Boma Guide Lines

July/August 1996 - Skylines Magazine

Measuring Buildings Better in the 90s and Beyond
By Brigett Reilly, RPA The American National Standard for measuring floor area in office buildings is changing. The new version, BOMA/ANSI Z65.1-1996, is an improved method designed to meet the current and future needs of industry professionals concerned with the measurement of office buildings.Office building design has evolved considerably since 1980, when the standard was last revised. Four years ago, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International determined that while its "Method for Measuring Floor Area in Office Buildings" was the most commonly referenced method of measurement, it was not being universally applied on a floor-by-floor basis. In view of the trend in office building design toward building-wide amenities, BOMA's marketplace information indicated a widespread need to capture these design elements. Making its Mark Since 1915, BOMA's floor measurement standard has been the premier method used in the marketplace. It has been an indispensable tool in rent negotiations and a baseline for comparing building occupancy, costs and value. BOMA's floor measurement standard pioneered the concepts of "rentable" and "usable" areas, distinguishing the space actually occupied by tenants on a given floor and their pro-rata share of that floor. Industry leaders such as John Windsor and Leonard Adreon contributed much to the standard's evolution. Until now, each edition has measured on a floor-by-floor basis. In a multi-tenant building, this has meant that space could not be allocated to a given tenant unless that space were located on the same tenant's floor. The revised approach is a building-wide method designed to fairly account for spaces in the building that benefit all tenants (e.g., entrance lobbies with concierge desks, conference centers, daycare facilities, health clubs, and building core and service areas). This new approach will re-enforce BOMA's role as the standard setter in area measurement.	After years of hard work, BOMA International unveils its new floor measurement standard. Revision of the standard also meets a need for greater clarity in the presentation of concepts and definitions. The previous edition, which served the needs of the office building industry well for many years, generated too many questions on too many issues to be considered adequate for continued use. These concerns were thoroughly discussed by the group charged with revising the standard, and are addressed in a definitive manner in the new publication. Ten new definitions are provided in the revision, explaining concepts such as "floor usable area," "floor rentable area," " floor common area" and "building common area." More than 20 illustrations in the new floor measurement standard help to convey these definitions visually, as well as providing guidance on typical floor measurement conditions in various situations. To make the new information easier to comprehend, an Overview of Method section is featured toward the beginning of the standard, outlining the steps that are needed to measure areas within an office building. Similarly, a Global Summary can be found at the back, enabling users to chart for themselves the interrelationship of areas defined in the standard. The Revision Process A diverse and balanced group of 30 industry professionals combined on the revision process. Included were building owners and managers of multi-tenant office buildings, managers of owner-occupied facilities, asset managers, leasing professionals, brokers, architects, interior designers, space planners and appraisers. The result is a consensus document that has gained approval of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The task of revising a standard that had not changed significantly in 16 years was, to say the least, challenging. Once the process formally got underway, it took more than two years to complete. As chair, I can point to several individuals who were instrumental along the way:	Vice Chair Jean-Pierre Bertrant, RPA, of BOMA/Quebec; Kent Gibson, CPM, of BOMA/Salt Lake City; Michael Maher, RPA, of BOMA/Philadelphia; and associate members Robert Parfet, Robert Finke and Peter Stevenson, who provided assistance at various stages. The revised floor measuring standard should soon make its mark as space is measured, values are assessed and leases are negotiated or renegotiated. The impact will be boosted immediately through the standard's acceptance by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The GSA plans to use the revised method in calculating its owned space and in assessing the space needs of federal agencies when leasing space from the private sector. GSA will convert offers to lease space from private building owners to BOMA's "usable area" definition when evaluating competitive offers. BOMA is gratified - not only because GSA was a key participant in the process - but because the agency will be able to compare "apples and apples" when dealing with BOMA members and others using the new method. The standard is intended for use in both existing and new office buildings. In addition to being applied in multi-tenant buildings, facilities professionals are encouraged to use the method for allocating expenses to various cost centers or for comparing occupancy. BOMA's revised standard should meet the needs of users in a clear and comprehensive way. It is designed to be an effective and equitable method of measurement that can be read and applied immediately. Thousands of real estate professionals will become familiar with it over the coming months - and BOMA will be providing the necessary educational support. Speaking as the chair of the committee that developed the new approach, I can say that you and your company need to become conversant with the revised standard. It will be the way to measure office buildings in the foreseeable future. The floor measuring standard is priced at $25 for BOMA members and $35 for non-members. It can be ordered by calling (800) 426-6292 or by contracting your local BOMA association.
A Bird's Eye View of the Standard The revised floor standard is full of new definitions for measuring office space. This cursory overview indicates the steps that users should follow in applying the standard, with each capitalized term indicating a new or substantially revised definition. Explanations of each term, accompanied by illustrations and user guidance, can be found in the complete standard. Determine, for record keeping, the overall GROSS BUILDING AREA. Ascertain the GROSS MEASURED AREA of each floor of the building, applying the concepts of FINISHED SURFACE and DOMINATE PORTION. Establish the FLOOR RENTABLE AREA for each floor by deducting from each floor GROSS MEASURED AREA the area of its MAJOR VERTICAL PENETRATIONS. Measure the USABLE AREA of OFFICE AREAS, STORE AREAS and BUILDING COMMON AREAS on each floor to determine each FLOOR USABLE AREA. Determine the FLOOR COMMON AREA of every floor by subtracting from each FLOOR RENTABLE AREA its FLOOR USABLE AREA. The FLOOR COMMON AREA is allocated to each USABLE AREA on that floor by applying that FLOOR R/U RATIO. The resut is the BASIC RENTABLE AREA. The BUILDING COMMON AREA is allocated to each BASIC RENTABLE AREA by applying the BUILDING R/U RATIO. The result is the RENTABLE AREA.

