David Kent Ballast, AIA, CSI, a registered architect, has owned Architectural Research Consulting since 1981. The consulting firm offers applied research, technical advice, specifications, and information management services to architects, interior designers, and others in the construction industry. Since 1987, Ballast has been an instructor in Interior Construction and Basic Drafting at Arapahoe Community College. He is the author of a number of books on construction technology.