1 .

Q: Please explain the alter nate method for

calculating Rentable Ar ea for each tenant r efer enced
at the top of page 26. I am aver aging the individual
floor R/ U r atios but the r esult doesnt equal the
Building R/ U Ratio.
A: The R/ U r atio will usually differ for each floor, so
that a building typically will not have just one R/ U
r atio. Since Floor Common Ar eas var y accor ding to
cor r idor configur ation on the var ious floor s, likewise
the floor R/ U r atio var ies for each floor. The R/ U
r atio to be used on a floor is the pr oduct of the Floor
R/ U and the Building R/ U ( Floor R/ U x Building R/ U
= R/ U for that floor ) . Each floor of a building will
have an R/ U r atio by using this method.
2 . Q: If a pr ivate stair way is built between two floor s
occupied by one tenant, is that stair way par t of
Rentable Ar ea? Is it par t of the Usable Ar ea?
A: Yes. The Standar d states specifically that ver tical
penetr ations built for the pr ivate use of a tenant
occupying Office Ar eas on mor e than one floor ar e
counted as Rentable. The stair way would also be par t
of the Usable Ar ea of the tenant.
3 . Q: Ar e ar eas outside the fir e r esistance enclosur e
of a Major Ver tical Penetr ation consider ed par t of
that penetr ation? For example, plumbing chases
behind r estr ooms?
A: Walls enclosing the major ver tical penetr ation,
which ar e r equir ed by building codes, ar e par t of the
penetr ation. Additional walls outside these enclosing
walls ar e not consider ed par t of the penetr ation and
ar e not deducted fr om Rentable Ar ea.
4 . Q: How ar e enclosing walls defined in
conjunction with Major Ver tical Penetr ations? What
about the floor of the stair tower or the elevator pits
of the elevator shaft?
A: The ter m enclosing walls r efer s to those walls
r equir ed by building code, and not to the
ar chitectur al or decor ative tr eatments of those walls.
The floor of a stair tower and the pits of the elevator
shaft, when found inside the enclosing walls, ar e par t
of the Major Ver tical Penetr ation. However, if an ar ea
is not within the enclosing walls ( such as a stor age
r oom under the stair tower ) , the ar ea is par t of the
Rentable Ar ea.
5 . Q: Regar ding Dominant Por tion... wher e a
wall meets a column ( such as in the illustr ation on
page 7) , a bite appear s to be taken out of the
column as the measur ement line shifts. If the
column is not squar e, how ar e the dimensions of the
bite deter mined?
A: Columns ar e not consider ed in the Standar d.
Ther efor e, wher e a column inter r upts the Dominant
Por tion, the Dominant Por tion that exists on each
side of the column continues thr ough one-half of the
hor izontal distance of the column. Wher e a column
inter r upts a Dominant Por tion that is the same on
both sides, the Dominant Por tion continues thr ough
the column as if the column did not exist. Wher e a
column inter r upts a Dominant Por tion that is
differ ent on each side, the Dominant Por tion on one
side continues for one-half the hor izontal distance
and then either steps in or out to meet the Dominant
Por tion fr om the other side.
ANSWERS TO 26 KEY QUESTI ONS ABOUT THE
ANSI /BOMA STANDARD METHOD FOR MEASURI NG
FLOOR AREA I N OFFI CE BUI LDI NGS
BOMA Inter national is pr oviding the following guidance on the Standard Method for MeasuringFloor Area in Office Buildings,
ANSI/BOMAZ65.1-1996, for per sons having questions. This document is intended to clar ify the intent and application of the
Standar d, but is not a par t of the Standar d itself. It is str ongly r ecommended that this guidance be used with the Standar d and not
as a substitute for actually consulting the Standar d.
As Secr etar iat for an Amer ican National Standar ds Institute ( ANSI) appr oved standar d, BOMA is r esponsible for over seeing the
committee that dr afts the Standar d and publishing the final document. BOMA does not have on-staff technical exper tise to
r espond to individual floor measur ement inquir ies. If you have questions r elating to a situation not addr essed dir ectly by the
available guidance, BOMA r ecommends that you follow an appr oach using best judgment der ived fr om the guidance in pr int.
To or der the Standard Method for MeasuringFloor Area in Office Buildings, call 1-800-426-6292. The pr ice is $25 for BOMA
member s and $35 for non-member s ( pr ices do not include shipping and handling) .
MORE
6 . Q: Ar e Major Ver tical Penetr ations included
in Stor e Ar ea?
