Design Solutions - Winter 2020 - 54

In 2014, after the
publication of the
Architectural Woodwork
Standards, 2nd Edition,
AWI began exploring a vision
for the next generation of
architectural woodwork
standards. The evolution
of architectural design
and high-tech woodwork
manufacturing suggested
the need for a different
standard format that defines
and guides requirements
for architectural woodwork
products.
You'll find AWI's new
standards are created
for ease of use. Each
standard is divided into
eight categories: Purpose,
Scope, General, Material,
Structural, Aesthetic,
Figures/Illustrations and
Supplemental Information.
AWI's new woodwork
standards are web-designed
to be viewed on a tablet and
provide links to Standards
and resources that promise
easier use and access to
greater comprehensive
resources than ever before.
On April 10, 2020 AWI's
original Objective One
will be fully realized. Our
new ANSI/AWI 0641
- Architectural Wood
Casework Standard gives
specifiers and other design
professionals a wide range of
options never available under
previous editions of the
Architectural Woodwork
Institute's (AWI)
Standards. And best
of all, specifiers
now have an
opportunity
to
differentiate
function and
durability apart
from visual aesthetic
requirements.

54

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designsolutions winter 2020

QUALITY GRADES VS.
CASEWORK REQUIREMENTS

In previous woodwork
standards, specifiers and
design professionals had
a choice to select one of
three quality grade choices:
Premium, Custom and
Economy. As such, there was
perhaps an implied structural
performance combined in a
single quality grade choice. To
the specifier, often it simply
became a choice of Good,
Better and Best.
A single "Best" [Premium
Grade] choice might
erroneously lead to a
specification where the need
for a heavy-duty school
sports equipment cabinet
was delivered to the jobsite
with A-A Grade Book Matched
and Sequenced Wood Veneer
exterior. In short, simply an
unfortunate situation where
increased cost added zero
value to the casework's
function.
AWI has a new and better
approach. In the development
of AWI's new casework
standard, collaboration
between a wide range of
architectural woodwork
industry experts
along with design
professionals and
specifiers
created a

casework standard that
provides design professionals
with the ability and choices
to specify and differentiate
casework product
performance requirements
and aesthetic attributes
relative to the casework's
intended functional use and
the client's specific aesthetic
needs. The new ANSI/AWI
0641 - Architectural Wood
Casework Standard provides
options for both casework
Performance Duty Levels
PLUS Aesthetic Grades.

WHAT DO PERFORMANCE
DUTY LEVELS REPRESENT?

The new ANSI/AWI 0641 -
Architectural Wood Casework
Standard's Section 3.4
Structural provides specifiers
with four Performance Duty
Level options. Duty Level
One represents the lowest
threshold while Duty Level
Four represents the highest
threshold for casework
structural load performance.
While the ANSI/AWI
0641 - Architectural Wood
Casework Standard does
not mandate a specific
Performance Duty Level for
any casework's functional use,
AWI has categorized general
casework applications for
each of the four Performance
Duty Levels and is included in
Supplemental Information as:

4DUTY LEVEL 1:
Light Commercial,

4DUTY LEVEL 2:
Commercial,

4DUTY LEVEL 3:
Institutional, and

4DUTY LEVEL 4:
Laboratory.
Design Solutions - Winter 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Design Solutions - Winter 2020
