It recently occurred to me why I enjoy texting my daughter so much… creating construction documents and texting are so similar. You start with a blank canvas whether it be a 24” x 36” sheet of mylar, (well today it is my desktop computer), or your phone screen and you start to create drawings and information versus dialogue and emojis. What is unique about the architectural experience is that my drawings are full of abbreviations, which is common throughout the industry. Let’s take a look at just a few that cross over but not in the same way, (guess which one is an architects’ abbreviation);
ACC: access or anyone can come
ADD: addendum or address
AT: asphalt tile or at terminal
ATM: automated teller machine or at the moment
B: bathroom or be/back
BD: board or big deal
BM: bench mark or bite me
BOT: bottom or back on topic
CB: catch basin or coffee break (this one has a few others lol)
CM: centimeter or call me
CRS: course (s) or can’t remember sh*t
DA: double acting or “the”
DF: drinking fountain or don’t even go there
DH: double hung or darling husband
DL: dead load or download (hey that one was close!)
DS: downspout or darling son
FB: face brick or Facebook
FF: finish floor or follow Friday
FRT: fire retardant or for real though
GA: gauge or go ahead
GAL: galvanized or get a life
GB: grab bar or goodbye
GL: glazing or get a life
GT: grout or good try
HW: hot water or homework
INS: insulation or I’m not sure
JC: janitor’s closet or just chilling
JT: joint or just teasing
KIT: kitchen or keep in touch
NTS: not to scale or note to self
OH: overhead or overheard
OJ: open joist or only joking
OP: opaque or on phone
QT: quarry tile or cutie
R: riser or are
SH: shelf or same here
SQ: square or square (eureka! We have a match)
SS: stainless steel or so sorry
SYS: system or see you soon
TOJ: top of joist or tears of joy
UR: urinal or you’re
WB: wood base/wallboard or welcome back
WC: water closet or welcome
So after over 30 years of using abbreviations everyday it’s needless to say my daughter does not always understand my texts for instance one time I was telling her about the toilet overflowing and the damage it caused…