Measuring Buildings Better
in the 90s and Beyond

By Brigett Reilly, RPA

The American National Standard for measuring floor area in office buildings is changing. The new version, BOMA/ANSI Z65.1-1996, is an improved method designed to meet the current and future needs of industry professionals concerned with the measurement of office buildings.Office building design has evolved considerably since 1980, when the standard was last revised. Four years ago, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International determined that while its "Method for Measuring Floor Area in Office Buildings" was the most commonly referenced method of measurement, it was not being universally applied on a floor-by-floor basis. In view of the trend in office building design toward building-wide amenities, BOMA's marketplace information indicated a widespread need to capture these design elements.

Making its Mark

Since 1915, BOMA's floor measurement standard has been the premier method used in the marketplace. It has been an indispensable tool in rent negotiations and a baseline for comparing building occupancy, costs and value.
BOMA's floor measurement standard pioneered the concepts of "rentable" and "usable" areas, distinguishing the space actually occupied by tenants on a given floor and their pro-rata share of that floor. Industry leaders such as John Windsor and Leonard Adreon contributed much to the standard's evolution. Until now, each edition has measured on a floor-by-floor basis. In a multi-tenant building, this has meant that space could not be allocated to a given tenant unless that space were located on the same tenant's floor.
The revised approach is a building-wide method designed to fairly account for spaces in the building that benefit all tenants (e.g., entrance lobbies with concierge desks, conference centers, daycare facilities, health clubs, and building core and service areas).
This new approach will re-enforce BOMA's role as the standard setter in area measurement.

After years of hard work, BOMA
International unveils its new floor measurement standard.

