What Is Basis of Design?

A basis of design documents the specific standards, codes, performance criteria, and design assumptions a project was designed against, serving as a reference point for verifying the completed design actually meets its originally intended criteria.

Why It Matters

Getting this right matters because gaps here tend to surface late in a project, often during construction or even after occupancy, rather than during design when they would be far cheaper to catch and correct.

How This Gets Checked in Practice

Firms that check this consistently, on every project rather than only when time allows, tend to catch more of the related issues before they become costly field problems. Checks like GEN-2 Drawing Index Check are built around exactly this kind of systematic, traceable verification, returning findings tied to the exact page and location involved rather than a general impression that something might be off.

FAQ

Does this apply the same way across every jurisdiction or project type? The core concept applies broadly, though specific requirements, thresholds, and code references can vary by jurisdiction, project type, and applicable code edition, so project-specific documents should be checked for the exact local requirement.

Who is typically responsible for getting this right? Responsibility usually falls to the discipline most directly involved, though it often requires coordination across more than one discipline or document to verify fully.

How does this connect to AI-assisted drawing review? Structured AI's QA/QC Compliance Checks and Document Chat are built to catch related issues systematically across a full drawing set, with every finding traceable back to the exact sheet and location it came from.