WORKING DRAWINGS HANDBOOK, Fourth Edition

Working Drawings Handbook

 It should operate on a number of levels, permitting
greater or less sub-division of information depending
upon the size and complexity of the building in
question.

Home-made systems

It is not difficult to devise your own systems to meet
these requirements. Indeed, in practice many offices do,
varying the method each time to suit the complexity of
the job in hand. Within the primary general
arrangement/assembly/component framework, for
instance, it is possible to divide the drawings on a
small project into, say, brickwork (series B), windows
(series W), doors (series D), etc. The precise method of
sub-division and of coding is of less importance than
recognising the existence of an inherent primary and
secondary structure.

There are two generally accepted methods, however,
which despite certain defects will, if adopted, fulfil most
of the requirements enumerated above.

Uniclass Table G

This is the system set out in the 2003 CPI Code of

Procedure, and as such has the advantage of being

consistent in its terminology with the Common

Arrangement of Work Sections. (The National Building

Specification operates under the Common

Arrangement.)

Having said that, it should be pointed out that the

Uniclass headings relate to building elements, while the

Common Arrangement is specifically materials-oriented.

Uniclass Table G (Table II) is an attempt to reconcile

these divergent objectives, but in essence is simply a

tabulation and naming of the elements forming the

secondary structure of a set of drawings.

You will note that the table is broken down into the

following primary elements:

1.21 Further sub-division of the fabric leads to increas-
ing complexity

G1 Site preparation

G2 Fabric: complete elements

G3 Fabric: parts of elements

G4 Fittings/furniture/equipment (FFE)

G5 Services: complete elements

G6 Services: parts of elements

G7 External/site works

These generic headings clearly require sub-division if

they are to be of use in coding the drawings.

Consequently, there is a second level of headings, of

which the 57 main sub-headings are broken down into

further sub-divisions. To take two instances at random:

G251 External walls is seen to break down into:

G311 Core fabric

G312 Coverings/external finishes to external walls

G321 External windows

G322 External doors

G333 Internal finishes to external walls