Celebrating CSI’s 75th anniversary

by arslan_ahmed | September 21, 2023 11:58 am

By Stacy Rinella

This year, the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) reached an important milestone—it has been bridging the divide between various sectors of the building industry for seven decades now. In its bid to bring the “Four Cs” (i.e. clear, concise, correct, and complete) to project documentation and delivery, it has spent the last 75 years creating uniform standards and providing professional development opportunities.

[1]CSI’s story “officially” begins in March 1948, when articles of incorporation were signed, and 45 design/construction professionals became allies. At CSI’s first meeting, held in April, James B. Moore was elected as the president, objectives were established, bylaws were adopted, and membership classifications were defined.

However, to understand CSI’s continuing mission of advancing the built environment, it is important to know the context under which it formed. In the late 1940s, it was a time between wars for the U.S. Construction—residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial—was on the rise. There were new building technologies, a burgeoning industry, and a booming population demanding homes, factories, offices, schools, and hospitals.

This increase in construction thrust specifications into the spotlight because these documents served as primary vehicles for communications in an increasingly complex industry. The government’s vast building program, under the auspices of Harry S. Truman’s administration, required a common system for the art and science of specifying. At the time, there was no standardization when it came to preparing the drawings or specifications. This meant confusion, inefficiency, a heightened potential for errors, and increased costs for designers, builders, and owners.

Enter Edwin Bateman Morris Sr., an architectural group chief in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Supervising Architect’s Office. Morris Sr. envisioned an organization where specifiers and others interested in construction communications could work toward the development of a common method. In September 1947, he held a meeting in Washington, D.C., with a group of architects, engineers, and others from the governmental sector. These individuals discussed the state of the industry; what the problems were, and what should and could be done to fix them.

[2]The following year, a motion was adopted to authorize the organization and incorporation of what would be known as the CSI. Joseph H. Swafford of the Veterans Administration was elected as the temporary president, while a set of bylaws were presented to ensure the proposed institute would occupy itself with business and technical matters. In March of 1948, the same year the Marshall Plan (European Recovery Act) was signed into law and Babe Ruth died, CSI came into being and five goals were outlined:

• Better specification writing.
• Simpler specifications.
• Standardized specifications for public construction projects.
• Uniform building codes.
• Study of new materials and processes developed during
  World War II.

[3]Having paid their annual fee of five-dollars, CSI’s members immediately worked on finding ways to improve communication with architects and to promote specification writing courses in universities and colleges. Chapters began to form, with metropolitan New York first out of the gate in 1951, and Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Los Angeles soon following. By its 10^th anniversary, CSI numbered 1,500 members, spread across a dozen chapters. Now, more than a half-century later, there are 10 times the members and 146 chapters.

In 1956, CSI President J. Norman Hunter submitted a comprehensive plan to establish a permanent staff. Three years later, George F. Lamb became the institute’s first executive secretary, and proposed a structure that included 11 standing committees, from administrative affairs and public relations,
to ethics and rules and education. Along with creating 12 geographic regions for the institute, Hunter was also responsible for the first CSI conference the following year—a co-sponsored event with the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

By 1959, CSI had come a long way in its efforts to inform governmental and private building owners about the need for better and more standardized specifications. It had representation on the International Council on Building Research and Documentation (CIB) and a liaison committee with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Collaborating and cooperating with other organizations became an important hallmark of its growth as one of the most respected voices in the construction industry. The institute’s diverse, multidisciplinary membership, comprising not only specifiers, but also architects, engineers, academics, contractors, manufacturer representatives, and researchers, helped solidify its emerging reputation as the linchpin for the building industry.

Standardizing the formats

[4]With respect to the goal of standardized, simplified specifications, the Project Resource Manual (PRM, formerly known as the Manual of Practice [MOP]) and MasterFormat are arguably CSI’s most visible “products.” Therefore, it makes sense their histories are intertwined. The institute launched its technical program in 1960, with pink sheets, which were preliminary technical reports submitted by the various chapters and critiqued by CSI and other national organizations. These pink sheets would then become yellow (interim) and eventually green (CSI documents).

In 1961, The Construction Specifier ran a series of pink sheets collectively titled, “A Manual of Practice for Specification Writing Method Methods,” as the result of a year-long effort by the Specification Methods Committee to develop a recommended national standard. The eventual manual included the first conception of sections and divisions aimed at creating a well-organized, easily recognizable, and uniform framework.

