As-Built Drawings in Construction Comprehensive Guide
The as-built drawings, also known as red-line drawings or record drawings, are an essential part of any construction project. They serve as a documented record of the building as it was actually built, reflecting any deviations or modifications made from the original design plans.
In this guide, we cover everything you need to know about as-built drawings, from their purpose to their benefits.
What are As-Built Drawings?
As-built drawings are a revised set of construction plans that depict the building in its final, completed state. These drawings incorporate all the modifications, substitutions, and adjustments made during the construction process. Unlike the original design drawings, which represent the intended outcome, as-built drawings reflect the building’s “as-is” condition.
Here are some key characteristics of as-built drawings:
Accuracy: They accurately reflect the final dimensions, locations, and specifications of all building components.
Detail: They capture details such as relocated plumbing lines, revised electrical wiring layouts, and substitutions in building materials.
Documentation: They serve as a permanent record of the construction process, providing transparency and accountability.
Why Are As-Built Drawings Important?
As-built drawings offer a multitude of benefits for various stakeholders involved in a construction project:
Improved Facility Management: As-built drawings provide a clear picture of the building’s systems and infrastructure, enabling efficient maintenance, repair, and renovation work.
As-built model for facility management are crucial in maintaining a project’s lifecycle after construction has ended. Despite their importance, they are often overlooked due to the numerous steps and documents required.
Enhanced Safety: Having accurate information about the location of utilities and structural elements is crucial for ensuring safety during maintenance or future construction activities.
Streamlined Renovations and Expansions: As-built drawings act as a valuable reference point for future modifications or additions to the building, saving time and resources during planning stages.
Legal Compliance: In some jurisdictions, maintaining as-built drawings is a legal requirement, providing documentation for code compliance and potential future disputes.
Improved Project Handover: As-built drawings facilitate a smooth handover process from the contractor to the building owner or facility manager.
Who Creates As-Built Drawings?
The responsibility for creating as-built drawings can vary depending on the project size and contractual agreements.
Here’s a breakdown of the typical scenarios:
Contractors: In many cases, the contractor is responsible for creating as-built drawings. They typically mark up the original design drawings to reflect any field changes or modifications made during construction.
Architects or Engineers: On complex projects, the architect or engineer who designed the building may be responsible for creating the final as-built drawings. They will incorporate the contractor’s marked-up drawings and verify their accuracy through site visits.
Specialized Firms: Some construction projects utilize specialized firms dedicated to creating as-built drawings. These firms often employ advanced technologies like laser scanning to capture highly accurate measurements of the completed building.
The Creation Process of As-Built Drawings
The creation of as-built drawings typically involves several steps:
Data Collection: Throughout the construction process, the contractor or assigned personnel meticulously record any deviations from the original design plans. This may involve field notes, sketches, shop drawings, and photographs.
Marking Up Original Drawings: The contractor marks up the original design drawings to reflect the recorded changes. This traditionally involves using red ink (hence the term “red-line drawings”) to highlight modifications.
Verification and Review: The architect, engineer, or a designated reviewer verifies the accuracy of the marked-up drawings. This may involve site visits to confirm the recorded changes.
Finalization and Distribution: The finalized as-built drawings are produced in a format suitable for archiving and distribution. This can be paper-based or digital, with digital formats becoming increasingly popular due to their ease of storage and accessibility.
Best Practices for As-Built Drawings
As-built drawings are crucial for future maintenance, renovations, and overall understanding of a building.
Here are some best practices to keep in mind when creating them:
Data Collection:
- Start Early & Continuously Collect: Don’t wait till the end of the project. Regularly capture data on deviations from the original plans throughout construction.
- Embrace Technology: Consider using laser scanning to capture highly detailed measurements of the entire building
As-built Documentation:
It takes several steps to create as-built documentation since accurate details are crucial. Additionally, you can use technological advantages and shortcuts to make this process more efficient.
1. Collect data during each project phase
It is important to begin collecting details as early as possible, when a client begins outlining the details of the project. Then, architects and designers should detail the specifics of the planned structure.
Your team should also survey the construction site before any ground is broken and set measurement points. As the project progresses, these points will be critical to ensuring the structure’s footprint is as-designed.
Once building starts, ensure your site teams communicate any changes with project managers. From there, have your designers or engineers note these changes in the documentation. These changes can be as little as the placement of a door or as major as HVAC having to be rerouted.
2. Use 3D scanning and digital twin technologies
Scanning technologies have come a long way in recent years, allowing for faster, cheaper, more frequent scans. Long-standing survey technology and other laser scanning tech is costly and time-consuming. Now, with technology like the Matterport Pro 3D Camera, you can acquire quick and accurate LiDAR scans of sites at a fraction of the cost.
For example, David Kuoppamaki used a Matterport Pro 3D Camera to help his construction firm save 50% on as-built drawing time, reduce manual measurements by 80%, and eliminate manual photography.
By leveraging 3D scanning technologies, you can still deliver detailed as-built documentation, while saving precious time you can spend elsewhere.
3. Use clear and detailed annotations
As-built documentation succeeds and fails based on the details. It’s always harder to capture detail well after the fact. Clear and detailed annotations during the entire lifecycle of the construction project can ensure your team gets the information they need to create accurate, holistic as-built documentation.
From beginning to end, have your designers, engineers, and site workers take detailed notes on any changes that occur. Make sure they include timestamps as well.
4. Use high-quality photographs to capture the final state of the project
While 3D scans allow for unprecedented virtual tours and detail, it’s still a good idea to take high-quality photographs for your as-built documentation as well. Some people may not have the technical prowess or comfortability to dive into a 3D scan, while others may just want a quick glimpse of the as-built documentation and supporting documents.
In either event, high-quality photographs are the ticket. When DSLR or other high quality photographs aren’t on hand, 4k images can be easily pulled from Matterport digital twins as well.
5. Establish standardized formats for as-built documentation
A standardized format for your as-built documentation can help you save time with workflows and result in consistent documentation no matter who makes it.
Create a template for your as-built documentation, outlining which pieces of information you want included every time. Also, add in any supplemental instruction or notes, such as when people should take certain steps or capture particular pieces of information.
6. Make it easy for stakeholders and clients to access and understand
As-built documentation is only useful if it’s accessible. Capture all necessary as-built data, but keep things clean and presentable.
- Use clear and concise language
- Use bold font, labels, and headers to identify key areas
- Break things out into lists or bullets
- Include supplemental visuals
- Add 3D tours/digital twins for enhanced accessibility
Before sharing your as-built documentation across the organization, have someone outside the immediate team review it and make sure it’s accessible. Take note of any feedback they have and incorporate it into this draft as well as your overall as-built template.
Conclusion
As-built drawings are an invaluable asset throughout a building’s lifecycle. They provide a comprehensive record of the final construction, offering numerous benefits for facility managers, future project planners, and legal purposes.
By implementing the best practices outlined in this guide, you can ensure the creation of accurate and informative as-built drawings that contribute to the successful operation and maintenance of your building for years to come.
