'There's a changing role for the specifier'

Walter T. Marlowe, PE, CAE, is the executive director and CEO of the Construction Specifications Institute. Before joining CSI last December, he spent 16 years in association management with the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the Building Security Council. A licensed professional engineer in New Jersey, Marlowe practiced structural engineering with DeLeuw, Cather & Co. and the RBA Group. He has a bachelor's in civil engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and an MBA from the George Washington University.

BD+C: What is the biggest issue facing CSI?

Walter Marlowe: The whole value proposition to our members, customers, and stakeholders. The whole construction space is changing so quickly. The introduction of IT and knowledge management has exploded.

We need to have a full range of programs: the CSI show, publications, online services, continuing education. Our members are looking for knowledge, not the specific delivery mechanism.

In my previous association work, we developed a wide slate of services to deliver to our membership: expanded continuing education programs, renewed growth in our annual show, and the operational expertise with the staff to execute the board's vision.

BD+C: Are specifiers an endangered species at AEC firms?

WM: There's a changing role for the specifier, no doubt about that. The key is the knowledge that they bring to the construction process. With the advent of BIM, the growth of software solutions, and specifications from databases, specifiers need to move more into a role of knowledge manager. They're going to be managing the access to specification information in databases. They're going to be important in assuring the quality of information in a specification. Without that knowledge, a lot of that information from software may not be accurate.

BD+C: How can you increase awareness of CSI certifications [documents technologist, construction specialist, construction contract administrator, and construction product administrator]?

WM: CSI has an image out there that we're just specifications, and we're much more than that. These programs help educate professionals, from conception of projects to decommissioning. If you get certified in one of these areas, you possess the knowledge that enables you to reduce the risk that's inherent in our industry and to manage costs, which leads to improved profitability.

BD+C: What metrics do you have on MasterFormat 2004?

WM: The adoption rate is similar to the pace of other standards. We're seeing a notable adoption in engineering firms, but otherwise hard data is pretty loose. It's one of the focus areas for me, to make us much more of a data-driven organization: How do we do a better job of surveying the market and making decisions [based on] the data?

BD+C: What progress can you report on CSI GreenFormat?

WM: That really fits my idea of where CSI needs to go, because it's so timely. There's so much greenwashing going on that people are looking for some kind of standard—and CSI is the logical organization to develop that standard. The GreenFormat will give manufacturers a standard framework to report their products' green attributes. We're looking to launch GreenFormat or a reviewable product in June.

BD+C: How does building information modeling fit in with the National CAD Standard?

WM: No matter where BIM goes, we're still going to be using a lot of graphic design documents, so the National CAD Standard is going to be a major piece of this. We have an alliance with the AIA and the National Institute of Building Sciences on it, and we're working with the AIA on an education program for the NCS.

As for BIM, with the cost of training and the time to adapt to it, there's a lot of guesses as to when BIM is going be common practice, but there's no doubt that it's here.

BD+C: What about the CSI Show and Expo?

WM: The show [Baltimore, June 20-22] fills a unique niche. This year we have over 100 education sessions, from risk mitigation to sustainability. These courses can provide a whole year of credentialing in one spot. And it showcases the cutting-edge information that our materials suppliers bring to the table.

BD+C: Looking ahead, what do you see?

WM: If we as individual professionals don't continue to progress and offer better value to building owners, we slip down the slope toward commodity. A lot of AEC firms want to shoot more for providing higher value, and the specifier's integrating role is the kind of added value that these firms can offer. The world of construction is changing to an information-based industry, and CSI helps professionals function as knowledge managers.