THE SIX PILLARS
OF PSIP.
Six pillars. One record. Every certified pour. What the record holds on every certified pour, in six parts. Where a part touches a published ACI document, the pillar names it as ACI's.
This page is the doctrine summary of the Six Pillars. Each pillar is described in one paragraph. For the full technical breakdown of what each pillar documents, what ACI or ASTM standard it references, why it exists, and what happens when it is skipped, see the PSIP Standard Breakdown page. That page is the technical implementation layer. This page is the framework layer.
The mix design the contractor specified, the cement type, and the SCM by type, or that none is specified, as he states them at setup. The batch ticket photographed on the day, with any water added on site in the contractor's notes. Where he specified the mix against an ACI 318 or ACI 332 exposure class, he records that in his notes as his own statement. The mix design and batch tickets are retained in the PSIP closeout packet.
The reinforcement as the contractor placed it, recorded in a photograph before placement begins.
How the concrete reached the forms, recorded, by pump or by direct pour. Where a direct pour was used, any exclusion zones are recorded as they were set at delivery.
The base and subgrade condition immediately before concrete placement, recorded in a dated photograph, damp or standing water or dry. PSIP never said what it had to be.
The pour in progress and the final surface, each photographed as it happened. Placement starts the 28 day record period.
The close out: the photographs from every stage, the batch tickets as photographed, the contractor's own notes, and the signed PSIP Flatwork Certificate once it issues, delivered to the property owner.
These six are the minimum a PSIP record holds. A contractor can record more, and the record shows everything he recorded.
The Standard Breakdown.
Each pillar is documented in technical detail on the PSIP Standard Breakdown page. What every batch ticket must show. What every pre-pour checklist must confirm. What every closeout packet must contain. The Standard Breakdown is the operating manual. The Six Pillars are the framework that holds it together.
Read the Standard Breakdown