A: No, major ver tical penetr ations ar e excluded when
calculating Stor e Ar ea. Rentable Ar ea itself excludes
Major Ver tical Penetr ations and, since stor e ar ea is
less than or equal to Floor Rentable Ar ea on the floor
wher e the stor e is located, Stor e Ar ea likewise will
exclude Major Ver tical Penetr ations.
7 . Q: Ar e ar eas of r efuge ( mainly a featur e
of Canadian buildings) deducted as Major
Ver tical Penetr ations?
A: If the ar ea of r efuge is not isolated fr om the
stair well, then it is par t of the Major Ver tical Penetr ation
and deducted as such. If the ar ea of r efuge is isolated
fr om the stair well with its own set of door s, then it is
par t of Floor Rentable Ar ea and distr ibuted to each
Office Ar ea thr ough the application of the R/ U Ratio.
8 . Q: If a Stor e Ar ea is on a cor ner, is the
measur ement taken to the building line on both
sides? Does it matter whether entr ances to the space
ar e located on both sides?
A: Stor e Ar ea r equir es a str eet fr ontage and a
gr ound level. It is possible for a squar e building to
meet these conditions on ever y one of its sides. In
that situation and on that level, the Dominant Por tion
would be the building line on each side. However, the
sides do not have to be at the same level. A building
can have str eet fr ontage and gr ound level on one side
( e.g., Floor 1) and str eet fr ontage and gr ound level
( e.g., Floor 3) . Each of those two floor s would be
consider ed Stor e Ar ea, and the Dominant Por tion
would be the building line. Having a separ ate str eet
entr ance for the space is not a r equir ement in
deter mining str eet fr ontage for a Stor e Ar ea.
9 . Q: How is building line defined wher e the gr ound
floor building face is set back fur ther than the upper
floor s fr om the str eet fr ontage?
A: The Standar d is intended to measur e space that
is fully enclosed. Ther efor e the building line, as used
in the Standar d to deter mine Stor e Ar ea, is the
outside face of the column line ( or the exter ior
building sur face if columns ar e not pr esent) of the
gr ound floor on the str eet fr ontage exposur e.
Deviations to the building line, including pr ojections
or r ecesses, ar e ignor ed unless they ar e par t of the
per manent building exter ior of the gr ound floor.
1 0 . Q: Is a cour tyar d included in Building Common
Ar ea if it is enclosed by four sides but not a r oof?
( See r efer ence to fully enclosed cour tyar d outside
the exter ior walls at top of page 3 of the Standar d
and illustr ation on page 19.)
A: Fully enclosed r efer s to an enclosed space
wher e envir onmental conditions ar e maintained by a
heating, ventilating and air conditioning system. So
ther e must be a r oof in or der for the cour tyar d to be
fully enclosed.
1 1 . Q: On an above-gr ound floor, can a cor r idor that is
or dinar ily Floor Common Ar ea be assessed to a
par ticular tenant if it pr ovides the only access to their
space? Similar ly, can a por tion of a gr ound floor
lobby that is or dinar ily par t of Building Common
Ar ea be assessed to a par ticular tenant if it pr ovides
the only access to their space?
A: Cor r idor s by their natur e typically pr ovide the
only access to an office or stor e, even when the
cor r idor is r equir ed pr imar ily for fir e egr ess. The
Standar d allows, on page 16, that Wher e alcoves,
r ecessed entr ances or similar deviation fr om the
cor r idor line ar e pr esent... they may be par t of the
Usable Ar ea, just like the space would have been if
the deviation had not occur r ed.
You should fir st deter mine whether the suite entr ance
could be positioned to incor por ate the ar ea in
question without obstr ucting other occupants, fir e
egr ess, or other building ser vices, befor e deciding
that the ar ea belongs to the Usable Ar ea of an office
or stor e. Remember that no ar ea can be accounted
for mor e than once. If an ar ea belongs to the Usable
Ar ea of an office or stor e, it must be excluded fr om
Floor Common Ar ea, Building Common Ar ea, or the
Usable Ar ea of any other office or stor e.
1 2 . Q: Can a mechanical r oom ser ving tenants
on an above-gr ound floor be par t of Building
Common Ar ea?
A: Yes, if it is not alr eady par t of a Floor
Common Ar ea.
1 3 . Q: Does the Standar d measur e space on below-
gr ound floor s?
A. Yes, except for those ar eas specifically excluded
by the Standar d, such as par king ar eas.