[5]The next year, CSI’s board reviewed the first proposal on a division/section concept for a uniform construction document. Committee work was consequently approved, leading to the first “CSI Format for Building Specifications” in May 1963. Its structure was designed to serve as a checklist, simplifying the search for a particular material or process, and minimizing the risk of overlooking items. The initial divisions will be familiar to anyone who used MasterFormat 1995:

• Division 01-General Requirements
• Division 02-Site Work
• Division 03-Concrete
• Division 04-Masonry
• Division 05-Metals: Structural and Miscellaneous
• Division 06-Carpentry
• Division 07-Moisture Protection
• Division 08-Doors, Windows, and Glass
• Division 09-Finishes
• Division 10-Specialties
• Division 11-Equipment
• Division 12-Furnishings
• Division 13-Special Construction
• Division 14-Conveying Systems
• Division 15-Mechanical
• Division 16-Electrical

AIA approved the CSI Format, recommending it as the basis for their members’ future specifications. Similarly, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Navy Bureau of Yards and Docks, and NASA adopted the system. CSI Format’s success served as a catalyst for further collaboration with other groups, including ASTM International, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), and the Specification Writers Association of Canada (SWAC). This last organization would later grow to become Construction Specifications Canada (CSC)—the co-publisher of the format’s descendent, MasterFormat.

Nelson A. Rockefeller, governor of New York, appreciated the uniformity promised by the CSI Format, demanding all state agencies responsible for design, planning, and construction to adopt its use.

“It … will mean greater accuracy of bidding, and improved control of project development, and greater use of time-saving techniques, while enabling improved cost accounting,” the future vice-president said. “Overall, use of the CSI Format will permit realization of greater efficiency in project development.”

In 1978, CSI and CSC unveiled MasterFormat, providing a master list of numbers and titles for organizing construction requirements, products, and activities into a standard sequence. It became the industry standard for storing, retrieving, and presenting information. Updated through the years, MasterFormat’s greatest overhaul came with the 2004 edition that moved from 16 divisions to 50 (some were left blank for future technologies). Conceived as a “living,” evolving document, MasterFormat 04 expanded the construction-focused “Dewey Decimal System” to include all aspects of the built environment, including site and infrastructure, facility services, and other facets across projects’ lifecycles.

The Manual of Practice also recently received an upgrade, being rechristened as the Project Resource Manual in 2004. First published in the late 1960s, the manual is both, a dictionary and encyclopedia, providing the industry standard for the arrangement, terminology, and style of non-residential construction specifications. It has become the recognized standard in project manual preparation and administration.

Evolving technology

In 1967, as word processors and computers started becoming a more commonplace, CSI commissioned the Stanford Research Institute (SRI International) to survey the state of the industry. The resulting report forecasted dramatic changes, such as the use of computer-assisted drafting (CAD) and automated techniques in architectural and engineering specification practices.

Consequently, the institute established the CSI Research Foundation (later called the Construction Sciences Research Foundation [CSRF]), which conducted research of its own. Automated specifications were seen as a logical evolution, and CSI embraced the dawn of this information age, adopting microfilm databases for production information by the 1970s. The foundation also developed standardized systems for automating documentation and created programs allowing users to rapidly produce concise and coordinated specifications.

During this decade, the institute’s educational committee initiated instructional guides to help chapter committees plan programs and developed a model curriculum for accredited courses in specification writing. In 1974, CSI opened its first co-sponsored school at the University of Vermont. Four years later, the certified construction specifier (CCS) program was launched, recognizing those who demonstrated expertise in preparing written documents. This designation would eventually be joined by others representing CSI’s diverse membership:

• Construction documents technologist (CDT—this would serve as a prerequisite for the other programs).
• Certified construction contract administrator (CCCA).
• Certified construction product representative (CCPR).

These designations are professional credentials and recognized throughout the industry as evidence of a proven level of education, knowledge, and experience in construction documents.

[6]The 80s, 90s, and beyond

In 1982, CSI moved into their newly constructed headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside the nation’s capital. Throughout the next two decades, the institute continued to update its existing classification systems and formats, while offering new products that took advantage of the burgeoning technology. From digital construction databases, CAD libraries, and cost classification systems to electronic distribution of other organizations’ specification information, CSI continually evolved to simplify documentation and communication in an ever-changing industry.

[7]CSI and CSC co-published UniFormat—a complement to MasterFormat, and SectionFormat was created as a response to organize information within each MasterFormat section.

PageFormat outlines how to organize the data on each page of the project manual, standardizing the formatting of articles, paragraphs, page numbering, and margins for both hard copies and electronic media. These two standards were later updated and combined, and are now known as SectionFormat/PageFormat.

While these new products were being offered, longstanding services continued, with the Education Committee providing national seminars and self-study guides for certification, in-house training programs, videotape rentals, and chapter-based study packages to prepare members for exams.

Meanwhile, the institute’s annual conference continues, taking different forms—the CSI Show, Construct America, CONSTRUCT, and now the CSI National Conference. From humble beginnings, Hunter’s idea blossomed into one of the industry’s most important events for technical education, networking, and launching new building products.

