An Inside Look at the MasterFormat 2004 Update

by Dennis J. Hall, FCSI, AIA

For the last three years, the Construction Specifications Institute and Construction Specifications Canada have been working to update MasterFormat to respond to the needs of the entire construction industry and allow for future expandability. During this period, the seventeen-member MasterFormat Expansion Task Team (MFETT) has worked with many industry and professional organizations, including all the major master guide specifications providers in the US and Canada, to ensure that the final document reflects the needs of these groups' users and members.

At the inception of this development process, the MFETT identified eight guiding principles to assist in making decisions. These guiding principles were:

• Make MasterFormat more acceptable to building engineering disciplines
• Expand MasterFormat to cover other than building construction adequately
• Expand MasterFormat to more adequately cover the full life cycle of projects
• Provide space for expansion within each division
• Keep change to a minimum for architectural building subjects
• Make MasterFormat compatible with the OmniClass Construction Classification System and organize information by work results rather than products
• Revise to follow classification principles
• Maintain organizational consistency amongst divisions

The new section titles and numbers from the MasterFormat 2004 edition will debut at The CSI Show and Convention in Chicago, April 21-23. Expect the new numbers and titles to be available online at the CSI website, www.CSINet.org, in May and the printed document with additional user information, notes, keyword index, and electronic media to be available from CSI in late Fall.

There have been significant organizational changes in MasterFormat 2004, starting with the top-level organizational structure, which has been simplified from the six groupings used in the current edition, to two Groups. These new Groups are the Procurement and Contracting Requirements Group and the Specifications Group. Procurement and Contracting Requirements are commonly referred to as the front-end documents or Division 00. This is where bidding information, project forms, and conditions of the contract are located. The Specifications Group is where the administrative and technical requirements of a project are located. Specifications are divided into the following five Subgroups:

• General Requirements (Division 01)
• Facility Construction (Divisions 02 - 19)
• Facility Services (Divisions 20 - 29)
• Site and Infrastructure (Divisions 30 - 39)
• Process Equipment (Divisions 40 - 49)

Some division numbers are reserved and titles and numbers are not assigned to them at this time. This will allow future expandability of MasterFormat without disturbing the structure or order of existing divisions.

Numbering: MasterFormat first introduced the current five-digit numbers for specification sections in 1978. The numbers in the new edition have six digits or eight digits, depending on their scope, with a pair of digits per level of classification. This new numbering allows for far greater flexibility and expandability, ensuring that numbers assigned today can remain unchanged in spite of the need for continuing updates. In assigning these new numbers, the MFETT has worked to make the transition as easy as possible for current users. Many of the new section numbers can be found by simply adding a zero to the end of the current number. This was not always possible, since some section titles and locations and some division contents have changed, but the MFETT tried to do this where possible. See Figure B on page 3 for some examples of current and new section numbers and titles.

The task team has also assigned the same subject matter to some specific occurrences of number pairs to create some consistency and predictability from division to division. For example, when 01 is located in Level 2 or Level 3 pairs, the subject matter covered is operations and maintenance activities.

Work Results: MasterFormat can best be described as an organizational structure that classifies information by work results or construction practices. Its primary uses are for organizing a project manual, reference keynotes on drawings, and detailed cost estimating.

Although previous editions have been focused more on product classification than these primary uses, MasterFormat 2004 is returning to this basic concept of classifying information by work results. This shift has caused a change in some section titles to better reflect their status as work results. MasterFormat is still an excellent index to products, and it will be extremely useful to be able to find a work result title based on a product commonly used in that work result, so access from products to work result sections will be provided by a keyword index.

MasterFormat 2004 will have sections to classify information on facility operations and maintenance, repairs, and commissioning. It will expand the coverage of information beyond buildings alone and will address both horizontal and vertical construction. The task team has worked to expand the subject matter to adequately cover the rapidly expanding subjects of building engineering and communications.

Implementation: CSI is already working with many other professional and industry organizations to ensure that the implementation process is an industry-wide activity. The first "train the trainers" program will take place at CSI University on July 8-10 in San Antonio. These accredited trainers will begin to provide MasterFormat education in early 2005. Most master guide specifications providers will convert their systems in the first or second quarter of 2005, and most construction industry firms will convert not later than January 2006.

CSI/CSC is committed to assist all users in the conversion process. Electronic tools and educational and training programs are currently being developed to assist with the transition. Most of the CSI strategic alliance partners, including BSD, the National Institute of Building Sciences, the American Institute of Architects, and many others are being invited to participate in the implementation process. From its development through its implementation, use, and future refinements, MasterFormat 2004 will continue to be a true industry-wide initiative.

Mr. Hall is founder and managing principal of Hall Architects, Inc. in Charlotte, North Carolina with over twenty-five years experience in the fields of architecture, specifications consulting, and forensic consulting.

He is a former Institute Director for the Construction Specifications Institute and is currently the Chairman of the MasterFormat Expansion Task Team, a North American effort to expand the industry standard for organizing specifications. He also serves on the OmniClass Construction Classification System (OCCS) Development Committee.

As a leader in the construction industry, Mr. Hall has served on numerous boards, committees, and panels for various professional organizations including the Associated General Contractors, the American Institute of Architects, the Construction Specifications Institute, and the American Arbitration Association. He has made more than 100 presentations throughout the US and Canada on MasterFormat 2004 and the National CAD Standard/UDS.