “It's going to tell you the recycled content, post-consumer and pre-consumer content, the total value, and where the material was located.”

The sustainability staff at USG’s corporate headquarters updates the tool several times a year. "This is the most current information that USG has,” Wayne said.

Mark Kalin, FCSI, FAIA, SCIP, LEED AP, has used the USG tool in the past. "I find this especially helpful for the specifier,” he said.

Wayne said USG has discovered that younger designers feel more comfortable using a web tool to start developing a spec.

"We were all worried about that at the beginning,” he said. “It does feed into the trend of younger designers and architects who feel more comfortable interacting with a web site than with a person.”

No website – even USG’s – can replace a knowledgeable product rep, he added.

“There's always a place for the reps that go into the firm, present a new product and answer tricky questions,” he said. “It's a great website, but it will not take you out to lunch."

See USG’s tool for yourself at www.usgdesignstudios.com or contact Wayne Jenkins at whjenkins@usg.com

CSI’s Sustainability Practice Group will next meet at 3pm ET on Feb. 16. Ross G. Spiegel, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, LEED-AP BD+C, will present “Update on Codes and Standards Incorporating Sustainability.”

 Join the group – it’s FREE!