The Three-Way War: How Seattle’s Builders Are Trying to Stop the Bleeding
A national convention in New York reveals a desperate push for arbitration between owners, architects, and contractors—a conflict that is already tearing at the seams of Seattle’s construction industry.
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The National Association of Builders has convened its annual meeting in New York, beginning February 6, to address the 'three-cornered warfare' that has long plagued the building trades. The central issue is the dispute between owners, architects, and contractors, where each party blames the other for cost overruns and dissatisfaction.
The association is promoting the establishment of permanent exhibitions, modeled after one in Philadelphia, which feature 58-foot walls of standardized stone and brick samples. These physical references are intended to eliminate ambiguity: an owner selects a numbered sample, the architect specifies it by number, and the builder executes the work. This system aims to prevent the common scenario where an owner claims, 'This isn't the sort of wall I intended,' leaving the builder unable to prove he followed the plan.
Equally critical is the debate over arbitration. The association recognizes the right of workmen to form unions but insists on the 'absolute personal independence' of employers to hire or fire at will. They propose that while wages and hours should be decided by individual bosses, disputes over materials and methods should go to a joint board of arbitration composed of exchange committees and trade union representatives.
For Seattle, this national debate is not abstract. As the city expands rapidly, the friction between those who pay for buildings, those who design them, and those who build them threatens to stall progress. The convention’s call for 'manual training schools' and standardized contracts offers a blueprint for resolving the chaos that currently defines local development.
The struggle over who holds the power in construction—owners, designers, or builders—is as relevant today as it was in 1891. Modern Seattle still grapples with these exact tensions: rising costs driven by complex regulations (the 'architect's' role), labor shortages and union demands (the 'builder's' role), and the constant pressure from developers to cut corners or delay projects.
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