home pageThe Big Picture, part 3by Sheldon Wolfe, RA, CSI, CCS, CCCA |
OCCS and MasterFormat |
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Ideally, revision of MasterFormat would satisfy several needs. It would provide the needed space for information aggregators, such as Architects' First Source and Sweets, to assign unique numbers to more product types; it would establish a system to allow unique identifiers not only for types of products, but for each product of each type; it would require few changes to existing numbers; and it would be adaptable to higher-level organizations such as the Overall Construction Classification System. Now that's a tall order! An obvious way to provide more numbers for more product types is to simply add a digit. Each Level 3 classification would immediately have ten times as many numbers, and the new numbers would be easily recognized by specifier and manufacturer alike. If Section 08210 became Section 082100, we would have little difficulty using old literature until the new numbers were all in place. Similarly, one might add decimal numbers, or alpha characters could be incorporated. Alpha characters are particularly attractive as they provide twenty-six choices at each level rather than ten. Mixed alpha-numeric numbers may also be easier to read. For example, 08213B3 is less likely to be misinterpreted than 0821323; the non-numeric character provides a convenient break in the string of digits. However, adding a single character is a short-term solution. It may provide enough additional Level 4 numbers for now, but it isn't hard to imagine a time in the not-too-distant future when the same problem comes up again. If we're going to change, let's try to create a system that has a lot of room for future expansion. Remember, an important goal is to end up with identifiers that are unique to every product available. To satisfy that need, we need to go beyond Level 4. Consider a numbering system that simply added two alpha characters to the existing five digits. This would increase the number of possible unique product types by a factor of 676 (twenty-six times twenty-six). This is a fairly large number, perhaps even large enough for the number of product types needed for several years. It is not adequate, however, to assign a unique identifier to every variation of every product. Using wood doors as an example, a given manufacturer might produce both five-ply and seven-ply doors, with five options for wood species, two veneer slicing options, two matching patterns, five factory finishes, four widths, three heights, two thicknesses, four glazing sizes, two glazing trims, and four fire-resistive classifications. To assign a unique number to each possible combination would require over 150,000 numbers. If we want to continue using the number 0821 to identify wood doors, we end up with a very long number. "Whoa! Why would I want to use all of those numbers? And how would I remember what they mean?" Well, you wouldn't want to use ten-digit numbers, and you couldn't remember what they mean. But - your computer can! © 2001 Sheldon Wolfe, RA, CSI,
CCS, CCCA, swolfe@bwbr.com |
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