Abbreviations and Acronyms
Administrative Personnel in Design Firms

Architects and Interior Designers have their own language. Administrative personnel without prior experience in a construction or design related office can be mystified by the terms and acronyms that roll off their tongue. Here is a list of commonly used acronyms and what they mean. If I missed some or if you've heard something and not quite sure what they meant, let me know by leaving a comment.

ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act

AE or A/E
Architecture and Engineering (usually in reference to a firm)

AFF
Above Finished Floor

AHJ
Authority Having Jurisdiction

AHU
Air Handling Unit

AIA
American Institute of Architects

AIAS
American Institute of Architecture Students

ANSI
American National Standards Institute

ARE
Architectural Registration Exam

ASHRAE
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers

ASI
Architect’s Supplemental Instructions

ASID
American Society of Interior Designers

ASLA
American Society of Landscape Architects

BIM
Building Information Model

BN or B&N
Bidding and Negotiation

BUR
Built Up Roof

C of O
Certificate of Occupancy

CA
Construction Administration; Contract Administration

CAD
Computer Aided Drafting or Computer Aided Design

CCD
Construction Change Directive

CD
Construction Documents; Contract Documents; Construction Drawings

CIDA
Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly known as FIDER or "Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research"

CO
Change Order

COP
Change Order Proposal

CPM
Construction Risk Management

CP
Change Proposal

CPR
Change Proposal Request

CSI
Construction Specification Institute

DD
Design Development

DR
Door

EIT
Engineer in Training

EPDM
Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (a rubber-like material)

FAIA
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects

FAR
Floor Area Ratio

FF
Finished Floor

FFE
Two distinct meanings, must know the context
1. Finished Floor Elevation
2. Furnishings, Fixtures and Equipment

FIDER
Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research (name changed to "Council for Interior Design Accreditation" January, 2006)

GC
General Contractor

Gyp. Bd.
Gypsum Board (Sheetrock is USG's brand name for gypsum board)

HC
Handicapped

HDRE
Hardware

HVAC
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

IBC
International Building Code

ICBO
International Conference of Building Officials

IIDA
International Interior Design Association

IDP
Intern Development Program

LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

MEP
Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing

MPE
Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical

MOB
Medical Office Building

NCARB
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards

NCIDQ
National Council for Interior Design Qualification

NTS
Not to Scale

RA
Registered Architect

RFI
Request for Information

RFP
Request for Proposals

RFQ
Request for Qualifications

PE
Professional Engineer

SD
Schematic Design

Specs
Specifications

TBAE
Texas Board of Architectural Examiners

TFO
Tenant Finish Out

TSA
Texas Society of Architects

USG
United States Gypsum

USGBC
United States Green Building Council

VE
Value Engineer, Value Engineering