CCTB: the Walloon reference specification
By the ArchiMind teamUpdated on
The CCTB, Cahier des charges type — Bâtiments, is the library of reference clauses the Service public de Wallonie publishes for building works. A project draws its articles from it instead of rewriting them.
Definition
The CCTB, Cahier des charges type — Bâtiments, is the reference specification for building works in Wallonia. The Service public de Wallonie publishes and maintains it; it gathers about 9,500 elements, from earthworks to paintwork, each written once and identified by a stable number.
A project author therefore does not rewrite technical clauses: they pick the articles that describe the work, complete what the text leaves open, and state the edition they follow. The reference text applies without being reproduced in the contract document.
How it is structured
The CCTB has eleven tomes: tome A for the administrative clauses, then tomes 0 to 9 for the technical clauses, roughly in the order of a site. The numbering has seven levels, the tome included, with digits and a letter: below the tome come the section (61), the title (61.7), the sub-title (61.71), the chapter (61.71.1), the article (61.71.1A) and the line item (61.71.1A.01).
The article is the level a project author actually prescribes: it carries the text of the clause. The line item is the bill-of-quantities row attached to it, with its quantity, unit and measurement type.
The editions
A CCTB edition carries a number and a date. Between editions, articles are added, merged, renumbered or withdrawn. The special specification states the edition it follows, and a citation taken from another edition is an inconsistency to correct before issue.
In ArchiMind
ArchiMind works directly on the CCTB structure: the project tree follows the official levels, every AI suggestion shows the article it applies to, and the bill of quantities attaches to the text’s line items. When a new edition appears, a project is migrated to it: ArchiMind prepares a preview of the remap, you apply it if you accept it, and the articles that came from the reference then follow the official text of the destination edition.
Related terms
- The CCTB explained — the full guide: tomes, editions, obligations
- Special specification — the document the project issues
- Edition — the dated version the contract cites
Sources and references
Frequently asked questions
Who publishes the CCTB, and how often?
The Service public de Wallonie publishes and maintains it through its Département de la Gestion immobilière. A new edition appears roughly once a year: 01.01 dates from February 2014, 01.13 from 17 March 2026. Every edition carries a number and a date the project specification states.
Does the CCTB replace the project’s own specification?
No. The CCTB is the reference text; the special specification is the contract document. That document selects the articles it needs, completes the passages left open, adds what belongs to the project, and states the CCTB edition it follows, without copying the reference text.