For nearly 95 years, BOMA International has sponsored the standard method for measuring Floor area in office buildings. This BOMA Standard has been accepted and approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). It is the method of measurement used by building owners, managers, facility managers, occupants, appraisers, design professionals, measurement professionals, leasing professionals, lending institutions and others to compute rentable areas in office buildings throughout the United States, Canada, and many other countries throughout the world.

The 1996 Standard (Z65.1-1996) has been used for office buildings for the past 14 years.Up until 2004, the Standard simply consisted of an Office Standard for calculating Rentable areas in typical office buildings that had some ground floor retail areas.In 2004 BOMA released the Industrial Standard, to be applied to all buildings that had more than 50% of space classified as ‘non-office’.This Standard has been updated in 2009, and ANSI-certified (Z65.2-2009).

However, in 2007 a major new initiative was announced between BOMA and IFMA (International Facilities Managers Association) to adopt and release a ‘Unified Approach for Measuring Office Space’.Both organizations realized they needed to standardize common terms and definitions used by both leasing and facilities management professionals.This document was to become the new basis of all future BOMA Measurement Standards.

In the past year, BOMA has released new Standards (Office 2010) for multi-tenant and single-tenant office buildings in compliance with this IFMA/BOMA Unified Approach, as well as for Retail, multi-unit Residential and Industrial space.They are currently working on a new Standard for mixed-use space as well.

If you own buildings with any of the following situations, then you should be aware of the impact of the new Office 2010 Standard on your Rentable areas:

–Single tenant buildings

oThese may now be leased based on ‘Exterior Gross Area’ (formerly Gross Building Area), or Rentable.

–Office buildings with exterior circulation

oExterior circulation may be considered as Rentable area now under the new Standard

–Buildings with structured parking areas included within the building

oThese are now considered as part of the Exterior Gross Area

–Office buildings with any of the following types of space:(these areas must all be calculated and disclosed under 2010 Standards)

oMezzanine space

oRestricted headroom space

oConnectors (between buildings in a complex)

oVault space (beneath sidewalks)

Also, the calculation of load factors and distribution of common area space is treated a bit differently under the new 2010 Standards, all of which will affect Rentable areas of individual tenancies.

Other important changes in the new Office 2010 Standard are:

·A building owner may now elect to choose between 2 types of BOMA calculations:

oMethod A (legacy method, with load factors varying by floor), or

othe new Method B (1 single load factor calculated per building)

·Capped Load Factor

oThe new Office Standard allows for the designation of a ‘Capped Load Factor’, thereby allowing you to ensure load factors do not exceed local market conditions, yet still be within BOMA Standards!

 

LASERTECH^® has served as an Official Recognized Floor Measurement Standards Interpreter from 2004 through 2010, and is fully committed to ensuring you have the latest information and knowledge to make the best informed decisions about your buildings and space area measurements.

If you are a current LASERTECH^® client, you have already made the investment in having accurate LASERTECH^® floorplans prepared of your buildings and BOMA lease calculations in accordance with Standards in place at the time.For a free recommendation and evaluation of your building’s current drawings and lease plans, simply call your LASERTECH^®FLOORPLANS representative.We will review your building and make a recommendation, based on building type, configuration, and tenancy, with no obligation.

If you are a new client, we will be happy to review your building’s current drawings and lease plans and make a recommendation, based on building type, configuration, and tenancy, with no further obligation. Simply call your LASERTECH^®FLOORPLANS representative.

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(888) 393.6655 / (888) 825.2112