The scope of this Standard is limited to the telecommunications aspects of commercial building design and construction, encompassing telecommunications considerations both within and between buildings. Telecommunications aspects in this context generally means the pathways into which telecommunications media are placed, and the rooms and areas associated with the building used to terminate cabling and accommodate associated telecommunications equipment. The purpose of this Standard is to standardize specific design and construction practices, within and between (primarily commercial) buildings, which support telecommunications media and equipment. Standards are given for rooms or areas and pathways into and through which telecommunications equipment and media are installed. Both architectural and telecommunications terminologies are freely used in this Standard, which may cause some difficulty to readers experienced in one area but perhaps not in the other. The reader can reduce confusion by remembering that this Standard does not standardize the media or equipment; it only standardizes the things within and between buildings into which telecommunications media and equipment are placed. Although the scope is limited to the telecommunications aspect of building design, it should be recognized that this Standard highly influences the design of other building services, such as electrical power and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning), and also impacts on space allocation within the building. This Standard does not cover safety aspects of building design; the reader is directed to the relevant local safety and building codes. The reader is reminded of the definition of 'telecommunications' as it relates to the scope of this Standard. Telecommunications encompasses all forms of information transport and processing, not just the traditional concerns for voice-only systems. Voice, data, video, control and audio are all telecommunications ingredients of a modern building.

Application
‍This Standard is intended to assist architects, planners, designers, engineers, builders, installers, maintenance personnel, building owners, managers and users in the planning of physical pathways and spaces in and between buildings to accommodate the equipment and cabling infrastructure necessary for communications. Adherence to this Standard will facilitate, by standardizing the approach, the provisioning and maintenance of the comprehensive communications facilities and networks which are in ever-increasing demand, particularly by occupiers of commercial premises.

Based on the USA standard EIA/TIA 569, this Standard specifies provisions to be made in the design and construction of commercial buildings in order to accommodate and provide ready access to telecommunications infrastructure and facilities appropriate to typical client needs, with some allowance for future expansion.

None