“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few,” said Spock. The brilliant Vulcan was the science officer aboard the Starship Enterprise on its mission to explore strange new worlds—to seek out new life and new civilization. Spock’s intellect, vast knowledge, and use of logic makes him the perfect candidate to evaluate building products.

We will review three things Spock might recommend for building product specifications. Spock once said, “Insufficient facts always invite danger.” To proceed, we will turn over every rock, analyze ancient Vulcan wisdom, and be careful to avoid any supernovas.

Specify the Best Building Product

Product manufacturers need to help architects select the best building product and sometimes it’s not their own product. In some circumstances, a competitor’s product will work better based on the application, performance attributes, and other criteria. Spock used to say, "If there are self-made purgatories, then we all have to live in them." Translation: If bad specification decisions are made, we all have to live with them. The owner, the architect, the contractor, and every other team member may have to suffer from a horrible decision.

Necessity Dictates Wise Decisions

The Vulcans’ way of life is reminiscent of the Stoics in ancient Greece. The Stoics believed that to resist what is necessary is not only futile but causes suffering. “What is necessary is never unwise,” said Spock’s father. Necessity drives most specification decisions and to try and manipulate the process may lead to failure. Collaboration, integrative design, and patience can all contribute to a more effective design process.

Be Open to New Ideas

Working on a large building project can be exciting, nerve-wracking, and exhausting. There are many players that work on a 200,000 sq. ft. commercial building. Many times, project teams will hit a brick wall and have to work together to overcome an obstacle. Spock once said, “Change is the essential process of all existence.” Product manufacturers, architects, contractors, and other professionals need to keep an open mind and be willing to try new things on projects.

Overall, product manufacturers need to be team players, collaborators, problem solvers, and keep an open mind when working on a building project. What are some of your favorite Spock quotes and how to they apply to the design process?