AEO. Standard. for Office Space Measurement

Transcription

1 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement

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3 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement

4 Project management and coordination: Spanish Offices Association Technical Development: InmoSpace José Luis Guillermo Blázquez Arquima Arquitectura Alejandro García González English translation: Savills Consultores March 2014

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6 Table of Contents 1. AEO AEO Associated Companies 8 2. AEO Standard AEO Standard Objectives AEO Standard Project Task Force Basic Relationship Chart and Notes on the Process Basic Relationship Chart Notes on the Process Definitions Unit of Measurement (UM) Boundary Line (BL) Area (A) Gross External Area (GEA) Gross Internal Area (GIA) Lift and Service Shafts (S) Tenant Module (TM) Service Module (SM) Common Areas Each Floor (CFA) Common Areas The Building (CBA) Net Area (NA) Usable Area (UA) Geometric Conditions of Boundary Lines Recommended Market Practice Leasable Area (LA) Leasable Module (LM) 27 A. Annexes 29 A.1. Regulated AEO Measurement Chart 30 A.2. Comparison Table with Other International Standards Charts 31 A.3. Approaching BOMA and RICS International Standards 31 A.4. About Staircase Measurement 33 A.5. Net Area and Usable Area Support Graphics 34 A.6. Development Period: May March A.7. Frequently Asked Questions 35 6 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

7 01 AEO The Spanish Offices Association (AEO) gathers professionals, companies and institutions related to the Management of the Corporate Real Estate, and specifically focuses on offices and workplaces in Spain. Corporate and real estate management, property owners, tenants and service and equipment providers form an essential part of this sector. Founded in 2004, the AEO is an independent, open, non-profit organisation focusing at reviewing industry s current state and future outlook by encouraging its professionals to gather together, debate and exchange ideas. AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

8 01. AEO 1.1. AEO Associated Companies Aire Limpio 2000 Archibus Artelia Arup BBVA Belbex Corporate Bilfinger FM BNP Paribas Real Estate CBRE Cincober Codic Iberdrola Inmoseguros Inmospace IVG Instituional Funds Johnson Controls Jones Day Abogados L35 Arquitectos Mapfre SGA Mateo Mínguez Gestión MisOficinas Mutua Madrileña Negocenter Ortiz León Arquitectos Pontegadea Regus Repsol Schneider Electric Savills Consultores Sociedad de Tasación Steelcase Telefónica Therus Invest Tinsa Torre Espacio Torre Rioja Madrid Magic Real Estate 8 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

9 02 AEO Standard

10 02 AEO Standard The AEO Standard has been created with the specific aim of promoting, defining and revitalising activity at the Spanish office market. It specifically addresses two relevant issues that slows its growth and development: and definition of the different Measurement Units (according to terminology defined by this AEO Standard) Tenant Modules (there is currently no clear definition of what constitutes Leasable Area ) The AEO proposes the use of a methodology that includes specific details on all concepts and criteria to prevent situations like those and to allow an objective cost comparison per person among different buildings. The AEO Standard is the result of analysing measurement standards currently in use at different international markets, and its alignement with current practices at the Spanish market AEO Standard Objectives measurement. comparable values and ratios. standards and adapted to regular practices within the Spanish market AEO Standard Project Task Force The AEO created a task force comprised by companies with different backgrounds within the office sector and specifically including real estate owners, as well as prominent tenants from the Spanish market such as: BBVA Codic Iberdrola Inmobiliaria Espacio Inmocolonial Magic Real Estate Mapfre SGA Mutua Madrileña Negocenter Pontegadea Realia Telefónica 10 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

11 03 Basic Relationship Chart and Notes on the Process

12 03. Basic Relationship Chart and Notes on the Process 3.1. Basic Relationship Chart The Basic Relationship Chart shows that Gross External Area is the starting point for measurement and this is divided into three Measurement Units according to their use: Lift and Service Shafts (S) Tenant Module or Service Areas (TM and SA) Common Areas (CA) 3.2. Notes on the Process Boundary Lines section. total for the building. AEO aims to define concepts and geometric parameters in such a way that measurement results obtained by two different professionals result in the same calculated area, the organisation assumes that differences under 2% are probably unavoidable. Whenever there is a larger discrepancy the AEO recommends a third party measurement. Open balconies, covered corridors and fire exit stairwells. Awnings and canopies Staggered or split-level Space GROSS EXTERNAL AREA TENANT OR SERVICE MODULES NET AREA Open parking areas, terraces and similar LIFT AND SERVICE SHAFTS STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS SPACE NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK USABLE AREA COMMON AREAS Greenhouses, warehouses, fuel storage facilities and other similar spaces located on the plot CIRCULATION SPACE FACILITIES SERVICES 12 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

