- Source: CI/SfB
CI/SfB (Construction Indexing/Samarbetskommittén för Byggnadsfrågor) is a classification system used in the construction industry to organize and manage building information. It was originally developed in Sweden and introduced to the UK by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1961.
History
The CI/SfB system was derived from the Swedish system "Samarbetskommittén för Byggnadsfrågor" (SfB) (meaning "The Cooperation Committee for Building Issues"), which was created in the 1950s. The system was designed to provide a standardized method for indexing and retrieving construction-related information.
The system was adopted internationally by CIB (Conseil Internationale du Batiment) and recommended to members institutes. The RIBA took a licence to establish an Agency for SfB in the UK and recommended its use with UDC in 1961 for architects libraries.
The CIB (Conseil Internationale du Batiment) opted for a procedure for having a different name for each Country. Some versions are:
CI / SfB for Great Britain
SI / SfB for France
BRD / SfB for Germany
BB / SfB for Belgium
NL / SfB for The Netherlands
In 1968 the RIBA published a revised version called CI/SfB (Construction Index SfB) which dropped the use of UDC and added two new tables to SfB tables 1, 2 and 3. Table 0 was roughly based on UDC and Table 4 on the CIB Master List of Properties, with additions. There was a further revision in 1976.
In the UK, it was first implemented as the "SfB/UDC Building Filing Manual" and later evolved into the CI/SfB system.
Structure
The CI/SfB system is composed of several tables that classify different aspects of construction:
Table 0: Physical environment (e.g., hospitals, schools)
Table 1: Elements (e.g., walls, roofs)
Table 2: Constructions and forms (e.g., brickwork, concrete)
Table 3: Materials (e.g., fired clay, ceramics)
Table 4: Activities and requirements (e.g., sound insulation, fire resistance)
Usage
CI/SfB is used for various purposes in the construction industry, including:
Setting up office libraries
Collecting design information
Preparing reports, cost plans, drawings, and specifications
Organizing bills of quantities and other types of construction information.
Legacy and Evolution
Although CI/SfB has been largely replaced by more modern classification systems like Uniclass, it is still in use in some areas, particularly for product literature and historical data. The limitations of CI/SfB, such as its complexity and difficulty in computerization, led to the development of newer systems.
List of CI/SfB Codes
= Table 0: Physical Environment
== Table 1: Elements
=(--) Sites, projects, building systems
Substructure
(1-) Ground, substructure
(10)
(11) Ground
(12)
(13) Floor beds
(14)-(15)
(16) Retaining walls, foundations
(17) Pile foundations
(18) Other substructure elements
(19) Parts of elements (11) to (18)
Cost summary
Structure
(2-) Primary elements, carcass
(20)
(21) Walls, external walls
(22) Internal walls, partitions
(23) Floors, galleries
(24) Stairs, ramps
(25)-(26)
(27) Roofs
(28) Building frames, other primary elements
(29) Parts of elements (21) to (28)
Cost summary
(3-) Secondary elements, completion if described separately from (2-)
(30)
(31) Secondary elements to external walls; external doors, windows
(32) Secondary elements to internal walls; internal doors
(33) Secondary elements to floors
(34) Secondary elements to stairs
(35) Suspended ceilings
(36)
(37) Secondary elements to roofs; rooflights, etc.
(38) Other secondary elements
(39) Parts of elements (31) to (38)
Cost summary
(4-) Finishes if described separately
(40)
(41) Wall finishes, external
(42) Wall finishes, internal
(43) Floor finishes
(44) Stair finishes
(45) Ceiling finishes
(46)
(47) Roof finishes
(48) Other finishes to structure
(49) Parts of elements (41) to (48)
Cost summary
Services
(5-) Services, mainly piped and ducted
(50)-(51)
(52) Waste disposal, drainage
(53) Liquids supply
(54) Gases supply
(55) Space cooling
(56) Space heating
(57) Air conditioning, ventilation
(58) Other piped, ducted services
(59) Parts of elements (51) to (58)
Cost summary
(6-) Services, mainly electrical
(60)
(61) Electrical supply
(62) Power
(63) Lighting
(64) Communications
(65)
(66) Transport
(67)
(68) Security, control, other services
(69) Parts of elements (61) to (68)
Cost summary
Fittings
(7-) Fittings
(70)
(71) Circulation fittings
(72) Rest, work fittings
(73) Culinary fittings
(74) Sanitary, hygiene fittings
(75) Cleaning, maintenance fittings
(76) Storage, screening fittings
(77) Special activity fittings
(78) Other fittings
(79) Parts of elements (71) to (78)
Cost summary
(8-) Loose furniture, equipment
(80)
(81) Circulation loose equipment
(82) Rest, work loose equipment
(83) Culinary loose equipment
(84) Sanitary, hygiene loose equipment
(85) Cleaning, maintenance loose equipment
(86) Storage, screening loose equipment
(87) Special activity loose equipment
(88) Other loose equipment
(89) Parts of elements (81) to (88)
Cost summary
External, other elements
(9-) External, other elements
(90) External works
(91)
(92)
(93)
(94)
(95)
(96)
(97)
(98) Other elements
(99) Parts of elements (91) to (98)
Cost summary
= Table 2: Constructions and Forms
=A: Construction, forms
B:
C:
D:
E: Cast in situ work
F: Block work; blocks
G: Large block, panel work; large blocks, panels
H: Section work; sections
I: Pipe work; pipes
J: Wire work, mesh work; wires, meshes
K: Quilt work, quilts
L: Flexible sheet work (proofing); flexible sheets (proofing)
M: Malleable sheet work; malleable sheets
N: Rigid sheet overlap work; rigid sheets for overlapping
P: Thick coating work
Q
R: Rigid sheet work; rigid sheets
S: Rigid tile work; rigid tiles
T: Flexible sheet work; flexible sheets
U
V: Film coating and impregnation work
W: Planting work; plants, seeds
X: Work with components; components
Y: Formless work; Products
Z: Joints
= Table 3: Materials
== Table 4: Activities and Requirements
=Activities, aids
(A) Adminsitration and management activities, aids
(B) Construction plant, tools
(C)
(D) Construction operations
Requirements, properties
(E/G) Description
(H) Context, environment
(J/T) Performance factors
(U) Users, resources
(V) Working factors
(W) Operation, maintenance factors
(X) Change, movement, stability factors
(Y) Economic, commercial factors
(Z) Peripheral subjects; forms of presentation; time; space