STANDARD METHOD FOR MEASURI NG FLOOR AREA I N OFFI CE BUI LDI NGS ANSWERS TO 26 KEY QUESTI ONS
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1 4 . Q: Is stor age space par t of Building Common Ar ea
in a multi-tenant building? Is stor age space Usable if
it is for the expr ess use of a given tenant?
A: Ar eas that ar e used for stor age, whether above or
below gr ade, ar e measur ed just like an Office ( or
Stor e in the cases of str eet fr ontage) , because these
spaces could house tenants per sonnel, fur nitur e,
files or supplies. If the space is a common stor age
ar ea available for use by all tenants at no additional
char ge, than it would be calculated under Building
Common Ar ea. If it is for the expr ess use of a given
tenant, the stor age space would have both a Usable
and Rentable measur ement.
1 5 . Q: Is par king ever counted as Rentable?
A: No, the Standar d excludes par king space.
1 6 . Q: If a tenant expands its Rentable Ar ea, does the
Floor R/ U Ratio and Building R/ U Ratio change as a
r esult meaning that each tenants Rentable Ar ea
would change?
A: Tenant expansion and new tenant activity may
indeed affect the Floor R/ U Ratio and/ or Building
R/ U Ratio. If tenant expansion or new tenant activity
occur s in par t or all of an existing Stor e Ar ea or
Office Ar ea, the r atios r emain unchanged. However,
if tenant expansion or new tenant activity
incor por ates what had been Floor Common Ar ea or
Building Common Ar ea into the newly cr eated Stor e
or Office Ar ea or cr eates additional Floor
Common Ar ea or Building Common Ar ea fr om
what was pr eviously Stor e or Office Ar ea then one
or both r atios will be affected.
The Floor R/ U Ratio will change if Floor Common
Ar ea is incr eased or decr eased ( e.g., by changing the
configur ation of floor cir culation cor r idor s or
enlar ging a r estr oom) . The Building R/ U Ratio will
change if Building Common Ar ea is incr eased or
decr eased ( e.g., by leasing an exer cise r oom) or if
the Floor R/ U Ratio is adjusted on a floor containing
Building Common Ar ea.
Changes to the Floor R/ U Ratio and Building R/ U
Ratio will affect the Rentable Ar ea of all the offices or
stor es located on that floor or in
the building. For pur poses of stability, adjustments to
existing leases based on changes to Rentable Ar ea
ar e typically not made, although the new r atios ar e
used in futur e lease tr ansactions.
1 7 . Q: Regar ding the illustr ation on page 16 of the
Standar d... Is the measur ement taken to the center
line of par titions between adjoining tenant spaces
and to the center line of par titions between tenant
spaces and Building Common Ar eas?
A: Yes. The measur ement is taken to the center line
of par titions between adjoining Office Ar ea( s) or
Stor e Ar ea( s) , Building Common Ar ea( s) and the
Building Common Ar ea being measur ed. Building
Common Ar ea is measur ed just like Office or Stor e
Ar ea in deter mining Usable Ar ea.
1 8 . Q: It is stated in the Standar d ( on page 14) that
Building Common Ar eas ar e consider ed to be par t
of Floor Usable Ar ea. Can this possibly mean that
the Building Common Ar eas on a gr ound-level floor
( see the illustr ation on page 22) ar e to be measur ed
twice?
A: No the Standar d does not allow the same
space to be measur ed twice. The illustr ation on page
14 shows all the ar ea that is par t of the Floor Usable
Ar ea, which includes both Stor e Ar ea and Building
Common Ar ea. Similar to the illustr ation on page 20
that deals specifically with Stor e Ar ea and how it is
measur ed, the illustr ation on page 22 highlights
Building Common Ar ea. Illustr ations on page 20 and
22 ar e components of the Floor Usable Ar ea for the
gr ound-level floor. Together they ar e the Floor Usable
Ar ea illustr ated on page 14.
The intent of the Standar d is for Building Common
Ar ea to be par t of the Floor Usable Ar ea. Building
Common Ar ea needs to take par t of the Floor
Common Ar ea allocation on the floor ( s) on which
the Building Common Ar ea is located. Building
Common Ar ea, just like Stor e Ar ea and Office Ar ea,
benefits fr om the cir culation cor r idor s and other
Floor Common Ar eas. This allocation is necessar y in
or der to fair ly distr ibute the Floor Common Ar ea to
the user s. If the allocation was not made, occupants
on floor s with Building Common Ar ea would r eceive
an unfair higher allocation of Floor Common Ar ea.