13 04 Definitions

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15 04. Definiciones 4.1. Unit of Measurement Unit (UM) The Unit of Measurement (UM) is a segment of the Gross External Area established by a Boundary Line. UMs are classified according to their use and the established categories are the following: Lift and Service Shafts (S) Tenant Module (TM) Service Areas (SA) Common Areas Each Floor & The Building (CFA & CBA) 4.2. Boundary Line (BL) The Boundary Line (BL) is the single line or group of closed lines that mark a UM. There are three types of BLs: Internal, Mid-Point and External. This depends on whether they coincide with the inside, centerline or exterior of a wall. Rules that determine the exact position of each BL depend on the type of adjoining spaces. For correct BL interpretation, please refer to the Geometric Conditions of Boundary Lines section Area (A) Area is the numeric value given to the surface occupied by a UM. Marked by a BL, this area is expressed in square metres (sq m). AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

16 4.4. Gross External Area (GEA) The Boundary Line of this Unit of Measurement coincides with the external perimeter of the building wall of any floor considered and measured from ground level. INCLUDES of the wall cannot be determined, this thickness will automatically be considered as 30 cm be calculated. In the event that this thickness cannot be determined, the party wall thickness will automatically be considered as 30 cm similar the lower level accessed and used treated as one level derneath sloping or staggered floors rooms for fuel tanks that are permanently stored in a covered place above the upper deck DOES NOT INCLUDE between both sheets is ventilated, exterior air circulates freely or they are spaces used for building maintenance, and its dimension exceeds 25 cm, the Gross External Area Boundary Line will coincide with the exterior face of the internal sheet stairwells other similar buildings located on the plot Gross External Area (GEA) ENTRY LEVEL STANDARD FLOOR LAYOUT tenant 1 tenant 2 Fig.1. Example of Gross External Area (GEA) at entry level and standard floor 16 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

17 4.5. Gross Internal Area (GIA) The Boundary Line of this Unit of Measurement coincides with the perimeter of the wall of the buildings internal face measured from ground level. INCLUDES similar the lower level treated as one level underneath sloping or staggered floors rooms for fuel tanks that are permanently stored in a covered place above the upper deck DOES NOT INCLUDE stairwells other similar buildings located on the plot Gross Internal Area (GIA) ENTRY LEVEL STANDARD FLOOR LAYOUT tenant 1 tenant 2 Fig.2. Example of Gross Internal Area (GIA) at entry level and standard floor AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

18 4.6. Lift and Service Shafts (S) Unit of Measurement whose Boundary Line marks a void or empty space allocated to the circulation of lifts or distribution of building facilities. They can be two types: (A) Lift Space where a mechanical lift operates that is commonly used by all building users at their discretion. (B) de Instalaciones Space for distribution of common facilities for all building users the diameter of which exceeds 10 cm. For example: airwells for ventilation, heating, air conditioning, electricity, plumbing, sanitation, etc. Lift and Service Shafts ENTRY LEVEL STANDARD FLOOR LAYOUT tenant 1 tenant 2 Fig.3. Example of Lift and Service Shafts (S) at entry level and standard floor. 18 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

