130 articles
16 Divisions
The 16 Divisions, often called MasterFormat 95, were the original top-level structure of MasterFormat, the Construction Specifications Institute's classification of construction specifications, used from 1964 until the 2004 expansion to 50 divisions.
3D concrete printing
3D concrete printing is an additive manufacturing method in civil engineering that extrudes cement-based material layer by layer from a digital model, without formwork, to build houses, buildings, and bridges.
3D-printed house (Eindhoven Milestone project)
Project Milestone is a Dutch construction project that built the world's first legally habitable, commercially occupied house with 3D-printed load-bearing concrete walls, completed in Eindhoven in 2021.
50 Divisions
The 50 Divisions are the top-level structure of MasterFormat, the standard numbering system for construction specifications, expanded from 16 divisions by CSI and CSC in 2004.
ACI 318
ACI 318 is the American Concrete Institute's Building Code for Structural Concrete, a US consensus standard first titled ACI 318 in 1941 and adopted by building codes by reference.
Adobe construction
Adobe construction builds with sun-dried bricks of earth, water, and organic binder like straw; among the oldest building technologies, it remains in use in dry regions worldwide.
Alkali-activated slag
Alkali-activated slag (AAS) is a clinker-free cementitious binder made from ground blast-furnace slag and an alkaline activator, studied since 1930 and used in construction since 1960.
Architectural drawing
An architectural drawing is a graphic representation of a building, often drawn to scale, used to design, document, and construct it; standard types include plans, elevations, sections, and details.
Ashlar
Ashlar is masonry of finely dressed rectangular stone blocks with thin, uniform joints; it is stronger and costlier than rubble masonry and used for building facades.
Autoclaved aerated concrete
Autoclaved aerated concrete, also known as Hebel block or aerated autoclave concrete, is a lightweight cellular building material used for masonry blocks and insulation boards.
Biocement
Biocement is a construction material in which bacteria such as Sporosarcina pasteurii precipitate calcium carbonate that binds sand into solid masonry at ambient temperature, a low-CO2 alternative to conventional cement.
BREEAM
BREEAM, the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, is a UK sustainability certification scheme for buildings, infrastructure, and communities, launched in 1990 and described as the world's most widely used such method.
Brickwork
Brickwork is construction made by laying bricks, typically fired clay units, in courses bound together with mortar; the bond pattern determines the wall's appearance, strength, and behavior.
Building code
A building code, also called building standards, is a set of laws setting minimum requirements for designing and constructing buildings to protect occupants from collapse, fire, and health hazards.
Building information modeling
Building information modeling (BIM) is the use of a shared digital representation of a built object to support design, construction, and operation, as defined by the ISO 19650 standards.
Building inspector
A building inspector is an official or certified practitioner who examines construction work and building plans to verify they comply with building codes and regulations.
Building material
A building material is any material used for construction, ranging from minimally processed natural substances like stone and wood to manufactured products like cement, steel, glass, and bricks.
Building permit
A building permit is an official authorization issued by a government building authority before construction begins, involving plan review, fees, and inspections under the building code.
Carpenter
A carpenter is a tradesperson who builds and repairs wooden structures and fixtures, including building frameworks, stairways, and door frames; about 889,700 worked in the United States in 2025.
Carpentry
Carpentry is the craft and trade of cutting, shaping, and joining timber to construct and install the structural parts of buildings, including floors, roofs, partitions, and frames.
CASBEE
CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency) is a Japanese method for rating the environmental performance of buildings, developed from 2001 under the Japan Sustainable Building Consortium.
Cement
Cement is a hydraulic binder that hardens on reaction with water, and portland cement, made from limestone burned in a kiln, is the key ingredient in most concrete.
Certificate of occupancy
A certificate of occupancy (CO) is a formal document issued by a building authority certifying that a building complies with building codes and is safe for tenancy.
Cob (material)
Cob is an earthen building material of clay-rich subsoil, sand, straw, and water, stacked wet into monolithic walls without formwork, used for thousands of years.
Código Técnico de la Edificación
The Código Técnico de la Edificación (CTE) is Spain's building code, approved by Royal Decree in 2006 and setting basic safety and habitability requirements for buildings.
Common data environment
A common data environment (CDE) is an access-controlled platform, and its workflow, that stores a construction project's models, drawings, and documents so every team works from one source of truth.
Construction documents
Construction documents are the drawings and specifications that describe a building in enough detail for permit approval, and the third design phase in American Institute of Architects practice.
Construction worker
A construction worker is a person employed in building houses, roads, and other structures, doing site preparation, moving materials, and assisting tradesworkers such as electricians.
Corrugated galvanised iron
Corrugated galvanised iron, also called corrugated iron or corrugated steel, is sheet iron or steel rolled into a wavy profile and zinc-coated to resist rust, patented in 1829.
Cross-laminated timber
Cross-laminated timber, or CLT, is an engineered wood product of lumber layers bonded at 90 degrees, developed in Austria in the 1990s to build multi-storey timber buildings.