BOMA OFFICE STANDARD 1996

Fully-enclosed space within a building that benefits all occupants of that building but which does not accommodate tenant personnel, furniture, fixtures or equipment. The usual example is the first floor building entry lobby. May include additionally spaces like the building engineer’s office, building HVAC areas and loading docks. See individual measurement standards for definitions under the BOMA Standard.

The areas of the building that provide services to building tenants but which are not included in the office area or store area of any specific tenant. These areas may include, but shall not be limited to, main and auxiliary lobbies, atrium spaces at the level of the finished floor, concierge areas or security desks, conference rooms, lounges or vending areas, food service facilities, health or fitness centers, daycare facilities, locker or shower facilities, mail rooms, fire control rooms, fully enclosed courtyards outside the exterior walls, and building core and service areas such as fully enclosed mechanical or equipment rooms. Specifically excluded from Building Common Areas are Floor common Areas, parking space, portions of loading docks outside the building line, and Major Vertical Penetrations.

The conversion factor that distributes the Building Common Area of a building.

Shall mean the areas on a floor such as washrooms, janitorial closets, electrical rooms, telephone rooms, mechanical rooms, elevator lobbies and public corridors which are available primarily for the use of tenants on that floor.

This area is computed by measuring to the outside finish surface of permanent outer building walls, without deductions. All enclosed floor of the building, including basements, garages, mechanical equipment floors, penthouses, and the like , are calculated. Some time called "construction area".

Shall mean the total area of a building enclosed by the "Dominant Portion", Excluding parking areas and loading docks (or portions of same) outside the building line. It is generally not used for leasing purposes and calculated on a floor by floor bases.

Shall mean stairs, elevator shafts, flues, pipe shafts, vertical ducts, and the like, and their enclosing walls. Atria, light wells and similar penetrations above the finished floor are included in this definition. Not included, however, are vertical penetrations built for the private use of a tenant occupying OFFICE AREAs on more than one floor. Structural columns, openings for vertical electric cable or telephone distribution, and openings for plumbing lines are not considered to be Major Vertical Penetrations.

The area or space where a occupants or tenant normally houses personnel and/or furniture, for which a measurement is to be computed.

Of an office area, store area or Building Common Area shall mean the Usable area of that office, store area or Building Common Area and its share of the Floor Common Areas on that floor. Basic Rentable Area is determined by multiplying the Usable area of that office area, store area or Building Common Area by the Floor R/U Ratio. The total Basic Rentable Area of a tenant occupying more than one floor shall be the sum of its Basic Rentable Areas on each floor. The total of all Basic Rentable Areas on a floor shall equal the Floor Rentable Area of that same floor.

Shall equal the sum of all the floor Rentable areas.

Shall mean the result of subtracting from the BOMA's Gross measured Area of a floor the Major Vertical Penetrations on that same floor. It is generally fixed for the life of the building and is rarely affected by changes in corridor size or configuration.

Shall mean the area of an office building suitable for retail occupancy. Store areas are included in Floor Rentable Area and Rentable Area. 

Shall mean the measured area of an office area, store area or Building Common area on a floor. The total of all the Usable areas for a floor shall equal Floor Usable area of that same floor. 

Shall mean the sum of Usable areas of office area, store areas and Building Common Areas of a floor. The amount of Floor Usable Area can vary over the life of a building as corridors expand and contract and as floors are remodeled.