Csi Invites Comment On New Classification System

The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) has released for public comment the first draft of a revision to the 1998 version of UniFormat. Comments

The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) has released for public comment the first draft of a revision to the 1998 version of UniFormat. Comments from the construction community are invited for consideration by the UniFormat Task Team. The public review and comment period will remain open through June 2008.

UniFormat provides a uniform classification system that organizes construction information into a standard order based on functional elements, i.e., systems or assemblies comprising major components common to structures that perform a given function regardless of construction method or constituent materials. Because UniFormat’s functional element classifications are standardized, users can comprehend and compare project information across project types or options. Moreover, UniFormat can provide consistent, comparable data across an entire building life cycle, reducing the time and cost of evaluating alternatives in a project’s early design stages.

CSI plans to publish a revised version of UniFormat near the end of 2008, after collection and analysis of review comments. The revised UniFormat, coordinated with MasterFormat 2004, will cover exclusively building construction topics. The following year, the task team will work to expand UniFormat subject matter to address all types of construction.

The draft can be accessed at www.magnetmail1.net or www.csinet.org [Click Standards & Formats, then UniFormat]. Comments can be submitted by e-mail to CSI Technical Program Manager Greg Ceton at [email protected] or by visiting CSI Forums at www.csinet.org and posting a response in the UniFormat Forum.