Most consultancies and contractors have their own symbol library, usually they are similar, but rarely the same, which can lead to confusion over which type of object the symbol is denoting.
CIBSE’s Society of Digital Engineering has been working in partnership with BuroHappold Engineering, Sweco, Stantec, Laing O’Rourke, MagiCAD and CADAN Design to create a standardised set of drawing symbols that can be applied across the building services sector.
The symbols project is ongoing. Sections currently available are:
- Systems and abbreviations
- Heating and cooling
- Ventilation
- Small power
- Lighting and lighting switches
- Fire safety engineering
- Fire alarms
- Pipework accessories
To request the symbols, simply complete this short form and you'll be taken to a page where you can download the symbols (as zip files).
The symbols are free to use for everyone, including any other software or content providers. CIBSE will also be issuing guides on how we made the symbols and the rules for creating new ones, as it is not possible to create a symbol for all the products that exist within the building services sector.
The symbols are available in a purely graphical form (JPG) and the open-source DXF format for inclusion in symbol libraries suitable for any design platform.