AECOM Hunt

As a forensic architect registered in several states, Corey Zussman has practiced in the construction industry for more than 30 years. He specializes in the building envelope, restoration, preservation, life safety and interior finishes. While working on over 2000 projects, Corey conducts constructability reviews, pre-installation meetings, comprehensive envelope meetings and construction observations. He has also become known for providing educational opportunities throughout the industry and has produced more than 200 "lessons learned" papers. Topics include building envelope and life safety concerns, enabling Corey to proactively address issues during design review, pre-construction and construction. In addition, he has over 20 industry articles about building envelope, life safety and interior topics. He is also a frequent presenter at local and national conferences and associations with over 60 AIA accredited presentations.

I’ve had the unique opportunity to develop the quality programs for three general contractors during my 20+ years as a construction quality director. Over that time, I’ve seen the industry evolve and adopt quality practices at varying levels across different trades.

One of the trade groups I’ve always enjoyed working with is electricians. In my experience, they tend to have a detail-oriented approach to their work, which makes quality requirements easier to communicate and implement. Electricians are generally meticulous in their installations, take pride in their craftsmanship and pay close attention to the details that are critical to a successful project.

Like most trades, however, electrical work does not occur in isolation. Electrical installations must be coordinated with numerous other trades and project conditions. In addition to complying with construction documents, project specifications, manufacturer requirements and applicable codes, electricians must understand how their work affects fire resistance rated assemblies, framing systems, architectural finishes and owner specific requirements. This level of coordination is one of the reasons quality is so critical within the electrical trade.

The construction industry has evolved and placed a much greater emphasis on trade coordination and clash detection. While building information modeling (BIM) has significantly improved coordination efforts, practical limitations related to time and resources often require teams to establish minimum size thresholds for components that are included in the model. As a result, smaller elements are frequently excluded from detailed coordination efforts.

While these items may seem insignificant, they can create substantial field issues. For example, electrical and plumbing installations within a wall cavity may conflict even though the smaller electrical item was included in the coordinated model. A small conduit installed without consideration for nearby plumbing may force the plumbing contractor to relocate piping, potentially creating framing penetrations that exceed allowable limitations per building code. Conversely, plumbing installed first may force the electrician to reroute conduits or create incorrect framing penetrations to complete the work.

When electricians understand how their work affects the entire project, they become more than installers; they become valuable contributors to delivering a coordinated, code compliant and durable building.

In either case, the result can be code compliance issues, rework, schedule impacts and unnecessary costs. These situations demonstrate the importance of field level coordination, quality oversight and communication with architects regarding wall assembly widths and the space required to accommodate all building systems. Even when BIM has been completed, not every conflict can be identified in advance, making collaboration among the design team and trade contractors essential.

As projects become more complex, successful electrical installations require more than compliance with electrical codes alone. They require a broader understanding of how electrical work integrates with the entire building system and how installation decisions can affect other trades.

Challenges affecting electrical installations are not specifically addressed within electrical codes. Electricians regularly interact with metal deck systems, cold formed steel framing, spray applied fire resistive materials (SFRM), spray polyurethane foam (SPF), firestopping systems, acoustical assemblies, smoke barriers and security systems. Decisions made during electrical installation can directly affect the performance, compliance and longevity of these building components.

To perform a fully compliant installation, electricians often need a working knowledge of requirements that extend beyond the electrical discipline. These may include provisions found in standards such as AISI for cold formed steel framing, NFPA 101, tested and listed fire resistance rated assemblies, waterproofing systems, exterior wall assemblies, roofing systems and general building code requirements governing wall and floor construction. Understanding how electrical installations affect these systems is critical to maintaining code compliance, preserving the integrity of tested assemblies and avoiding costly corrective work later in the project.

Over the years, I have tracked recurring coordination challenges across a wide range of projects and used those observations to develop targeted training programs for electricians and other trades. These programs focus on coordination opportunities and potential conflicts that are often overlooked in traditional trade education. The goal is to help field personnel better understand how their work impacts other systems and trades before installation begins.

The results have been significant. By increasing awareness of these issues early in the construction process, the training has helped prevent costly mistakes and contributed to millions of dollars in avoided rework costs across the projects I have been involved with during the past 20 years. While it is impossible to quantify the full impact, I believe many contractors have carried these lessons forward and applied them to projects beyond those under my direct responsibility.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this effort has been seeing tradespeople identify conflicts early, communicating proactively with other contractors and take ownership of delivering a higher quality installation. Those efforts not only reduce costs and schedule impacts, but also improve compliance, building performance and overall project success.

At the end of the day, quality is not simply about identifying deficiencies. It is about helping people understand how building systems interact and recognizing potential issues before they become costly problems. When electricians understand how their work affects the entire project, they become more than installers; they become valuable contributors to delivering a coordinated, code compliant and durable building.