Technology Master Format Planning

Today's construction industry is a different place from where it was even just ten years ago. The world around has advanced by leaps and bounds, and the construction industry has had to follow suit. Today's business facilities are so much more than just walls, electric power and light, plumbing and HVAC. Today's business facilities incorporate all of these things and so much more. From redundant power supplies, 24x7 backup facilities, and multiple environment control systems; to complete building control and automation systems, and miles of communications cabling, today's business facilities are complex environments. Not only are the buildings themselves more complex, but also the means and methods by which they are constructed. As such, the organization, engineering, and teamwork required to construct them correctly and on-time are just as complex.

The construction industry has recognized this and has rethought its organization and classification. The new MasterFormat 2004 published by The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) has increased the division of construction practices from sixteen to fifty, has better defined the sub-classification system, and has structured the divisions in such a way to allow for future expandability. This allows for greater organization and efficiency and a higher degree of communication among all parties involved in the construction of your facility.

Similarly, the National CAD Standard has taken steps to organize and coordinate the efforts of the building design and construction industry by classifying building computer-aided design (CAD) data consistently. This classification is for all aspects of computer-aided design including drawing numbering, layering, drawing symbols, drawing layout, and drawing set organization. This will help to streamline not only the construction process itself, but also the pre- and post-construction phases. The National CAD Standard Project Committee has expressed its commitment to the continuous growth and development of the Standard to keep pace with the ever-evolving computer technology.

The use of MasterFormat 2004 in conjunction with the National CAD Standard v3.1 will ensure that not just any Information, but the correct information flows between everyone involved in a more streamlined and sensible manner, ensuring that the end product is exactly what was planned for.