Trades as Interfaces

Each trade has defined work and interfaces with preceding and following trades. Framing establishes a structure; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems route through it; finishes depend on the work beneath them. The construction schedule follows these dependencies, so a delay in one scope can affect the trades that follow.

Trades meet at physical interfaces

Hypothetical section measured in inches. A rectangular beam and duct share a vertical zone with a stated 2-inch separation. This checks one spatial interface; it does not simulate a whole construction project or certify an installation.

Shop drawings describe a trade’s proposed connection to the building. A duct route through a structural member, for example, is an interface conflict to resolve before installation. Overlaying trade models and reviewing clashes is a form of integration testing: it is easier to coordinate a conflict in drawings than after adjacent work is complete.

The microservice analogy clarifies handoffs, but trades share space, sequence, and responsibility; they cannot be treated as independent packages.