Construction Specifications Institute CSI
The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) is a membership organisation created in the United States, which includes various building professions and their affiliates. One of the primary tasks of the CSI is to create standards that can be used throughout the industry to design and manage the built environment.
Founded in 1948, CSI was established by government specification writers seeking to standardise construction specifications in response to the building boom that occurred after the Second World War. In 1963, this resulted in a benchmark that included 16 primary areas. Officially named MasterFormat in 1975, this document expanded significantly in 2004. Revisions of MasterFormat have been released in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018. Another is scheduled for 2020.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- American architecture and construction.
- BOMA International.
- Construction industry institutes and associations USA.
- Construction Specifications Canada CSC.
- Facility condition assessment FCA.
- Facility condition index FCI.
- Institute of Real Estate Management IREM.
- Licensed contractors in the USA.
- MasterFormat.
- Specification for construction.
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