Masterspec
01 Apr 2025
Document Referencing and Scheduling with eCert
Our editor team has updated all Masterspec work sections which have references to environmental documents. Where environmental document references...
27 Mar 2025
Update Manager New Features
The new Update Manager features are designed to boost productivity when applying changes to updated work sections. Simplify work section updates with...
03 Mar 2025
CIL is Now Accepting Product Carbon Data for the National Embodied Carbon Data Repository for Construction.
CIL Masterspec is now accepting carbon information in the form of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) or Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) from...
06 Jan 2025
Carbon 2025 and Beyond: Building a More Sustainable Future for NZ Construction
In July 2024, Construction Information Ltd (CIL) and the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) announced a partnership to develop a...
01 Nov 2024
Introducing eCert: A Game-Changing Tool for Sustainable Construction
As the New Zealand construction industry increasingly focuses on sustainability and carbon reduction, there is a growing need for tools that can help...
26 Sep 2024
Masterspec Specified: Manawa House by Cube Architecture
"Masterspec has been an indispensable tool for our project Manawa House. During the specification, Masterspec streamlined our entire specification...
26 Sep 2024
Masterspec Specified: Award Winning Ligar Bay Bach by Young Architects
"Masterspec was used for providing a detailed, fully customised, specification as part of our comprehensive project documentation for the Ligar Bay...
25 Sep 2024
Masterspec Specified: Hilltop Home by Jon McAlpine Architecture
“Masterspec is a critical component in our studio. Its user-friendly platform and regular product specification updates, keep us constantly on the...
06 Aug 2024
NZ Building Code Changes: Type 1 Domestic Smoke Alarms
In Masterspec NOTES June 2024, we provided commentary around the changes to the NZ Building Code relating to domestic smoke alarms.
18 Jul 2024
New Industry Initiative to Reduce Carbon Emissions of New Zealand Buildings
A new industry-led initiative aims to reduce the environmental impact of Aotearoa New Zealand’s buildings, which contribute up to 20% of the national...
04 Jul 2024
Masterspec Announces New MasterKey4 for Revit 2025 Enhancements
Streamlined Workflows and Improved Collaboration with MasterKey4. We are excited to announce the latest update to MasterKey4 for Revit 2025, designed...
04 Jun 2024
Building Code Updates 2023-2024
This month we have published amendments in response to building code updates. The 2023-24 NZBC changes were published by MBIE on the 2 November 2023,...
04 Jun 2024
NZ Building Code Changes: Type 1 Domestic Smoke Alarms
From November 2023 the Building Code Acceptable Solutions for Protection from Fire (C/AS1 and C/AS2) have been amended to make Type 1 interconnected...
05 Apr 2024
Understanding Project Scope and How to Specify Window Systems
It is vital that Movement and Deflection criteria are correctly defined in the Specification. We cannot over emphasize the importance of correctly...
04 Apr 2024
MBIE Building Consent System Review - Overview and Update
In July 2022, MBIE commenced a review of the building consent system, as part of the Building System Reforms to improve the consenting process. The...
30 Nov 2023
NZCIC Guidelines Responsibility Schedule Goes Digital
The new online tool enables real-time collaboration among multiple stakeholders, fostering efficiency and innovation in construction processes.
10 Nov 2023
BCA Requests to Modify Manufacturers Technical Content
mDocs allows the specifier to quickly access the latest version of a document uploaded by the manufacturer or supplier. Importantly, these detailed...
27 Sep 2023
Masterspec Specified: Award Winning Taharoto Lane by X Studio Architects
The development will have 19 units, including studio, office, and retail space. The residential units will have balconies with views of the city...
27 Sep 2023
Masterspec Specified: Award Winning Soaring Box House by Turner Road Architecture
The house’s unique design fits into the rural landscape. The house has a cantilevered structure and a soaring angular volume. The interior design is...
13 Sep 2023
Hallmark Group Opens Up About BPIR
Recently, Hallmark Group turned to Masterspec, a trusted name in compliance solutions, for guidance on their BPIR for fire doors. In this article, we...

THE HISTORY OF MASTERSPEC

13 Sep 2021

Masterspec New Zealand (Construction Information Limited)


 

Construction Information Limited (CIL) is a New Zealand owned and operated industry organisation incorporated in 1995 to manage and create information systems for the New Zealand construction sector. The current ownership structure includes the NZIA (New Zealand Institute of Architects) and the Registered Master Builders (Registered Master Builders Association of New Zealand Inc).