19 4.7. Tenant Module (TM) The Boundary Line of this Unit of Measurement marks an area for exclusive use by a specific tenant. This Tenant Module includes all space to be used exclusively by the tenant 1 such as: bathrooms, filing areas, plant rooms, staircases (if they lead to the tenant s space and whether these are exclusively used as part of this TM), etc 4.8. Service Module (SM) The Boundary Line for this Unit of Measurement marks an area for a service in the building. It could be exclusively used by a single tenant 1. Examples include: gyms, restaurants, cafés, conference rooms and any other pay-per-use activity that could exist in the building and that the owner of the building could also rent out to a user or private party in order to manage these services. The following areas are not considered to be SMs: circulation areas, facilities, reception, lobbies, common areas or generally any place in the building available to all tenants that can be used freely or provide comfort, security and/or habitability for the TM. 1 The areas included in the Tenant Module and the Service Module will comply with current regulations with regard to to minimum height requirements, maximum evacuation distances, fire prevention sectors and the possibility to equip the facilities with everything necessary for office use and service use. Tenant or Services Module ENTRY LEVEL STANDARD FLOOR LAYOUT tenant 1 tenant 2 Fig.4. Example of Tenant Module (TM) and Service Module (SM) at entry level and standard floor. AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

20 4.9. Common Areas Each Floor (CFA) The Boundary Line for this Unit of Measurement marks the space available for all tenants to use freely or which provide comfort, light, safety and/or habitability to its exclusive areas. They are common only to the floor where they are found and can be three types: (A) Circulation Space Areas used freely by all tenants that allow them to move around between all common spaces on a single floor, as well as other areas that provide access to Service and/or Facility areas on the same floor. Examples include: main corridors of a floor, lobby to enter Tenant Areas or Service Areas, stairwells on the floor, lift waiting areas, vending machine areas on the floor and similar. (B) Facilities These contain the systems that provide the floor with comfort, light and security. For example: heating and air conditioning, electricity, water, etc (C) Services Everything destined for use by staff and/or services and facilities used to operate the building, such as: maintenance, cleaning, security, reception, changing rooms, gardening, etc. Common Areas Each Floor ENTRY LEVEL STANDARD FLOOR LAYOUT tenant 1 tenant 2 Fig.5. Example of Common Floor Areas (CFA) at entry level and standard floor 20 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

21 4.10. Common Areas The Building (CBA) Space available for all tenants to use freely that provides comfort, light, security and/or habitability for exclusive areas. These areas are common for the entire building and there are three types: (A) Circulation Space Areas used freely by all tenants that allows them to move around between all common spaces of the building, as well as other areas that provide access to Service and/or Facility areas in the same building. For example: main entrance lobby to the building, main reception at entry level and general stairwells in the property. (B) Facilities These contain the systems that provide the building with comfort, light and security. For example: heating and air conditioning, electricity, water, sanitation, etc. (C) Services Everything destined for use by staff and/or services and facilities used to operate the building, such as: maintenance, cleaning, security, reception, changing rooms, gardening, etc. Common Areas The Building ENTRY LEVEL STANDARD FLOOR LAYOUT tenant 1 tenant 2 Fig.6. Example of Common Building Areas (CBA) at entry level and standard floor AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

22 4.11. Net Area (NA) The Net Area is the entire space marked by a Boundary Line except for areas occupied by all construction or structural elements. I.e. the standard will not count the divisions that make up the perimeter, load-bearing walls, pillars, etc. Surface areas with a height under 1.50 metres will also be excluded Usable Area (UA) This part of the Net Area is where one can walk or have upright furniture along with other belongings owned by a tenant. Areas occupied by structural or heating or air conditioning elements, or residual spaces where horizontal dimensions are lower than 0.25 metres or free height is less than 2.00 metres (See supporting graphics) should therefore be subtracted from the total. Net Area. Tenant Module Usable Area STANDARD FLOOR LAYOUT STANDARD FLOOR LAYOUT tenant 1 tenant 2 tenant 1 tenant 2 Fig.7. Example of Net Area (NA) and Usable Area (UA) on a standard floor 22 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