Revision of the standard also meets a need for greater clarity in the presentation of concepts and definitions. The previous edition, which served the needs of the office building industry well for many years, generated too many questions on too many issues to be considered adequate for continued use. These concerns were thoroughly discussed by the group charged with revising the standard, and are addressed in a definitive manner in the new publication.
Ten new definitions are provided in the revision, explaining concepts such as "floor usable area," "floor rentable area," " floor common area" and "building common area." More than 20 illustrations in the new floor measurement standard help to convey these definitions visually, as well as providing guidance on typical floor measurement conditions in various situations. To make the new information easier to comprehend, an Overview of Method section is featured toward the beginning of the standard, outlining the steps that are needed to measure areas within an office building. Similarly, a Global Summary can be found at the back, enabling users to chart for themselves the interrelationship of areas defined in the standard.

The Revision Process

A diverse and balanced group of 30 industry professionals combined on the revision process. Included were building owners and managers of multi-tenant office buildings, managers of owner-occupied facilities, asset managers, leasing professionals, brokers, architects, interior designers, space planners and appraisers. The result is a consensus document that has gained approval of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
The task of revising a standard that had not changed significantly in 16 years was, to say the least, challenging. Once the process formally got underway, it took more than two years to complete. As chair, I can point to several individuals who were instrumental along the way:

Vice Chair Jean-Pierre Bertrant, RPA, of BOMA/Quebec; Kent Gibson, CPM, of BOMA/Salt Lake City; Michael Maher, RPA, of BOMA/Philadelphia; and associate members Robert Parfet, Robert Finke and Peter Stevenson, who provided assistance at various stages.
The revised floor measuring standard should soon make its mark as space is measured, values are assessed and leases are negotiated or renegotiated. The impact will be boosted immediately through the standard's acceptance by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

The GSA plans to use the revised method in calculating its owned space and in assessing the space needs of federal agencies when leasing space from the private sector. GSA will convert offers to lease space from private building owners to BOMA's "usable area" definition when evaluating competitive offers.
BOMA is gratified - not only because GSA was a key participant in the process - but because the agency will be able to compare "apples and apples" when dealing with BOMA members and others using the new method.

The standard is intended for use in both existing and new office buildings. In addition to being applied in multi-tenant buildings, facilities professionals are encouraged to use the method for allocating expenses to various cost centers or for comparing occupancy. BOMA's revised standard should meet the needs of users in a clear and comprehensive way. It is designed to be an effective and equitable method of measurement that can be read and applied immediately. Thousands of real estate professionals will become familiar with it over the coming months - and BOMA will be providing the necessary educational support. Speaking as the chair of the committee that developed the new approach, I can say that you and your company need to become conversant with the revised standard. It will be the way to measure office buildings in the foreseeable future.
The floor measuring standard is priced at $25 for BOMA members and $35 for non-members. It can be ordered by calling (800) 426-6292 or by contracting your local BOMA association.

A Bird's Eye View of the Standard

The revised floor standard is full of new definitions for measuring office space. This cursory overview indicates the steps that users should follow in applying the standard, with each capitalized term indicating a new or substantially revised definition. Explanations of each term, accompanied by illustrations and user guidance, can be found in the complete standard.

Determine, for record keeping, the overall GROSS BUILDING AREA.

Ascertain the GROSS MEASURED AREA of each floor of the building, applying the concepts of FINISHED SURFACE and DOMINATE PORTION.

Establish the FLOOR RENTABLE AREA for each floor by deducting from each floor GROSS MEASURED AREA the area of its MAJOR VERTICAL PENETRATIONS.

Measure the USABLE AREA of OFFICE AREAS, STORE AREAS and BUILDING COMMON AREAS on each floor to determine each FLOOR USABLE AREA.

Determine the FLOOR COMMON AREA of every floor by subtracting from each FLOOR RENTABLE AREA its FLOOR USABLE AREA.

The FLOOR COMMON AREA is allocated to each USABLE AREA on that floor by applying that FLOOR R/U RATIO. The resut is the BASIC RENTABLE AREA.

The BUILDING COMMON AREA is allocated to each BASIC RENTABLE AREA by applying the BUILDING R/U RATIO. The result is the RENTABLE AREA.