Group Settles For Compromise In Needed Revamp Of Standards
Although few members of the industry argue with the need for MasterFormat revision and expansion, the process has been contentious. Late in February, the task team released a third draft that proposed scrapping the existing 16-division structure in favor of an 86-division format. The proposal failed to win industry support. "We tried some other things, but they did not meet with acceptance from the industry," says Dennis Hall, managing principal of Hall Architects, Charlotte, N.C., and chair of CSI's expansion task team.
MasterFormat, created to organize construction information for buildings, has been periodically updated but the 16-division structure was never altered. The current revamp effort aims to better organize construction products and services, provide room for expansion and include new types of construction such as heavy civil and process engineering.