23 05 Geometric Conditions of Boundary Lines

24 05. Geometric Conditions of Boundary Lines This section specifies the group of geometric rules that serve to determine where the Boundary Lines are drawn for each perimeter of the defined Units of Measurement and their relation to construction elements that separate them: Tenant Modules (TM and SM), of Common Areas and Lift and Service Shafts, located on the same floor, exactly matches the Gross External Area of the floor. Therefore, no part of the Gross External Area therefore exists that is not designated as a Tenant Module (TM or SM), Common Area or Shaft. Areas occupied by each of the constructive elements that separate the different spaces of the External Gross Area must therefore be taken in to account within some of these UMs and will be discounted only upon applying the concept of Net Area to said MU. Tenant Modules (TM & SM), Common Areas and Shafts will be selected according to the following table. Three possibilities exist: Tenant or Service Module Common Areas Each Floor Shafts Boundary Line Priority Table 1 Tenant Module 2 EL External Line IL Internal Line CL Centre Line Shafts Common Areas Tenant or Service Models Tenant Module 1 Shafts CL EL EL Shafts Common Floor Area for Facilities Common Areas IL CL EL Tenant or Service Models IL IL CL Common Floor Area for Circulation Gross External Area and Gross Internal Area that determine its respective definitions 1 Table is always used entering by row and exiting by the column. 24 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

25 06 Recommended Market Practice Aimed at providing transparency for the current situation, a Recommended Market Practice has been included at this document to obtain Leasable Area and the Leasable Modules. These areas will be obtained based on the Areas, Units of Measurement and the geometric conditions established for their measurement that are described in this AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement. AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

26 06. Recommended Market Practice 6.1. Leasable Area The Leasable Area will be the area within the outer perimeter of the building wall, measured at ground floor level, less the area of voids and vertical shafts destined for the circulation of lifts or distribution of Facilities. The measurement criteria for the areas associated with this definition are described in the Definitions and the Geometric Conditions of Boundary Lines of this document. In order to provide the market with the transparency that it needs, we feel it is essential that for any kind of operation, the owner must provide the Leasable Area and the Net Area. With these two measurements, an immediate comparison can be carried out between two buildings, without requiring any type of additional verification. Leasable Area = Gross External Area (GEA) - Shafts (S) Open balconies, covered corridors and fire exit stairwells. Awnings and canopies Staggered or split-level space GROSS EXTERNAL AREA LEASEABLE AREA TENANT OR SERVICE MODULE NET AREA Open parking areas, terraces and similar LIFT AND SERVICE SHAFTS CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS SPACE NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK USABLE AREA COMMON AREAS Greenhouses, warehouses, fuel storage facilities and other similar spaces located on the plot CIRCULATION FACILITIES SERVICES 26 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

27 6.2. Leasable Module (LM) The Leaseable Module is the area used exclusively by a specific tenant or service, plus the proportional part of the areas (both for the specific floor, as well as the building) that are available to all tenants under regulation of free use that provide comfort, light, security and/or habitability for its exclusive areas. In order to provide the market with greater transparency, the AEO introduces the Net Area and Usable Area concept. The Leasable Module is therefore characterised by the following concepts that improve the clarity of what is regularly practiced: Leasable Module Leasable Module = Tenant or Service Module + Proportional Part of Common Areas (each floor) + Proportional Part of Common Areas (building) LEASABLE MODULE TENANT OR SERVICE MODULE NET AREA CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS SPACE NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK USABLE AREA PROPORTIONAL PART OF COMMON AREAS (EACH FLOOR) CIRCULATION FACILITIES SERVICES PROPORTIONAL PART OF COMMON AREAS (THE BUILDING) CIRCULATION FACILITIES SERVICES AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

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29 A Annexes AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

30 A. Annexes A.1. Regulated AEO Measurement Table With the goal of obtaining structured information that allows for easy comparison of results obtained from any measurement, the organisation proposes the following Regulated AEO Measurement Table. FLOOR GROUND FLOOR GROSS EXTERNAL AREA TOTAL GROUND FLOOR FLOOR 01 FLOOR 02 TOTAL FLOOR 01 TOTAL FLOOR 02 GROSS INTERNAL AREA Common Areas Each Floor Common Areas The Building Shafts Circ. Fac. Serv. Circ. Fac. Serv. Lifts Fac. ID TM 01 TM 02 Module Area Methods Net Area Usable Area SM 01 SM TM 11 TM SM 11 SM TM 21 TM SM 21 SM TOTAL BUILDING TM SM Circ. Common Circulation Areas TM. Tenant Module Fac. Common Facility Areas SM. Service Module Serv. Common Service Areas 30 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

