Camille Lydell Detera

DAR1
BUILDTEC04


MasterFormat is a standard for organizing specifications and other written information for
commercial and institutional building projects in the U.S. and Canada. Sometimes referred to as the
"Dewey Decimal System" of building construction, MasterFormat is a product of the Construction
Specifications Institute (CSI) and Construction Specifications Canada (CSC). It provides a master list of
Divisions, and Section numbers with associated titles within each Division, to organize information about
a facilitys construction requirements and associated activities. After World War II, building construction
specifications began to expand, as more advanced materials and choices were made available. The
Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) was founded in 1948, and began to address the organization of
specifications into a numbering system. In 1963, they published a format for construction specifications,
with 16 major divisions of work. A 1975 CSI publication used the term MasterFormat. The last CSI
MasterFormat publication to use the 16 divisions was in 1995, and this is no longer supported by CSI. In
November 2004, MasterFormat expanded from 16 Divisions to 50 Divisions, reflecting innovations in the
construction industry and expanding the coverage to a larger part of the construction industry. Updates
were published in 2010, 2012, and 2014.


ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
The good thing about Master Format is that it makes professionals (engineers, architect and etc.) work
easier because of its organization. The advantages of using this standardized format include: Readers,
familiar with the format, can quickly locate information, Specification writers can easily assemble the
Project Manual and specifications can more easily be coordinated during writing.
There are a few disadvantages to this system, which should be considered and overcome if they interfere
with the specifications effectiveness: Some of the information may be repeated, The publication may be
larger since there are a greater number of narrowly focussed sections and Cross-referencing other
sections may be difficult. Even if there are some advantages in using Master Format still it can be
improved since our technology develops.





CONSTRUCTION NARRATIVE
For me, the good thing about construction narrative is that is shows a detailed definition or processes on
how will the structure be built. From this, the contractors and all of the members of the construction team
will be guided since there is a narrative given. The construction narrative also helps avoid the chances of
mistakes on the site because before doing anything else there will be a long description about what will
be the output of their project. Also, lastly the advantage of having a construction narrative is that whoever
will check the plans of the structure will be guided on the process of constructing the building. From this
the person who is viewing or reading the plans wont be lost and will have a stock knowledge right from
the start.














REFERENCE:
NA (2009) MasterFormat Specification & Divisions Retrieved from:
http://www.archtoolbox.com/representation/specifications/csidivisions.html
NA (2004) MasterFormat Specifications Retrieved from:
http://academics.triton.edu/faculty/fheitzman/masterformat%20spec%20numbers.pdf
NA (2009) Advantages and Disadvantages of MasterFormat Retrieved from:
http://www.technical-expressions.com/mf/mf2004/pros-cons/cover.html
Delany, S. & King, M. (2003)The benefits of master specifications