STANDARD METHOD FOR MEASURI NG FLOOR AREA I N OFFI CE BUI LDI NGS ANSWERS TO 26 KEY QUESTI ONS
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1 9 . Q: Why isnt the exer cise club ( ar ea #14) and
r estaur ant ( ar ea #19) par t of Building Common Ar ea
as illustr ated on page 22 if they ar e ser ving the
entir e building?
A: These ar eas r epr esent r ent-paying tenants so
while they do pr ovide a ser vice to the entir e building
( indeed to any paying customer ) , they ar e Stor e Ar ea
r ather than Building Common Ar ea. However, if these
ar eas wer e a building amenity that all tenants could
use as par t of their lease, then they would be
consider ed Building Common Ar ea instead.
2 0 . Q: In an office complex, would mechanical ar eas
located in one building but which ser ve other s as
well be consider ed Building Common Ar ea? What
about under gr ound cor r idor s that link one building
with another ?
A: Although the Standar d does not deal specifically
with building complexes, it would be a r easonable
adaptation to consider the entir e pr oject as one
building and to allocate the common cor r idor s and
building mechanical ar ea as allowed thr ough
Building Common Ar ea.
2 1 . Q: Is atr ium space measur ed by the Standar d?
A: Atr ium space above the main lobby floor does
not constitute Rentable Ar ea. It is empty space and is
tr eated, in effect, as a Major Ver tical Penetr ation. The
base of the atr ium, however ( i.e., the finished floor )
is measur ed.
2 2 . Q: Ar e mezzanines measur ed by the Standar d?
A: All floor space in a building is measur ed,
including mezzanines. The pur pose of the Standar d is
to measur e the actual squar e feet contained in the
building. The usefulness of a par ticular space is not
addr essed by the Standar d, and is better left for lease
negotiations between Landlor d and Tenant. Var ying
lease r ates ar e common in the mar ket using such
cr iter ia as location on the floor, pr oximity to the
elevator lobby, windows, views, height in the
building, and the usefulness of a par ticular space.
2 3 . Q: On a single tenant floor, ar e the elevator lobby
and r estr ooms consider ed Usable Ar ea?
A: The BOMA Standar d defines Usable Ar ea as
space that tenants can actually occupy and use and
may allocate to house per sonnel and fur nitur e. Thus,
if an elevator lobby is under the tenants contr ol and
could be put to use ( as a r eception ar ea, for
instance) , it is Usable Ar ea. However, if the tenant
cannot use that space because of fir e code or other
r estr ictions, it is not Usable Ar ea. Restr ooms ar e not
consider ed Usable Ar ea under the Standar d, although
they ar e par t of Rentable Ar ea.
2 4 . Q: Is Gr oss Building Ar ea an appr opr iate way to
measur e a single occupant building?
A: The Standar d is a systematic method for measur ing
office buildings, and should be used in its entir ety for
each building. Its pur pose is to pr ovide a common and
agr eed-upon basis for compar ing lease r ates, building
efficiencies, oper ating costs and other r elevant data.
For example, Gr oss Building Ar ea is used within the
industr y pr imar ily to deter mine constr uction costs or
building value. Usable Ar ea is often used to deter mine
cleaning costs and space efficiencies.
Single occupant buildings will often need to be
compar ed to multi-occupant buildings and, in these
cases, Building Rentable Ar ea is the r ecommended
measur ement to use. Gr oss Building Ar ea would be
an appr opr iate method in deter mining lease r ate only
if the par ties agr ee. Each par t of the Standar d has its
own use and needs to be applied r egar dless of the
number of occupants.
2 5 . Q: Does the Standar d pr ovide for the measur ement
of war ehouse or industr ial space? Does it cover a
shopping center or str ip mall?
A: The Standar d is intended to apply specifically to
the measur ement of office buildings, whether multi-
tenant, single tenant, or owner-occupied. A method
for measur ing Stor e Ar ea in office buildings is
contained in the Standar d. No pr ovision is cur r ently
made for measur ing any other types of buildings.
2 6 . Q: Does BOMA cer tify space measur ement fir ms
or instr uments?
A: Neither BOMA nor the Amer ican National
Standar ds Institute ( ANSI) cer tifies, appr oves,
or endor ses any space measur ement fir m or
measur ement device.
STANDARD METHOD FOR MEASURI NG FLOOR AREA I N OFFI CE BUI LDI NGS ANSWERS TO 26 KEY QUESTI ONS