AIA and Avitru Help AIAS Obtain Specification Skills

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is joining forces with Avitru to help members of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) obtain the specification skills they need to be successful in the workplace.

AIA is providing AIAS members with a free license to the specification tool MasterSpec. By using the technology, students will develop the specification skills they need to be practicing architects.

“The nation’s future architects deserve good tools to succeed in the design and construction economy,” says AIA EVP/Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA. “Providing AIAS members with access to MasterSpec is just one of many ways we can ensure the success of architecture’s next generation.”

MasterSpec, a product of AIA, is a research and selection platform that is used by major architecture firms and small practices alike. Architects use the tool to research, evaluate and specify products for inclusion into their designs. Products specified are unbiased and objective.

“The AIAS strives to enhance the architectural education experience for its members by equipping them with experiences that reflect what they’ll one day see in practice,” says AIAS Executive Director Nick Serfass, FAIA. “The AIA has long been a strategic partner with the AIAS in this endeavor. Today, that partnership expands to include Avitru in order to grant greater student access to AIA’s MasterSpec, a critical tool they’ll use in the spec-writing process out in the real word.”

AIAS members can request access to MasterSpec by signing up for a SpecBuilder Cloud account online. Avitru’s cloud-based application SpecBuilder Cloud connects to the MasterSpec building product database. In addition to MasterSpec content, AIAS members will also have access to over 900 research briefs on building products.

“As part of their rigorous education, architecture students want exposure to the most current technology tools used in the profession,” says Avitru CEO Jim Contardi. “Intelligent product selection is core to the practice of architecture. Masterspec offers exactly that by providing a flexible technology platform that allows for the creation and use of project specific content, from anywhere, at any time, with the most-up-to-date product research available. It’s the reason it’s the most widely used specifier on the market today.”