Masonry Magazine October 1966 Page. 8
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Revisions to four of its documents including the A201 document on General Conditions of the Contract for Construction, were published by The American Institute of Architects on October 15 for use by its more than 22,000 members.
The other documents include A101 Owner-Contractor Agreement, B131 Owner-Architect Argeement on Percentage of Construction Cost, and E301 Standard Filing System and Alphabetical Index. They were produced by the Institute's national Committee on Documents Review comprising representatives of four AIA committees and the AIA's Commission on Professional Practice.
Since publication of the new documents was announced earlier this year, most interest in the revisions has centered on A201. Its history dates back to 1911 when the first edition, the "Standard Document," was prepared. Subsequent editions have incorporated the thinking of the leaders of the construction industry through more than 50 years.
The 10th edition now being published is a thorough reorganization of the "General Conditions" document, which reduces the 44 articles of the past to 14.
The Institute's president, Charles M. Nes Jr. FAIA, Baltimore architect, pointed out that the 10th edition is more than just a major reorganization of content. The documents committee had the assistance of legal and insurance counsel, other practitioners and outside design and construction organizations, which resulted in a complete rewriting. Every word was literally dissected and analyzed in in the light of today's conditions of practice, he said.
A major change is the introduction of an indemnification or "hold-harmless" clause. This is designed to keep the owner and architect from being the target of lawsuits for personal injury or property damage resulting from the negligence of the contractor, his agents or employees on a building project.
Article 4.18 as it appears in the new edition states that the contractor shall hold harmless the owner and architect in all legal claims for injury to an employee of the contractor or a member of the public or for damage to a property near the construction site if this damage is caused in whole or in part by any negligent act or omission of the contractor or subcontractor.
It further provides that if legal claims are made against the owner or architect by an employee of the contractor or a subcontractor, the indemnification obligation shall not be limited by the amount of workmen's compensation or other benefits payable by the contractor or any subcontractor.
However, the obligations of the contractor under this paragraph shall not extend to any claim which is substantially or wholly attributable to a defect in drawings or specifications prepared by the architect.
The entire subject is explained in a revised Chapter 13 of the Architects Handbook of Professional Practice. Five chapters were revised this year, and these will also be available on October 15.
The new edition of A201 has prompted discussion through the industry since it was introduced at the AIA's annual convention in Denver in late June. At that time the Institute's Board of Directors approved it after hearing ob- (Please turn to page 36)
MASONRY October, 1966