February 01, 2008 By John Carter

C Plus C Consulting LLC is a specifications consulting business managed and operated by John Carter CSI and Ralph Cascio CSI. Both are full-time technical personnel performing the specifications consulting services; both are members of the following organizations:

Services

The primary services offered by C Plus C Consulting LLC are specifications consulting services and various quality assurance services to assist Architects in preparation of architectural specifications, and assembly of Project Manuals for construction projects.

Other services available include submittal and substitutions reviews, peer review of construction documents or project manuals prepared by others, document checking and terminology review, outline specifications, preliminary project descriptions, design guidelines and master specifications for universities and facility owners, educational services tailored to specific architectural companies, educational services for university design classes, and educational services for professional organizations such as The American Institute of Architects (AIA) chapters and The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) chapters.

Employees

John Carter CSI, SCIP: President; general manager and senior technical specifier.
Ralph Cascio CSI: Vice-President; operations manager and technical specifier.

Qualifications

John Carter CSI, SCIP, CDT: John graduated from Virginia Tech 1975 with a Bachelor of Architecture 5-year degree.
John has been involved in specifications and project manuals since 1976, while working for several architectural companies. For the past 8 years, John has been providing specifications consulting services in specialized companies known as "John Carter CSI" and "C Plus C Consulting LLC.".

John has been Corporate Director of Specifications for Gensler, a large international architectural firm. Responsibilities at Gensler included developing and maintaining the Gensler master specifications, training technical staff, and preparing specifications for projects. At Gensler, John was also actively involved in Sustainable Design, and participated in reviewing and proposing changes to several early versions of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Standards.

In 1997, John worked with Frank O. Gehry and Associates (FOG&A) to develop their first in-house master specification program tailored to their unique projects. John also prepared the Project Manual for the Disney Concert Hall and several other significant FOG&A projects.

John recently served on the AIA MasterSpec MARC Committee, for five years, and currently serves as a contributing member. This committee reviews and directs the content of AIA MasterSpec master architectural specifications, which is considered to be the "standard of care" in the profession.

John recently served three years on the CSI Section Format/Page Format Task Team (SPUTT), which studied recommendations for future revisions to the current CSI standards for specifications section layout, content, and functionality.

John has participated in the Education Committee for Los Angeles (LA CSI) Chapter, and has participated as instructor for several LA CSI education courses.

John has provided lectures on specifications and sustainable design to many university classes, and currently provides lectures on specifications and construction documents to CSUN design classes on an ongoing basis.

John is a member of "Specifications Consultants in Independent Practice."

Ralph Cascio CSI, SCIP: Ralph has over seven years' experience writing specifications, coordinating project manuals, and working with other consultants to integrate their needs into Project Manuals. Ralph assists in specifications coordination with engineering disciplines, and is expert in the intricacies of implementing standards of the CSI "Project Resource Manual" (PRM) into paper and electronic versions of Project Manuals.

Ralph is a CSI member-at-large. He has extensive experience in Corporate Training for a major banking institution.

Ralph has participated in the Education Committee for LA CSI Chapter, and has participated as instructor for several LA CSI education courses.

Ralph presently provides lectures on specifications and construction documents to California State Institute Northridge (CSUN) design classes on an ongoing basis.

Ralph is a member of "Specifications Consultants in Independent Practice (SCIP)."

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Certifications

John Carter is a CSI Certified Document Technologist (CDT) since 1995.

Publications

• "Materials and Components of Interior Architecture"  Fourth Edition, published by Prentice Hall (1996). A foreword for a textbook by Riggs, J. Rosemary.
• "Planning and Building for the Environment"  Los Angeles CSI XXXIX (July-August 1993).
• "Sustainable Strategies: Process and Quality for the 90's"  Paper presented in Seattle at AIA Symposium on Sustainable Strategies, October 15-16, 1993.
• "Sustainable Strategies: Process and Quality for the 90's"  Facility Management Journal - June 1994.
• "Specifically Sustainable"  Construction Link magazine (May 31, 1995) pp. 21-22.
• "Ready or Not, Construction Recycling is on the Way"  by Nesmith, Lynn.  John Carter extensively quoted in article.
• "Gearing Up for Environmental Design"  by Carter, John/ Deming, Deborah.  Earthword magazine
• "Mainstreaming Environmental Products"  by Carter, John/ Eubank, Huston.  The Construction Specifier (September 1993) pp. 29-31.
• "Green, Just for the Good of It"  by Davidson, Judith.  Interior Design (1996).  John Carter extensively quoted; article is about an HBO project by John Carter at Gensler.
• "Green Case Studies"  IIDA Perspective magazine (Summer 1995).  Includes published case study of HBO project; John Carter extensively quoted.
• "Offgassing New Carpet"  by Goodman, Julie.  Floor Covering Weekly (April 18, 1996).  Article about HBO project team and offgassing procedures; John Carter extensively quoted.

Awards

Awarded to John Carter:

• President's Award 1994-1995:  Los Angeles Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute - In Appreciation of Expertise, Talents and Guidance to the Chapter.
• President's Award 1996-1997:  Los Angeles Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute - In Appreciation for Chapter Technical Workshops.
• President's Award 1996-1997:  Los Angeles Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute - In Appreciation for Dedicating Artistic Talents and Ideas to the Chapter for Chapter Newsletters and Mailings.
• Los Angeles Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute – 1996-1997:
  In Recognition of Service on the LA/CSI Board of Directors 1996-1997.
• Los Angeles Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute – 2006-2007:
  Certificate of Appreciation for contribution to the success of the Certification Programs as an Organizer and Certification Instructor for the CDT examination preparation courses, and as a member of the Education Committee.

Awarded to Ralph Cascio:

• Los Angeles Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute – 2006-2007:
  Certificate of Appreciation for contribution to the success of the Certification Programs as an Organizer and Certification Instructor for the CDT examination preparation courses, and as a member of the Education Committee.

Lectures & Presentations

• South Coast AIA Chapter - 2005:
    Detailed Overview of the New CSI Masterformat 04 Standards.
• AIA Sustainability Conference (Seattle) 1993 � Case Study:
    HBO Interior Renovation, Los Angeles.
• CSI Convention (San Francisco) 1993 � Case Studies:
    Sustainable Building Strategies � A Case Study. Gensler Sustainable Projects.
• Los Angeles Chapter of Construction Specifications Institute; April 27, 1994 - Case Studies:
    Gensler Sustainable Projects.
• Steven Ehrlich Architects (Santa Monica) 1995:
    Principles of Sustainable Design.
• AIA Convention (San Francisco) 1995 � Lecture & photos:
    Sustainable Design Basics and Case Studies, with cost data.
• City of Carson, CA; Environmental Commission; October 4, 1995:
    Indoor Air Quality.
• California State University at Long Beach, Design in Motion Lecture Series; March 14, 1996:
    Environmental Design and Air Quality.
• Cuningham Group Architects (Marina Del Rey) 1996:&
    Principles of Sustainable Design and Case Studies.
• AIA Committee on the Environment, Los Angeles Chapter; October 21, 1999:
    Sustainable Case Studies and the Balance between Materials and Sustainable Design.

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