BOMA Floor Measurement Best Practices
BOMA Floor Standards Interpretations Documents: Best Practice Guidance
The BOMA International Floor Measurement Standards Committee has approved these interpretations of its standards to provide additional best practice guidance to what is already included in BOMA’s suite of floor measurement standards. These interpretations do not modify the existing ANSI/BOMA Z65 standards. Use these for reference and additional guidance only.
Industrial
- BOMA Best Practice #7- Does BOMA International certify that an individual, company or system can perform BOMA calculations? If not, how can BOMA floor area measurements and calculations be certified?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #9- How should a building be physically measured in the field to create as-built floor plans or calculate floor areas?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #13- How many decimal places do I need to carry in my calculations in order to comply with the BOMA floor area measurement standards?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #14- Do the BOMA Standards require or recommend any specific methodology for measurements? For example, should measurements always originate from CAD files, or is paper OK? Should measurements always be field verified or is it OK to use existing drawings?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #24- Are areas beyond the floor opening considered when determining if an opening qualifies as a Major Vertical Penetration such as enclosed space for multiple small plumbing penetrations or the space of the enclosing walls that are part of the MVP?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards)
Gross Area
- Best Practice #1- What BOMA standard should be used for measuring the floor area of an office building that belongs entirely to one single occupant?
(Also applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #7- Does BOMA International certify that an individual, company or system can perform BOMA calculations? If not, how can BOMA floor area measurements and calculations be certified?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #9- How should a building be physically measured in the field to create as-built floor plans or calculate floor areas?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #10- Do abnormally thick exterior walls, such as the thick masonry walls found in some historic buildings, alter the measurement of any floor areas under the BOMA 2010 Office Standard or the BOMA Gross Area Standard?
(Also applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #13- How many decimal places do I need to carry in my calculations in order to comply with the BOMA floor area measurement standards?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #14- Do the BOMA Standards require or recommend any specific methodology for measurements? For example, should measurements always originate from CAD files, or is paper OK? Should measurements always be field verified or is it OK to use existing drawings?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #24- Are areas beyond the floor opening considered when determining if an opening qualifies as a Major Vertical Penetration such as enclosed space for multiple small plumbing penetrations or the space of the enclosing walls that are part of the MVP?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards)
Multi-Unit (Residential)
- BOMA Best Practice #7- Does BOMA International certify that an individual, company or system can perform BOMA calculations? If not, how can BOMA floor area measurements and calculations be certified?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #9- How should a building be physically measured in the field to create as-built floor plans or calculate floor areas?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #13- How many decimal places do I need to carry in my calculations in order to comply with the BOMA floor area measurement standards?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #14- Do the BOMA Standards require or recommend any specific methodology for measurements? For example, should measurements always originate from CAD files, or is paper OK? Should measurements always be field verified or is it OK to use existing drawings?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #24- Are areas beyond the floor opening considered when determining if an opening qualifies as a Major Vertical Penetration such as enclosed space for multiple small plumbing penetrations or the space of the enclosing walls that are part of the MVP?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards)
Retail
- BOMA Best Practice #4- Are common areas apportioned to the Gross Leasable Area of retail tenants?
(Also applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #7- Does BOMA International certify that an individual, company or system can perform BOMA calculations? If not, how can BOMA floor area measurements and calculations be certified?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #9- How should a building be physically measured in the field to create as-built floor plans or calculate floor areas?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #13- How many decimal places do I need to carry in my calculations in order to comply with the BOMA floor area measurement standards?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #14- Do the BOMA Standards require or recommend any specific methodology for measurements? For example, should measurements always originate from CAD files, or is paper OK? Should measurements always be field verified or is it OK to use existing drawings?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #24- Are areas beyond the floor opening considered when determining if an opening qualifies as a Major Vertical Penetration such as enclosed space for multiple small plumbing penetrations or the space of the enclosing walls that are part of the MVP?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards)
Mixed Use
- BOMA Best Practice #7- Does BOMA International certify that an individual, company or system can perform BOMA calculations? If not, how can BOMA floor area measurements and calculations be certified?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #9- How should a building be physically measured in the field to create as-built floor plans or calculate floor areas?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #13- How many decimal places do I need to carry in my calculations in order to comply with the BOMA floor area measurement standards?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #14- Do the BOMA Standards require or recommend any specific methodology for measurements? For example, should measurements always originate from CAD files, or is paper OK? Should measurements always be field verified or is it OK to use existing drawings?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #20- Should retail occupants in mixed use buildings be charged rent based on Occupant Area or Rentable Area?
