A Summary of the
generally accepted method for measuring office space
This general overview of the
the method used for measuring office space is to allow you
to get a general idea on how office space should be measured
for rental purposes. This method
been the generally accepted method for measuring office
space for many years. It should be noted that this
standard can and should be used in measuring office space
in old as well as new buildings. It is applicable to any
architectural design or type of construction.
Usable Area
The Usable Area is the
actual area that can be occupied on a floor or an office. The amount of
Usable Area on a multi-tenant floor usually does vary over the
life of a building as corridors expand and contract and
as floors are remodeled. Usable floor area is converted to
Rentable Area by the addition of a conversion factor (common area
factor). The
Usable Area of an office is calculated by measuring
to the finished surface side of the office side of
corridor and other permanent walls, to the center of the
partitions that separate the office from adjoining Usable
Areas, and to the inside finished surface of the main
portions of the permanent outer building walls.
The Usable Area of a floor
is equal to the total of all Usable Areas on that
floor.
Rentable Area
The Rentable Area is the
tenant's gross square footage of the entire office floor,
minus the elevator core, flues, pipe shafts, vertical
ducts, balconies, stairwell areas and other similar columns
and projections. The Rentable Area of a floor
is fixed for the entire life of the building. It is not affected
by changes in corridor sizes and configuration.
No deduction is made
for columns and projections which are structurally necessary to the building. The Rentable Area of an office floor is
calculated by multiplying the Usable Area of that office by
the result of the division of the Floor Rentable Area of the
floor by the Usable Area of the floor resulting in the
Floor Rentable/Usable Ratio.
Building Common Area
The Building Common Area includes all
the
areas of a building that are used to provide services to
building tenants. These are areas which are not included in the office
area of any specific tenant. It also includes any other common areas and is
added to the Floor Rentable Area to
calculate the Rentable Area.
Gross Rentable Area
Rent is almost always paid based
upon the Gross Rentable Area which includes the Floor
Rentable Area plus the pro rata share of Building Common
Area.
Building Rentable Area +
Pro Rata Building Common Area = Rentable Area
Load Factor
The Load Factor, or Rentable /Useable Ratio, is the
percentage of space on a floor that is not usable plus a
pro-rata share of the Building Common Area,
expressed as a percent of Usable Area. AKA Common Area Factor or the Loss Factor. A Typical range
is 10% to 18%.
Gross Rentable Area ÷ Usable
Area = R/U Ratio
Conversion Formulas
| Load Factor
(Load) |
R/U Ratio - 1 |
| (Usable Area x R/U
Ratio) |
Rentable Area |
| Rentable Area ÷
R/U Ratio |
Usable Area |
| Usable Area x (1
+ Load) |
Rentable Area |
Definitions
| Finished
Surface: |
A wall, ceiling,
or floor surface, including glass, as prepared
for tenant use. It excludes the thickness of any
additional surface additions such as paneling,
carpet or other similar surface addition. |
| Major Vertical
Penetrations: |
Stairs, elevator
shafts, flues, pipe shafts, vertical ducts, and
similar (including enclosing walls) which serve
more than one floor of a building. It does not include stairs, lifts, and
other similar structures which serve only one tenant occupying
office space on 2 or more floors. |
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