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Uniclass
Uniclass is a unified classification system for the construction industry. Developed in the UK but capable of use internationally, it contains consistent tables classifying items of all scales, from entire complexes such as a railway or airport to individual product items such as anchor plates, flue liners or LED lamps.
Originally released in printed form in 1997, Uniclass allowed project information to be structured to a recognised standard. The original version was later heavily revised. Uniclass2 (2013) was developed to make it more compatible with Building information modeling (BIM) processes, and further enhanced in development by NBS of the current version, known as Uniclass 2015.
Uniclass was created by the Construction Project Information Committee (CPIC), a UK industry organisation with representatives from key institutions including the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). CPIC had previously published various guidance documents on efficient preparation of project specifications and production drawings, and some of the proceeds from sales of these publications contributed towards the cost of a feasibility study on a Unified Classification for the Construction Industry (abbreviated as 'Uniclass'). It was intended to supersede CI/SfB (Construction Indexing/Samarbetskommittén för Byggnadsfrågor), a classification system originally developed in Sweden and introduced to the UK by the RIBA in 1961.
A voluntary standard classification system for the construction industry, it was intended to help organise information throughout design and construction processes; a standard classification facilitates interoperability between different systems. The first edition was published in 1997 as a 215-page printed book (mainly comprising tables). The content ("Uniclass 1") was maintained in a printed form until 2013 ("Uniclass 1.4: Legacy Release"). Early versions were criticised for not being unified, for inconsistencies between the labelling and depth of its then 15 tables, for poor integration of civil engineering and building works, and for being an essentially paper-based system.
Development of Uniclass2 began before 2008, looking to create a purer classification system based on taxonomy (grouping things with similar characteristics in a hierarchal manner). It was influenced by UK adoption of ISO 12006-2, an international framework for construction information, and by parallel industry developments relating to adoption of BIM. A CPIC working group comprising representatives from the RICS Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), RICS Quantity Surveying and Construction Faculty, NBS, Autodesk, Bentley, Crossrail and Halcrow Group was established to develop Uniclass2, with NBS commissioned to deliver the first unified tables. Uniclass2 was launched in March 2013, and was made freely available online in various formats for all participants throughout the life cycle of a project.
CPIC's work on Uniclass2 stopped in 2013 and was ceded to government in 2014, after which the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) managed a contract competition to complete the Uniclass work and develop a unified multi-disciplinary Digital Plan of Work. NBS anticipated that Uniclass2 might be developed as a UK and international classification system for the construction industry. In September 2014, an NBS-led team won the £1m TSB Technology Strategy Board contract to develop a free-to-use 'Digital Toolkit for BIM' including the digital plan of work and the classification system.
Led by NBS, experts from across the industry developed Uniclass 2015, extending the scope and responding to industry feedback on Uniclass 2. As part of the 'Digital Toolkit for BIM', Uniclass 2015 was launched in April 2015.
Uniclass 2015 provides:
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Uniclass AI simulator
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Uniclass
Uniclass is a unified classification system for the construction industry. Developed in the UK but capable of use internationally, it contains consistent tables classifying items of all scales, from entire complexes such as a railway or airport to individual product items such as anchor plates, flue liners or LED lamps.
Originally released in printed form in 1997, Uniclass allowed project information to be structured to a recognised standard. The original version was later heavily revised. Uniclass2 (2013) was developed to make it more compatible with Building information modeling (BIM) processes, and further enhanced in development by NBS of the current version, known as Uniclass 2015.
Uniclass was created by the Construction Project Information Committee (CPIC), a UK industry organisation with representatives from key institutions including the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). CPIC had previously published various guidance documents on efficient preparation of project specifications and production drawings, and some of the proceeds from sales of these publications contributed towards the cost of a feasibility study on a Unified Classification for the Construction Industry (abbreviated as 'Uniclass'). It was intended to supersede CI/SfB (Construction Indexing/Samarbetskommittén för Byggnadsfrågor), a classification system originally developed in Sweden and introduced to the UK by the RIBA in 1961.
A voluntary standard classification system for the construction industry, it was intended to help organise information throughout design and construction processes; a standard classification facilitates interoperability between different systems. The first edition was published in 1997 as a 215-page printed book (mainly comprising tables). The content ("Uniclass 1") was maintained in a printed form until 2013 ("Uniclass 1.4: Legacy Release"). Early versions were criticised for not being unified, for inconsistencies between the labelling and depth of its then 15 tables, for poor integration of civil engineering and building works, and for being an essentially paper-based system.
Development of Uniclass2 began before 2008, looking to create a purer classification system based on taxonomy (grouping things with similar characteristics in a hierarchal manner). It was influenced by UK adoption of ISO 12006-2, an international framework for construction information, and by parallel industry developments relating to adoption of BIM. A CPIC working group comprising representatives from the RICS Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), RICS Quantity Surveying and Construction Faculty, NBS, Autodesk, Bentley, Crossrail and Halcrow Group was established to develop Uniclass2, with NBS commissioned to deliver the first unified tables. Uniclass2 was launched in March 2013, and was made freely available online in various formats for all participants throughout the life cycle of a project.
CPIC's work on Uniclass2 stopped in 2013 and was ceded to government in 2014, after which the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) managed a contract competition to complete the Uniclass work and develop a unified multi-disciplinary Digital Plan of Work. NBS anticipated that Uniclass2 might be developed as a UK and international classification system for the construction industry. In September 2014, an NBS-led team won the £1m TSB Technology Strategy Board contract to develop a free-to-use 'Digital Toolkit for BIM' including the digital plan of work and the classification system.
Led by NBS, experts from across the industry developed Uniclass 2015, extending the scope and responding to industry feedback on Uniclass 2. As part of the 'Digital Toolkit for BIM', Uniclass 2015 was launched in April 2015.
Uniclass 2015 provides: