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16-Division MasterFormat on Road to Change | |||||||||||
MasterFormat, the 16-division construction products and services organizing structure for 39 years, is on schedule to change in one of two proposed ways by July 2004, according to the Construction Specifications Institute. With available MasterFormat division numbers running low and design-professional services on the rise, CSI is considering either renaming divisions and expanding them into the 20s, 30s, and 40s or changing the system entirely, Dennis Hall, AIA, FCSI, told attendees November 1 at the AIA Building Performance Professional Interest Area conference, "Building Performance: Improving the Quality of the Built Environment." Hall serves as the chair of the CSI MasterFormat Expansion Task Team. To date, the CSI "Version A" draft of MasterFormat version 4.0 has been through one review and redrafting and is currently in its second draft review. Version A calls for, most dramatically, elimination of the mechanical and electrical divisions (15 and 16) and expansion of the engineering divisions into: 2029, civil; 3039, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and telecommunications; and 4049, process engineering. The guiding principles for Version A have been to: During commentary from the earlier drafts of Version
A, the CSI task team heard a call for more dramatic change. The result
of that input is Version B, a total reworking of the organizational system.
The proposed divisions for Version B are currently: "These super divisions will serve as subject matter 'umbrellas' and are designed to promote similarity in the way the built environment is created and sustained," Hall said. "There are a minimum of numbers assigned, just enough to provide guidance for commentary from the industry." Second draft under
review "We applaud the comprehensive approach you are taking," AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Norman L. Koonce, FAIA, wrote October 22 to CSI Interim Executive Director Tony Keane. "All too often, solutions within our industry have been prepared piecemeal, and as a result, fall short. The four-step modification process CSI has undertaken should result in a trustworthy system when properly implemented. "Timely input and acknowledgement of the roles of different stakeholderssuch as design professionals, contractors, suppliers, and manufacturescan encourage responses that will enhance the system without negative impact. Taking into account the considerations and opinions from these sectors will inform the concept development, enable a smooth adoption, and result in a more reliable and inspired built environment." A
blue-ribbon committee of AIA-member representatives is scheduled to meet
with CSI representatives December 16 to review the progress to date, seek
a clear understanding of the content and schedule for implementation,
and share views on the proposed modifications. MasterFormat is the
organizing system around which is built MasterSpec®, the AIA's master
guide specification system for more than 30 years. Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved. |
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