NCS V6 includes new
BIM module, symbols, site/civil language
Following a fifteen-month development process, the
nation’s leading computer-aided design (CAD) standard has received an update.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA), Construction Specifications
Institute (CSI) and National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) today
announced the release of the newest edition of the United States National CAD
Standard® (NCS). As with Version 5, NCS Version 6 (V6) is delivered online at
the NCS website.
The NCS helps architects, constructors and operators
coordinate efforts by classifying electronic design data consistently and
making information retrieval easier. It improves communication among owners and
project teams; cuts or eliminates costs of developing and maintaining
company-specific standards; and reduces the expense of transferring building
data from design applications to facility management applications. More than
6,000 architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) firms have voluntarily
adopted the NCS in their workplaces.
During each NCS revision cycle, participants propose,
debate and ultimately vote upon additions and changes to the NCS to amend the
current version of the standard. For this edition, NCS owners submitted an
unprecedented 379 ballot items. The NCS Steering Committee, Project Committee
and Task Teams, who are the ones responsible for vetting, reviewing and
approving the submissions, play an integral role in the new edition’s
development.
“It is only through the work of our committees and task
teams that we are able to publish the NCS,” said CSI Executive Director and CEO
Walter Marlowe, P.E., CSI, CAE. “Our organizations’ members have invested
thousands of man hours to improve the standard. Their commitment and hard work
shows in the finished product, which is the most detailed, yet all
encompassing, edition yet.”
The new edition includes:
- New implementation guidelines on how to successfully implement the NCS for building information modeling (BIM) use. The “BIM Implementation” guidelines address relevant sections within the NCS that can be incorporated into the BIM workflow and current contracts referencing project delivery of construction information.
- An improved style format, which applies to the body of the standard to properly number chapter and subchapter headings.
- An enhanced and improved Symbols Library. All 1300+ NCS symbol CAD files were replaced and renamed using a unique 3-digit extension number and abbreviated name; converted to inches; and include new insertion points (with line type and pattern file type definitions where appropriate). Each individual symbol links to a corresponding .DWG, .LIN or .PAT drawing file. The library includes 72 new and 40 revised symbols, as well as two new Symbols Chapters.
- New “Survey/Mapping” Discipline Designators.
- New Major and Minor Groups definitions added for “Airports and Plumbing.”
- A revised “Module 1 – File Naming” section to better address Model Files and Sheet Files.
- A Revised “Module 4 – Drafting Conventions, 4.2 Drawing Standards” list of common scales to add “Site/Civil” scale descriptions.
- A Revised “Module 4 – Drafting Conventions, 4.3 Sheet Types” section, which includes a new “Floor Numbering” format.
- New and revised “Communications” terms and abbreviations.
- A Revised “Module 7 – Notations, 7.4 User’s Guide” text format for notes.
- A Revised “Plotting Guidelines” introduction.
“The refinements to the NCS continue to improve and
streamline the process the design team uses to communicate design data
effectively,” said AIA Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA. “AIA and its
partners, CSI and NIBS, are proud to present NCS Version 6. This latest edition
will provide an increased benefit to the AEC community.”
The NCS coordinates the efforts of the entire design and
construction team by providing a way to organize and present electronic
building design information consistently. It streamlines communication across
disciplines during project development and throughout the life of a facility.
Use of the NCS can help reduce costs and produce greater efficiency in the
design and construction process.
The standard is based on components from its partnering
organizations: NIBS’s Foreword, Administration, Plotting Guidelines and new BIM
Implementation modules; AIA’s CAD Layer Guidelines module; and CSI’s Uniform
Drawing System modules. By combining these resources, the NCS prescribes CAD
layer names; drawing set organization and drafting; notation; and NCS-BIM
coordination and plotting conventions. With this edition, the NCS also provides
needed direction on how to incorporate the NCS content within the BIM workflow.
“Just as design, construction and facility management
teams need to work together to develop a high-performing building, it’s
important that the reference standards they use are coordinated and work
together,” said NIBS President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA. “NCS Version 6 is the
first step in bringing the NCS and the National BIM Standard-United States®
into alignment, which will streamline the process of making electronic design
data available throughout the life cycle of a building.”
Many public and private sector organizations either
require or use the NCS, including the U.S. General Services Administration; U.
S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; U.S. Coast
Guard; U.S. Navy; U.S. Forest Service; U.S. Treasury – Internal Revenue
Service; U.S. Department of State; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; state, municipal
and local agencies and authorities; and large U.S. and foreign multinational
corporations.
NCS users who have purchased the previous version of the
NCS within the past six months are eligible for a discount on NCS V6. This
discount is available for six months from the release date, and expires March
9, 2015.
Learn more about the United States National CAD
Standard®. Purchase the NCS Version 6 now.
About the American
Institute of Architects
For over 150 years, members of The American Institute of
Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more
valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. AIA
members have access to the right people, knowledge, and tools to create better
design, and through such resources and access, they help clients and
communities make their visions real. For more information, visit www.aia.org.
About the
Construction Specifications Institute
CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) is a national
association dedicated to improving the documentation, management and
communication of building information as used by the construction community.
CSI accomplishes its mission through the development of construction standards
and formats such as MasterFormat and UniFormat; the promulgation of those
formats through master guide specifications and building information management
(BIM) software; training and certification programs, including the Construction
Documents Technology (CDT) and Certified Construction Contract Administrator
(CCCA) exams; publication of The Construction Specifier magazine; and an
ever-expanding membership of decision-makers who identify and specify building
product solutions. CSI members include a cross-section of specifiers,
architects, contractors, suppliers and other construction project professionals
who are touched by construction documentation. For more information, visit
www.csinet.org, or call (800) 689-2900.
About the National
Institute of Building Sciences
The National Institute of Building Sciences, authorized
by public law 93-383 in 1974, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that
brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor
and consumer interests to identify and resolve building process and facility
performance problems. The Institute serves as an authoritative source of advice
for both the private and public sectors with respect to the use of building
science and technology.
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