CIL is widely recognised in the New Zealand market by its brand ‘Masterspec’. The Masterspec keystone offering to the New Zealand construction sector is a maintained specification library used by industry professionals to document building and infrastructure projects for the built environment. The delivery of this content and associated tools has developed into a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform used across New Zealand and internationally by specifiers, designers and constructors.

Masterspec has an Auckland based studio that houses a large team of specification writers, a software development team, the sales and marketing arm as well as the management team. Its content and software tools are 100% built and maintained for the New Zealand construction industry and has the largest library and is the industry standard for specification. As of 2020, 72% of completed architectural specifications in New Zealand were created using the Masterspec platform and content. (EBOSS Specifiers Insights Survey 2020)

The History of Masterspec


By the early 1990’s architectural practices were looking for a structured and flexible specification system to define the standard for documentation to meet New Zealand’s unique conditions and building systems. JASMAX, one of New Zealand’s largest multi-disciplined practices were looking for a specification method that could both reduce practices risk but supply more flexibility than the traditional trades-based specifications. However, these earlier specification formats were often made up of inconsistent and uncoordinated content, being written and maintained by individual practices with varying success.

After researching established international tools, JASMAX developed a new system for the unique challenges of the New Zealand construction sector. This was the newer CBI (Coordinated Building Information) format based on the early European CI/Sfb and then later CAWS (Common Arrangement of Work Sections) classification systems. CBI is a classification and coding system built specifically for the New Zealand construction environment. 

As a classification system it is designed by and for members of the construction industry, to co-ordinate the five main information sources: drawings; specifications; quantities; technical and research information; trade information and publications.

 Initial practical application of this new CBI classification format included early JASMAX projects such as the Majestic Centre and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. With the proven establishment of the system other New Zealand practices became aware of the new classification tools and also adopted the format and specification content. With continued adoption of the specification by the construction sector it was decided the CIL should be incorporated to continue to develop and maintain these systems for the industry as a whole. The original ownership structure for CIL reflected the industry interest and needs and they included BRANZ (Building Research Association of New Zealand), the NZIA (New Zealand Institute of Architects) and the Registered Master Builders (Registered Master Builders Association of New Zealand Inc).

Masterspec's Libraries


 

Today’s Masterspec industry standard content is provided with over eight distinct sector libraries holding over 1200 pre-written work sections.

For Architectural Specifiers
 
Standard - Suitable for specifying the largest and most complex construction projects. 
Interiors - Suitable for the technically complex commercial construction, particularly medium to large projects.
Basic - Perfect for most smaller or simpler residential and commercial projects.
Minor Residential - Enables you to specify almost all renovations and smaller residential additions.    

 

For Engineering Consultants
 
Structural & Civil  - Covers specification of engineering from construction to large scale civil projects.
SCNZ Structural Steel - Specialist Structural Steelwork content built in concert with SCNZ for structural engineers to use on projects of all sizes.
Services -  Suitable for the specification of building services and safety systems.

 

For Landscape Designers
 
Landscape - A specialist library suitable for small-scale residential up to large Civil projects 

 

Masterspec Timeline


1990: Jasmax creates and begins to maintain and develop the new CBI (Coordinated Building Information) systems to allow specification by construction system rather than by trade.
1995: Construction Information Limited founded.
1995: Masterspec created on Word Perfect 5.1 & distributed on as a paper-based catalogue.
1996: Masterspec released on 5 1/4in floppy disk.
1998:  Masterspec is released on Microsoft Word CD ROM.
1998:  First product specific branded work sections released.
2001: Masterspec Link application released as web browser linked to Microsoft Word Editor.
2011: miproducts national product database released.
2012: NextGen2 released moving the platform online.
2013: Masterspec Landscape Library released.
2015: Masterspec links drawings and specification keynotes with MasterKey1.
2017: MasterKey2 released.
2018: Open BIM Object standard V1.0 released
2019: Work Section Support2020: mDocs Technical Library Release
2021: Masterspec Link discontinued
2021: Masterspec SCNZ Structural steel library added

For more information about Masterspec, please contact 09 631 7044 or gen@masterspec.co.nz.