31 A.2. Comparison Table with Other International Measurement Standards Many documents exist that attempt to standardise or provide a recommendation for the dilemma of unifying area measurement criteria for both office buildings, as well as other uses. There are also currently various different market practices on the market that establish considerable differences between what is considered to be, for example, leasable area and sometimes significant differences in criteria, depending on each professional s interpretation of a concept in the same country. The following table aims to offer a general overview of the differences in criteria that exist between AEO, BOMA and RICS Type of Area AEO BOMA RICS External Wall Internal Structure Non-Structural Internal Divisions General Staircases Lifts Facility shafts Horizontal circulation Facilities* Toilets Usable/Trafficable/Net Surface Area *Area occupied by facilities, lift rooms and plant rooms Area taken in to account in Leasable Area Area NOT taken in to account in Leasable Area A.3. Approaching BOMA and RICS International Standards Values obtained trought the application of the AEO standard are not equivalent to those obtained trought BOMA or RICS, if you need to approximate the values to be obtained with one of those standards, you could proceed as following: BOMA The measurements of Common Circulation Stairwells will be broken down in the measurement of Common Circulation Areas of the Building. The Boundary Lines that correspond to this new measurement unit will be available as if they were Common Areas of the Building. To this effect, they could use the following format from the Regulated Table, introducing the Common Staircases for Circulation in the Building in the Column Vertical Stairwells : AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

32 Using the values included in this Regulated Table as a starting point, Leaseable Area could be calculated according to BOMA specifications. Note: Values obtained via this procedure end up being similar to ones that apply to the BOMA standard. However, subtle differences do exist given the minor differences in defining the Units and the layout of the Boundary Lines. FLOOR GROUND FLOOR GROSS EXTERNAL AREA TOTAL GROUND FLOOR FLOOR 01 FLOOR 02 TOTAL FLOOR 01 TOTAL FLOOR 02 GROSS INTERNAL AREA Common Areas Each Floor Common Areas The Building Shafts Vertical Stairwells Circ. Fac. Serv. Circ. Fac. Serv. Lifts Fac. ID TM 01 TM 02 Module Area Methods Net Area Usable Area SM 01 SM TM 11 TM SM 11 SM TM 21 TM SM 21 SM TOTAL BUILDING TM SM Circ. Fac. Serv. Common Circulation Areas Common Facility Areas Common Service Areas TM. SM. Tenant Module Service Module RICS The AEO Standard defintion of Usable Area is essentially compatible with the RICS term Net Internal Area, therefore the information is comparable. Note: The only significant difference between both definitions corresponds to the difference in minimum height, which in the AEO Standard is 2 m and RICS is 1.5 m. 32 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

33 A.4. About Staircase Measurement level and will be excluded from the lower level. Common Circulation Areas and will, in line with aforementioned criteria, either be considered for the Floor or the Building. Level 1 Level 2 CA of Floor Level 1 CA of Floor Level 1 ZCEC Common Area (Building) for Circulation Taken in to account only once Floor Area ZCEC Floor Area Level 1 Common Area (Building) for Circulation Level 2 h>1,5 m Floor Area ZCPC Floor Area Level 1 Common Area (Floor) for Circulation Level 1 h<1,5 m ZC of Floor ZCEC Common Area (Building) for Circulation Floor Area ZCEC Floor Area Level 1 Common Area Level 2 (Building) for Circulation Floor Area ZCPC Floor Area Level 1 Common Area Level 1 (Floor) for Circulation EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2 EXAMPLE 3 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

34 A.5. Support Graphics in order to determine Net Area and Usable Area Interior Conditioning Unit Interior Conditioning Unit Net Area Boundary Line Net Area Boundary Line FIGURE 1 Example of how to determine a net area boundary line Usable Area If d>0.25m, it is considered a non-usable space. Exclude from Usable Area Usable Area Boundary Line d A.6. Development Period: May March 2014 This document has been drawn up in line with the following operational process: seeking the opinion of important property owners and users/tenants. dards such as: AENOR 1, BOMA 2, IPD 3, RICS 4 and others. 1 Measurement of areas and spaces when managing buildings and support services. Regulation UNE EN Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International. OFFICE BUILDINGS: STANDARD METHODS OF MEASURING. Washington, DC: Approved May IPD Occupiers. Measuring the Space Performance of Buildings Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Code of Measuring Practice, 6th Edition. August AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

