The Architectural Woodwork Standards (AWS 1st & 2nd Edition) contain installation requirements that AWI has supplanted with the ANSI/AWI 0620-2018- Finish Carpentry/Installation standard for the specification and installation of interior architectural woodwork.
The AWS clarifies guidelines, information, and principles required for the fabrication, finishing, and installation of architectural woodwork. As with all guidelines, there are times when they need to be updated or enhanced, for example due to industry changes, new legislation or different compliance guidelines. This has recently been the case within the woodworking industry as it relates to the AWS.
Now, rather than providing advice on installation compliance in each product-specific standard, ANSI/AWI 0620 consolidates this in a single place for ease of reference.
Why Create a New Section for Installation Compliance Standards?
First, having all the installation guidelines in one place means that woodworkers, architects, and general contractors using the standards for certified projects know exactly where to find this information without having to look through each section of the standards separately.
Second, the AWI Technical Committee re-evaluated the requirements contained within the AWS with the aim of eliminating prescriptive requirements where possible.
Finally, AWI wanted the standards to go through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approval process to ensure that they could put science behind the standards – that they are tested and based on industry best practice and facts rather than on opinion. ANSI’s endorsement of the standards means that construction professionals know they are working with standards that take their foundation in credibility, are rigorously tried and tested, and are created by people with a deep-rooted knowledge of the industry.
Ultimately, AWI’s new standard focuses heavily upon the structural integrity of architectural woodwork rather than presenting prescriptive requirements. They give installers, manufacturers, and suppliers a broader range of options in meeting client needs while maintaining the integrity of their workmanship.