[8]One of its greatest strengths remains the multidisciplinary nature of its membership. While specifications remain CSI’s focus, its roster now includes owners, designers, constructors, and suppliers, and representatives across the built environment. Drawing on their strength and expertise, the institute continues to revitalize its older tools such as MasterFormat and release newer ones such as the forthcoming GreenFormat, a database of environmentally responsible products. CSI faces its next 75 years armed with the same attitude and beliefs held by its founders that specifications and communication can be improved to better serve a rapidly changing industry.

The future

Now in its 75^th year, CSI continues to drive project delivery excellence in the architecture, engineering, construction, and owner (AECO) industry. CSI CEO, Mark Dorsey, shares his thoughts and insights on this significant milestone and benefits to the AECO industry.

[9]“If we go back to our roots, our most consequential successes have been creating systems and processes that have radically improved how our industry functions,” says Dorsey. “In the past, architects had one language and contractors had another. Today, CSI standards and formats enable different members of the project team to communicate more effectively about the needs of the project.”

For Dorsey, the single biggest value of CSI historically is staying focused on improving quality and efficiency, increasing communication, and reducing the risks associated with miscommunication in any given project. “Specifiers construction administrators are always looking to minimize error to ensure the project comes together on time. The laser focus from CSI and its members benefits us all,” he adds.

For decades, CSI has continually created new standards, study groups, formats, and now, new technologies to help members stay on top of change. However, Dorsey explains that going forward, the industry needs to be vigilant about the accuracy of the information shared so quickly.

“When CSI was founded in the late ’40s, you had to pick up a phone and get an operator to dial into somebody else’s office. Your written communication time was days long, if not weeks. Now, it’s instant global communication through a multitude of channels.”

Dorsey says this had a major impact on the way practitioners handle construction administration, accelerated to the point where every project is basically fast-tracked. However, this comes with its own set of challenges. “The risk in that is, you can look up anything on the internet and hit ‘reply all’ in an email, but then all your documentation, commentary, and perspective is shared instantly around the globe. This requires all of us to be more diligent and thoughtful to separate the signal from noise or trust actionable information from volumes of data.”

When it comes to the role of the specifier, Dorsey predicts change in the foreseeable future; understanding how products and processes interact. “The role is evolving to be even more of a thought leader, fact checker, and critical player in the design and construction process. It’s not about who writes the best spec—it’s going to be about who can troubleshoot the best spec and manage related data,” says Dorsey. He expresses that the human part of the equation is judgement and aesthetic.

“As artificial intelligence (AI) evolves, it is likely that people engaged in specifications become more of fact checkers and data analysts than writers. Already, there are applications that can create a video on your behalf that will fill in design elements if you plug in the dimensions of the space you want to create. The issue around AI isn’t necessarily whether it will take your job, it’s how it will change your job,” he adds. “Although we’ve come a long way in 75 years, one thing will never change: our commitment to building spaces, places, and infrastructures that enable us to function as a healthy, productive, and joyous society.”

The long view

CSI board chair, Cam Featherstonehaugh, talks about history’s key impacts, the future of construction, and what it means to play a role in this special anniversary.

“Before CSI, there was a lot less consistency in the written specifications used throughout the country. CSI has clearly accomplished its original mission, which was to standardize the way in which specifications were organized. Getting consistent results that were understandable by everyone on the design and construction team had a huge impact,” says Featherstonehaugh.

He adds that for decades now, CSI has also been focused on construction administration, building product representation, and other aspects of the project delivery process, including improving communication and understanding through project teams as well.

[10]

“It’s hard to understate how important that connection is. The longer I do this, the more I realize the people who know how to get things done and make things work, are in CSI. They’re making projects happen properly across the country and the globe.”

Regarding the future, Featherstonehaugh believes the organization is being discovered by a new wave of practitioners; and this network is really the best there is for this type of work. “I see the organization growing in influence and maybe even membership over the next 10 to 20 years as people rediscover how much there is to offer through this community.”

Featherstonehaugh also explains how CSI can help its members develop the mindset to continue to embrace change in an ever-changing world. “Change is hard and does not come easily. People get comfortable with the status quo. Things get simpler when you’ve been doing them for a long time, and it’s harder the longer you do it to break ranks and try something new,” he says. “I think what we can do is reinforce the thought that change is inevitable and that we exist as a place where people can gather and exchange ideas and continue learning. That’s the key—that you never lose your commitment to keep learning.”

[11]

Featherstonehaugh feels it is about being consistent, staying positive, and providing an inclusive space, where people can really thrive. “If you do that, then the rest will take care of itself.”

For Featherstonehaugh, playing a role in CSI’s 75^th anniversary is the honor of his professional career. He adds, “Seventy-five years is a diamond anniversary and so many organizations are not able to persist for this long. I think it says something, not only about the community, but also about the value of the work we do. It’s a privilege to be part of this incredible milestone and serve our community.”

Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/celebrating-csis-75th-anniversary/

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