Since building is the activity through which man seeks to adapt his environment to better serve his purposes, CIB's sphere of interest covers a wide range. CIB is thus an organization with comprehensive interests in building and the building industry and it frequently collaborates with various international organizations whose interest in building is of a more specialized nature. Membership Membership is essentially institutional.
Most members are national institutes engaged in research, information and development activities.
Among these institutes are building research establishments which have existed for longer or shorter periods, institutes specializing in information, associations devoted to one particular group of materials, research sections of universities, national and international research groupings, etc. CIB also turns its eyes towards industry and invited firms with a major research capability to become Members. Such institutions and firms may elect to apply for Full Membership or Associate Membership where the scale of their operations determines which category is appropriate. Annual membership fees are calculated according to a formula with several variables such as GNP, population, etc. A third membership category, Unattached Membership, affords the possibility of individual membership to those experts who are able to male personal contributions to CIB's work but who cannot easily establish a liaison via a member institution.