(Also applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #24- Are areas beyond the floor opening considered when determining if an opening qualifies as a Major Vertical Penetration such as enclosed space for multiple small plumbing penetrations or the space of the enclosing walls that are part of the MVP?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards)
Office
- Best Practice # 1- What BOMA standard should be used for measuring the floor area of an office building that belongs entirely to one single occupant?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #2- The BOMA Office Standard has always stated that the area of a Major Vertical Penetration includes the thickness of its enclosing walls. Is that true even when a Major Vertical Penetration is next to an exterior building wall? How about other classes of space listed in the Wall Priority Diagram (Chart #2) of the BOMA 2010 Office Standard?
Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #3- Purpose: to provide a consistent, detailed method of allocating inter-building service and amenity areas among different buildings that they serve in a multi-building set in accordance with general direction included in the BOMA 2010 Office Standard.
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #4- Are common areas apportioned to the Gross Leasable Area of retail tenants?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #5- Can the load factor that is calculated in the BOMA Global Summary of Areas spreadsheet (load factor A or load factor B, if using Method B) be arbitrarily increased to bring it up to the "Market Factor"?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #6- Are the BOMA Global Summary of Areas spreadsheets available for downloading into Microsoft Excel™?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #7- Does BOMA International certify that an individual, company or system can perform BOMA calculations? If not, how can BOMA floor area measurements and calculations be certified?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #8- When a multi-occupant floor transitions to a single-occupant floor, should any areas classified as Service and Amenity Areas be reclassified as Occupant Area?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #9- How should a building be physically measured in the field to create as-built floor plans or calculate floor areas?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #10- Do abnormally thick exterior walls, such as the thick masonry walls found in some historic buildings, alter the measurement of any floor areas under the BOMA 2010 Office Standard or the BOMA Gross Area Standard?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #11- Can Sidewalks be considered to be External Circulation area?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #12- Should the Base Building Circulation boundary line be the same on all floors of a building?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #13- How many decimal places do I need to carry in my calculations in order to comply with the BOMA floor area measurement standards?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #14- Do the BOMA Standards require or recommend any specific methodology for measurements? For example, should measurements always originate from CAD files, or is paper OK? Should measurements always be field verified or is it OK to use existing drawings?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards) - BOMA Best Practice #15- The BOMA 2010 Office Standard suggests that an elevator lobby is classified as an occupant area on a single occupant floor. Does this apply to service elevator lobbies and secured elevator lobbies as well?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #16- When should I choose method A or B?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #17- Are there any differences between Exterior Gross Area (EGA) in the BOMA 2009 Gross Area Standard and Gross Building Area (GBA) in the BOMA 1996 Office Standard?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-1996) - BOMA Best Practice #18- Using the BOMA Gross Area Standard, it’s not always obvious which protrusions on the building perimeter are decorative or structural. Does BOMA have any guidelines in determining this?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-1996) - BOMA Best Practice #19- If a "Recessed Entry" or "Door Setback" is more than one floor or one story high, is the area included within the Interior Gross Area (IGA)?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice #20- Should retail occupants in mixed use buildings be charged rent based on Occupant Area or Rentable Area?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice# 21- Do the BOMA Standards offer any guidelines with respect to occupant density?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice# 22- How should Sky Lobbies or Elevator Transfer Corridors be measured?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2010) - BOMA Best Practice# 23- Is the entire area within a Finished Rooftop Terrace included in the Boundary Area? Do all sides of a Finished Rooftop Terrace need to be above grade to be included in the Boundary Area?
(Applicable to ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2017) - BOMA Best Practice #24- Are areas beyond the floor opening considered when determining if an opening qualifies as a Major Vertical Penetration such as enclosed space for multiple small plumbing penetrations or the space of the enclosing walls that are part of the MVP?
(Applicable to all BOMA Floor Area Measurement Standards)