Back on December 8, 2015, Christine Tanner, CSI's Senior Manager for Marketing and Communications, Twitter handle @ChristineLTanne, posed the question on Twitter "Because of the CDT, I...." I quickly answered "I'm a better architect & better able to serve my clients & industry partners." Since then, I've been thinking about that brief response and decided to expand on it here.
I was already a licensed architect when I passed the CDT in 2002. You may ask why I would sit for an additional professional exam after already passing the grueling then-9 part Architect's Registration Exam? The answer is that I was a good architect, but I knew I could get better. I knew a lot about construction documents, but not all there is to know. I had spent nearly 10 years practicing in the public realm and mostly at public universities. I knew from my knowledge of the AIA contract documents that there were other ways to practice architecture and construction. I wanted to see what I was missing.
What I have found since is that I am a better architect. I am not a mindless robot that puts on blinders and follows the "CSI Way" of practicing design and producing documents or doing things the same way because "that's how we've always done it." With the CDT, I have the knowledge of doing things the right way so that I better understand the risks and rewards of deviating from generally accepted standards. I believe that helps me to better serve my clients.
There are no cookie cutter, boiler plate design and construction projects. Or at least there aren't any in our office! We pride ourselves on producing great designs that creatively solve our clients goals while reaching their budgets. That creativity often comes with experimenting in new materials or alternative documentation techniques. To be most efficient, we occasionally try new documentation through our drawings, modeling and specifications to allow us to push the envelope with our designs and give the builders the information they need. The CDT has helped me provide better documentation, thereby mitigating risk for our firm and for our clients.
I also mentioned "industry partners" in my response. That is one of my great joys in my participation in CSI: getting to know all members of the industry from owners, to builders, to manufacturer's reps, to attorneys. We are all in this together and by working together, we can best serve our clients. The CDT taught me that regardless of the contracts in place, all members of the team are responsible to each other, whether contractually or not, to help reach the client's goals and budget.
While preparing to take the CDT exam, I was reminded of projects I had worked on, both good and bad. I began to reflect on what made the good ones good and the bad ones bad. A common thread wound through both: the quality of the team members. Good teams have good projects and bad teams have less successful projects.
I firmly believe that if the percentage of construction professionals that hold the CDT is increased, the number of good projects will also increase. I believe there will be fewer adversarial teams and more collaboration. More owners will have better buildings and spend fewer dollars to build those buildings. If we all hold the CDT, we all do our jobs better, more efficiently and make more money.
The spring exam season is approaching! Early bird registration ends on January 31 and final registration on February 29 for exam dates of March 29 through April 30. Consider signing up to take the exam and earn this important certificate. You'll be better at work and further your career.
Visit csinet.org for more information.
