The University of Texas at Austin Design & Construction Standards have been prepared by the University to guide and assist architects, engineers, other design professionals, contractors, and university staff (herein referred to as Professional) in understanding the preferences of The University of Texas at Austin in the development, maintenance, repair and replacement of its facilities and assets. The information contained herein applies to all University owned assets to include the Main Campus (CAM), J.J. “Jake” Pickle Research Center (PRC), Marine Science Institute (MSI), McDonald Observatory (MCD), Winedale, Lost Pines Biological Research Center, Brackenridge Field Laboratory (BFL), and any other UT Austin owned facilities and assets.
The standards, comprised of both the Design Guidelines and the Technical Specifications, are intended as recommended guidelines. Therefore, the legal responsibility for design and document preparation continue to be the design professional’s responsibility; and the means, methods, techniques, and procedures remain the Contractor’s responsibility.
All buildings and other projects for the University shall be designed as quality institutional facilities with components specified to provide maximum life-cycle usefulness. The University establishes the total project budget, including the maximum funds available for construction. The Professional is charged to monitor program requirements and cost estimates to assure that the project is designed within available funding, and that it does not deviate from the quality standards established in this manual. These standards represent the intent of the University to address the following primary criteria while providing optimal life cycle cost benefit to the University:
- Safety
- Reliability
- Maintainability
- Efficiency
- Sustainability
The intent of these standards is not to limit creative solutions. The University will consider requests for substitutions or variances in order to provide the best benefit to the University and will typically require a life cycle cost analysis to be completed as part of the substitution or variance process as provided in the Project Exception Request process. When these standards refer to a single manufacturer, it is not intended to exclude all other alternatives for all projects, unless specifically stated.
Currently, this manual is organized in a manner consistent with the Construction Specification Institute's MasterFormat - 1995 edition. Content is arranged in 28 Divisions (00 through 28), although we are currently moving to the MasterFormat – 2004 edition to include additional Divisions through 48. Updates will be seen as they are approved by the UT Austin Standards Governance Process.
Design and Construction Standards
Codes & Standards
Master Specifications & Design Guidelines by Division
- Division 01 - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
- Division 02 - EXISTING CONDITIONS
- Division 03 – CONCRETE
- Division 04 – MASONRY
- Division 05 – METALS
- Division 06 - WOODS, PLASTICS, COMPOSITES
- Division 07 - THERMAL & MOISTURE PROTECTION
- Division 08 - OPENINGS (Door Hardware)
- Division 09 – FINISHES
- Division 10 – SPECIALTIES
- Division 11 – EQUIPMENT
- Division 12 – FURNISHINGS
- Division 13 - SPECIAL CONSTRUCTIONS
- Division 14 – ELEVATORS
- Division 21 - FIRE SUPPRESSION
- Division 22 – PLUMBING
- Division 23 - HEATING, VENTILATING AND AIR CONDITIONING
- Division 26 – ELECTRICAL
- Division 27 - DISTRIBUTED COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
- Division 28 - ELECTRONIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
- Division 32 - EXTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS
- Division 33 - UTILITIES
Campus Information for Professional Service Providers (PSPs) and Contractors
For PSPs - Architects/Engineers/Designers
| Codes & Standards | |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Phase Standard Exception Request | |
| Design Phase Standard Exception Request | |
| Construction Phase Standard Exception Request | |
| Deliverable Information | |
|---|---|
| Deliverable Guide documents | |
| CAD Templates | |
| Equipment Documentation | |
|
|
| Campus Information |
|---|
| Campus Conditions |
| Pipe Testing Procedure |
| Energy Performance |
|
For Contractors - Primary General Contractors and Subconsultants
| Safety Resources |
|---|
| Coordination Procedures | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Routine Discharge Guidance | ||
| Equipment Documentation | ||
|
| Codes & Standards (View Codes & Standards) | |
|---|---|
Return to Current Design and Construction Standards
Versions of the Design and Construction Standards
As the Design and Construction Standards are updated, PMCS will begin to log the different version of the Standards by using version numbers. It is important to refer to the version that was active when your contract was executed. To find the correct version to adhere to, please use the following directions: How to find the correct standards version for your contract.
Please note that the version number is created by the month and year the version was posted (for example, if the version number is 9-2016, then the version was posted on September 1, 2016). The version numbers below are links to UT Box files containing all the divisions and documentation for that particular version to be viewed and/or downloaded.
| Active | Version Number | Alerts | List of Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/20/2019 - present | 12-2019 | None | click here |
| 11/1/2019 - 12/19/2019 | 10-2019 | None | click here |
| 9/1/2019 - 10/31/2019 | 8-2019 | None | click here |
| 6/1/2019 - 8/30/2019 | 5-2019 | None | click here |
| 4/1/2019 - 5/31/2019 | 3-2019 | None | click here |
| 3/1/2019 - 3/31/2019 | 2-2019 | None | click here |
| 12/1/2018 - 2/28/2019 | 11-2018 | None | click here |
| 11/1/2018 - 11/30/2018 | 10-2018 | None | click here |
| 10/2/2018 - 10/31/2018 | 9-2018 | None | click here |
| 9/1/2018 - 10/1/2018 | 8-2018 | None | click here |
| 7/1/2018 - 8/31/2018 | 6-2018 | None | click here |
| 5/31/2018 - 6/30/2018 | 5-2018 | None | click here |
| 3/31/2018 - 5/30/2018 | 3-2018 | None | click here |
| 2/27/2018 - 3/30/2018 | 2-2018 | None | click here |
| 12/21/2017 - 2/26/2018 | 12-2017 | None | click here |
| 12/1/2017 - 12/21/2017 | 11-2017 | None | click here |
| 10/31/2017 - 11/30/2017 | 10-2017 | None | click here |
| 9/28/2017 - 10/30/2017 | 9-2017 | None | click here |
| 8/31/2017 - 9/27/2017 | 8-2017 | None | click here |
| 7/21/2017 - 8/31/2017 | 7-2017 | View Alert | click here |
| 6/9/2017 - 7/20/2017 | 6-2017 | None | click here |
| 4/01/2017 - 6/8/2017 | 4-2017 | None | click here |
| 2/22/2017 - 3/31/2017 | 2-2017 | View Alert | click here |
| 9/15/1998 - 2/22/2017 | 9-2016 | None | click here |
To see a list of all the sections that were updated between versions click here.
Additional Design Guidelines and Standards
| File Links | Version No. | Updates Made | Rev. Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Supplemental Documents | 12-2019 | None | 12/2017 |