A construction contract is the legally binding agreement between a project owner and a contractor, or between a contractor and a subcontractor, that defines the scope of work, price, schedule, and the rights and obligations of each party for a construction project. It is the primary legal instrument through which risk, payment, and performance expectations
The legally binding agreement between an owner and contractor defining scope, price, schedule, and obligations for a construction project.
Construction management is the professional discipline of planning, coordinating, and overseeing a building project from early design through completion, ensuring that work proceeds on schedule, within budget, and to the required quality and safety standards. A construction manager serves as the central coordinating figure between the project owner, architects and engineers, and the many specialized
The discipline of planning, coordinating, and overseeing a building project from design through completion.
The critical path method is a project scheduling technique that identifies the longest sequence of dependent tasks in a project, called the critical path, which determines the shortest possible time the overall project can take to complete. Any delay to a task on the critical path delays the entire project by the same amount, while
A project scheduling technique that identifies the longest sequence of dependent tasks determining a project minimum duration.
A curtain wall is a non-structural exterior building envelope system, typically made of glass set in metal framing, that hangs from or is attached to the building structural frame rather than carrying any of the building weight itself. Because a curtain wall does not support the structure above it, unlike a traditional load-bearing wall, it
A non-structural exterior wall system, typically glass and metal framing, that hangs from a building structural frame.
Daylighting is the practice of designing a building to use natural light from the sun and sky as the primary source of interior illumination during occupied hours, reducing reliance on electric lighting while shaping the quality and character of interior space. Rather than treating windows as simple openings for view and ventilation, daylighting treats light
Designing buildings to use natural sunlight as the primary source of interior illumination.
Design-build is a project delivery method in which a single entity holds contractual responsibility for both the design and construction of a project, contrasting with the traditional design-bid-build approach, in which an owner contracts separately with a designer and then a contractor, who bids on the completed design. Under design-build, the owner signs a single
A project delivery method in which a single entity holds contractual responsibility for both design and construction.
Drywall, also called gypsum board or plasterboard, is a panel made primarily of gypsum plaster pressed between two sheets of thick paper, used to finish the interior walls and ceilings of most modern buildings. Drywall largely replaced traditional wet plaster wall construction over the course of the twentieth century because it installs much faster, requires
A panel made of gypsum plaster between paper sheets, used to finish interior walls and ceilings.
Electrical wiring in a building is the network of conductors, devices, and protective equipment that delivers electrical power from a utility connection or on-site generation source to the outlets, fixtures, and equipment throughout a structure. It must be designed and installed to deliver adequate power safely to every circuit while preventing the fire and shock
The network of conductors, devices, and protective equipment that delivers electrical power throughout a building safely.
An elevator is a mechanical device that transports people or goods vertically between floors of a building, typically operating within a shaft using a car that moves along guide rails, lifted or lowered by a cable and counterweight system or, in some designs, pushed directly by a hydraulic piston. Elevators are essential infrastructure for any
A mechanical device that transports people or goods vertically between building floors within a shaft.
Eminent domain is the power of a government to take private property for public use, provided the owner receives just compensation, a principle recognized in many legal systems around the world and explicitly addressed in the United States by the Fifth Amendment takings clause. The power allows infrastructure projects such as roads, utilities, and public
The government power to take private property for public use in exchange for just compensation.