The importance of As-Built drawings for efficient project management after construction is completed is frequently underestimated. This article provides an overview of As Built drawings, including what they are, how they are created, and why they are important.
As Built drawings
As-built drawings are defined as a “revised set of drawings submitted by a contractor upon completion of a project or a specific job.” They reflect all changes made to the specifications and working drawings during construction and show all contract work elements’ exact dimensions, geometry, and location. Also known as record drawings or simply as-builts.”
The original design drawings have been revised to reflect any changes made in the field, such as design changes issued by variations/change orders, modifications, component relocations required for coordination, distribution system rerouting, shop drawing changes, extra work, and so on. As a result, the As Built drawings allow for comparing the initial design and the final product and a detailed plan of the completed structure.
As-Built drawings are much easier to create at the end of a project if the contractor precisely and continuously tracks how the structure and adjoining land change as work progresses through each phase of construction. This is usually done with As Built surveys, which document differences between the original plans and what is actually built. Many government agencies require as-built surveys to confirm the actual locations of underground improvements.
The value of As-built drawings
As-Built drawings are an important part of any completed project because they enhance the contractor’s professional image with clients. This is due to the fact that As-Built drawings provide a record of what was actually built in addition to the original blueprints.
Owners will have an exact record of what has been built with a full history of project changes, which becomes important for any future additions, renovations, or ownership changes, especially if the original architects and contractors are not available after the construction is completed.
As-built drawings are also required for regulatory sign-offs with local government and external certifying firms in order for the project to receive occupational certification.
Components of As Built drawings
Many details must be recorded during construction to produce the significant amount of information required for the As-Built drawings. However, this seemingly time-consuming task is critical for projecting the contractor’s professional image to its clients and increasing the contractor’s chances of getting more work on future projects.
As previously stated, As Built drawings contain a large number of details and documents. Here are some examples of such details:
- Modifications to materials, dimensions, locations, installations, fabrications, and so on.
- Dates on which changes were made
- As a result of the final inspection, changes were made.
- Unexpected difficulties encountered by the contractor and how they were overcome
- Appendices and drawings from the shop
Preparing the As–Built Drawings
Because they are familiar with the original specifications, as-built drawings are typically prepared by the architects and engineers who designed the project. As a result, they are the most logical choice for documenting the changes that occurred during construction.
When the contractor keeps detailed records of changes during each phase of construction, as-built drawings are much easier to prepare. Many contractors discover that technology can make this time-consuming process much more manageable. Good construction software allows the contractor to track changes and variations closely and instantly, ensuring that no changes are overlooked and that errors in recording them are minimized.
Impact of Technology on preparing As Built drawings
Keeping detailed records of all changes during each phase of construction is a tedious and time-consuming process, especially when it occurs multiple times during the course of a project’s construction. Transferring documentation and drawings to a digital platform can alleviate these issues and improve project completion efficiency.
Using the right construction technology allows contractors to record all changes to the original design in real time during construction. This data will help them create As-Built drawings more easily and accurately.
The chosen construction technology must provide all project stakeholders with online, real-time access to the most up-to-date uniform data. This ensures that all interested parties, particularly the facility management and maintenance teams, have access to the most up-to-date true version of the information in digital form.
As-Built drawings commissioning
As part of the commissioning process, many owners include quality assurance of the As Built drawings to ensure their accuracy and completeness.
The scope of the commissioning of As-Built drawings required by owners is determined by the desired results of the commissioning process, such as timely delivery, the accuracy of elements important for operation and maintenance, accuracy and completeness of location and sizes of equipment and distribution systems, and so on. If the accuracy of the As Built documents is important, they must be compared to the actual installation.
This review can be performed as a walkthrough of the structure after construction is completed, which may be inconvenient for occupants. Furthermore, the ability to verify the installation of concealed, inaccessible elements may be hampered.
Alternatively, the review could be conducted before the concealment of the system elements, which would necessitate coordination between the contractor and the reviewers to ensure that the reviews are completed before concealment without disrupting the construction schedule.
Regular reviews as construction progresses may be the most effective way to ensure that all system components are documented (e.g. monthly). This is also the most time-consuming and expensive method of review.
