The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) is an organization that maintains and advances the standarization of construction language as pertains to building specifications. The CSI provides structured guidelines for specification writing in their [Project Resource Manual], (formerly called the Manual of Practice (MOP)). The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) is an organization that maintains and advances the standarization of construction language as pertains to building specifications. ...

CSI authored MasterFormat, which is an indexing system for organizing construction data, specifically construction specifications. For more than 40 years MasterFormat consisted of 16 Divisions of construction, such as Masonry, Electrical, Finishes, or Mechanical. In November 2004, MasterFormat was expanded to 50 Divisions, reflecting the growing complexity of the construction industry, as well as the need to incorporate facility life cycle and maintenance information into the building knowledge base. In this way, MasterFormat facilitates Building Information Modeling (BIM). The standard serves as the organizational structure for construction industry publications such as the Sweets catalog, and MasterSpec, a popular specification software. MasterFormat is the most widely used standard for organizing specifications and other written information for commercial and institutional building projects in the U.S. and Canada. ... BIM may refer to: Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia, or Malaysian Sign Language Broadcasting Institute of Maryland Business Information Management Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights the former stage name of Canadian folk musician Roy Forbes. ...

CSI's Uniform Drawing System comprises the largest part of the National CAD Standard (NCS), together with the American Institute of Architects (AIA)'s CAD Layer Guidelines, and Tri-services Plotting Guidelines. Administered by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), the NCS coordinates these CAD-related publications to allow consistent and streamlined communication among owners and design/construction teams. NCS is an acronym with more than one meaning: The Scandinavian Colour Institutes Natural Color System The U.S. National Communications System The Newark City Subway in Newark, New Jersey. ... The American Institute of Architects is the professional organization for architects in the United States. ...

External links

• CSINet Home

National CAD Standard Official Site