Design Solutions - Fall 2020 - 54

For the Quality
Certification Program
(QCP), the new Standards
mean that woodworkers
have increased flexibility in
following specific criteria
for performance and
quality when purchasing,
manufacturing, or installing
architectural woodwork, and
that architects have greater
control over the quality of
joinery as well as aesthetics
when they specify interior
woodwork.
But what exactly are the
new AWI Standards, and
what will be their practical,
day-to-day impact on
woodworkers and architects?
A BRIEF HISTORY
OF THE AWS

The Architectural
Woodwork Standards
(AWS) was a coming together
of three North American
trade associations; AWI,
the Woodwork Institute,
based in California, and the
Architectural Woodwork
Manufacturers Association
of Canada (AWMAC). All
three of these groups used
to have their own individual
standards that were in some
ways similar, and in some
ways different.
AWI and AWMAC jointly
created a set of standards
which was then combined
with the WI's manual of
millwork. All those standards
were pulled together to
create what we now know
as the AWS. At the time, it
was a groundbreaking effort
and a monumental task to
have three different trade
associations in North America
band together to create one
set of standards.

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designsolutions fall 2020

There were a few
moments it was thought
it might never happen,
but the first edition of the
Architectural Woodwork
Standards was published in
2009, with a second edition
published in 2014.
AWI CREATES NEW SUITE
OF STANDARDS

Since
then, AWI has
decided to
pursue the
development
of its new
standards using
the American
National
Standards
Institute
(ANSI) process,
a very open, structured
process for standards
development. AWI has
completed two of those ANSI
standards, and has also
revised three sections of the
AWS to its AWI Standard.
What we have now are
several AWS sections still
in force, with some new AWI
sections. These sections are
Section 100 (submittals),
Section 200 (care and
storage), and Section 300
(materials). The two new
ANSI standard sections are
ANSI/AWI-0620 for finish
carpentry and installation,
and ANSI/AWI-0641 for
architectural casework.
Section 0620 was released
in 2018 and supplanted
installation criteria found in
multiple sections of the AWS,
and section 0641 is now
recognized by AWI in place of
AWS section 10 on casework
projects bid after June 1,
2020.

So, some things have
changed, and some remain
the same. The question that
needs to be answered for
woodworkers and architects
is what impact these new
standard developments will
have on their work.
In the short term,
consensus feels there is
not going to be a
lot of difference,
but as these
new standards
embed into the
marketplace,
become more
widespread and
are included
in architects'
specifications,
some muchneeded
changes will
be seen.

Woodworkers will need to
be up to speed with these
changes so that they can
continue doing compliant
work, especially on QCPcertified projects.
CHANGES TO TESTING
METHODOLOGIES AND DUTY
LEVEL SPECIFICS

One of the major updates
are the new duty level
specifics and the need for
woodworkers to either have
some testing methodologies
to build to, or have their
product tested. For example,
there are four new duty
level designations in
casework. These duty levels
address the construction
methodologies of casework
and its performance.
Performance duty levels are
determined by the lowest
tested value derived from
the AWI test methodologies.
Base cabinets are 2 drawer/2
door construction. While it
is understood that a face
material, such as veneer,
laminate, etc. may impact
the results, AWI is testing
the integrity of the joinery
method as it applies to a
specific core material.
Design Solutions - Fall 2020

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