35 A.7. Frequently Asked Questions How do you calculate the common areas in an office complex with separate buildings but common basements? The common areas that belong to the various buildings will be split proportionally based upon the Gross External Area of each one. How do you take into account the pillars within offices? The area occupied by the pillars will be treated differently depending upon the type of Unit of Measurement, such as: What happens in the event that the toilet facilities are inside the tenant module /and how do we compare this with a building where they are located in the common areas? In the event that the toilet facilities are in the Tenant Module and are for the private use of that specific tenant, they will be calculated within the Area of the Tenant Module. If they are not for that specific tenant s use, a proportional area will be calculated, given that in this case, the toilets are part of a floor s common service area. A way of comparing a building with private use toilets and a building with the toilets located in the common areas is to calculate the total Net Tenant Module Areas and the total of the Usable Area. How would the entrance lobby of an emergency staircase accounted for? The lobby of an emergency staircase would come under the Unit of Measurement of Common Circulation Areas. If the façade is a double façade (separation between glass of approx. 20 cms), how is this calculated? Cases of double façades, where the space that exists between both sheets is ventilated, exterior air circulates freely or they are spaces used for building maintenance, and its dimension exceeds 25 cm, the Gross External Area Boundary Line will coincide with the exterior face of the internal sheet. How are below ground level lift waiting areas calculated that are used exclusively by office tenants? As long as lift waiting areas provide access to common areas of the building (including below ground level floors) such as filing areas, storage areas, parking, etc., they will be taken in to account as Common Circulation Areas in the Building. And changing rooms in the basement for office users? Any use within the building that could be considered common to all office users or maintenance staff will be taken in to account within the Common Building Areas category. AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

36 How is a fan coil unit calculated that is 25 cm high and 90 cm long? The area occupied by interior facilities within the Tenant Module is treated differently according to the type of Area being calculated: And an open-air terrace for private use? Terraces and open-air spaces are excluded from the Gross External Area so they are not taken in to account. Among other areas, how are the following calculated? Evacuation stairwell: Evacuation stairwells are Common Circulation Areas in the Building. Airwells larger than 1 sq m: Airwells belong to Shaft Installations. Lifts: Lifts belong to Shaft Installations. Technical Rooms: Technical rooms belong to Common Installations for each Floor or Building Areas, whichever is applicable. Nothing has been mentioned about parking. It is clear that it is excluded as long as this space is exterior. However, it would be worth discussing what happens when it is interior. The objective of the AEO Standard is to measure office spaces; therefore parking areas are therefore excluded from any measurement. In order to clear up this doubt, in the Gross External Area definition, the table will specify parking areas as NOT INCLUDED. The Boundary Line between the building and the parking lot will be treated as a party wall. This means it will follow the centerline of the separating wall. There are buildings where part of the parking lot is occupied by tenants that do not occupy any space inside the office building. Creating a guideline on how to calculate surface area of common areas used to access the building would not be a bad idea. Applying the AEO Standard Philosophy, the proportional distribution of common space between the parking lot and the rest of the building would need to be calculated in these cases. In the case of an internal light shaft where one of its walls corresponds with the building wall... How is this wall taken in to account? Light shafts in these cases will be measured equally as the Lift and Service Shafts and their Boundary Line will include the wall. This wall therefore will form part of the Shaft surface area. In the case of bar-graded air well installations that has a maintenance walkway, since this is a trafficable area, which category does this space belong to? Airwell installations, even if they do have trafficable surface area, as long as they are used to provide access 36 AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March 2014

37 to installations and constitute a ventilated, vertical, continuous column, will be treated as Shafts. Disabled Toilets: Common Floor Area or Common Building Area? If disabled bathrooms are distributed evenly among different floors of the building, they can be included within the Common Floor Area Services category. If disabled bathrooms are only located on certain floors and represent the minimum required for the entire building, regardless of the floor where they are found, they can be included within the Common Building Area Services category. Independent Entry Lobby: Common Floor Area or Common Building Area? Independent entry lobbies will belong to the Common Circulation Area category where people will go in case of an evacuation. This means if the independent entry lobby is accessible from a Common Circulation Area (Floor), the independent entry lobbies will form part of the Common Circulation Area (Floor) category. AEO Standard for Office Space Measurement / March

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