TOTAL METRIC PROJECT DESIGN

GENERAL:  Gerald Spencer, P.E. has extensive Hard and Soft Metric project design experience.  We were first employed as the AE for foreign U. S. Army (Middle East Division) construction projects in 1983.  Gerald Spencer, P.E. has completed several "Hard Metric" projects during the past few years in this country, in Europe, and in India. 

1.      SEI was selected by NASA in 1994 to design their first NASA prototype set of "Hard Metric" construction contract documents.  This was a model project to be used as a pattern for future "Hard Metric" projects.  We have completed this design and construction of the new Building 260 and the addition to Building 343 project for NASA where all of the documentation for the bidding and construction of the project is in "Hard Metric".  All of the building Structural, Civil, HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical engineering calculations are in "Hard Metric" units.  All of the building Architectural dimensions and calculations are in "Hard Metric" (SI) units.  Materials and Equipment with published metric units were specified as a part of the building to the extent that these items were available.  The construction of this building is complete.  The contractor claimed to have made a profit on the project.  We are familiar with the Hard Unit conversion and Soft Unit conversions.  The only place that English units appear on the drawings is where the new building utilities, grading and paving ties into the existing Master Utility Site Plans that might be in English Units. 

2.      We had previously accomplished other metric projects for construction in the Middle Eastern countries, but these projects were not entirely metric, but a mixture of English and metric units which is the local custom. 

3.      Two of our professional staff have completed the two day Metric Design Course at NASA-Johnson Space Center.  

4.      Gerald Spencer, P.E. has completed projects in India, Nassau, Barbados, and Denmark using the Local Metric system of measurement and calculations.  The Electrical Wire Designations vary from country to country, but these are becoming standardized more and more with the creation of the European Common Union (ECU).  Non-ECU nations are gravitating to the ECU standards in our opinion.