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Would a AHU closet for a server room that is within a tenant space be defined as a "mechanical room" and should it be classified under Building Service Area or Floor Service Area?
the AHU closet is not inside of the server room. the Tenant space is being renovated and the AHU closet currently exists. a server room is being proposed adjacent to the AHU closet and the intent is for the AHU to serve the Server Room only.
All rooms that I have mentioned are within the proposed tenant space.
Hi Brad,
It sounds like the AHU (Air Handling Unit) closet and Server Room will be there solely for the benefit of the tenant. In such as case, the entire area of the AHU and Server Room should be part of the tenant's area. Otherwise, as common area, other tenants would be paying a proportionate share of it, which would not be fair to those other tenants.
So the room/closet for the servers AHU would not be considered Building Service Area or Floor Service Area? I may be thinking about this incorrectly I was reading another posted topic at;
https://secure.xmeasures.com/forum/discussion.php?tID=186.
would you be able to clarify?
Hi Brad,
That is a different situation. In that post, there are several small mechanical rooms approximately the same size in each tenant space. The idea in my response was to proportionately allocate these necessary mechanical rooms as building common area, rather than allocating each of them directly to the tenant. This way, the 2,000 sq ft tenant with a 50 sq ft mechanical room doesn't have a benefit over the 1,000 sq ft tenant with a 50 sq ft mechanical room.
In your scenario, I assumed that the mechanical room is unique to a certain tenant and used solely for that tenant, because you are proposing to build the server room and the existing AHU closet will service that server room. It sounds like this is not a mechanical room necessary for the operation of the building and is rather a tenant improvement. You should ask yourself if it would be fair if other tenants on the floor or in the building were paying a proportionate share of the space in question. If your answer is no, than the only logical and fair allocation is occupant area.
Thanks,
OK. I think. so even if a room is labeled mechanical room(regardless of size), not intended as office(furnished, finished, etc.. ) but exists inside the tenant space it would not be considered Building Service area or Floor Service area in would be included on the Usable Area Calculation? I guess the BOMA definition of mechanical rooms in Building Service Area seems a little grey to me. It makes sense when it is looked at the mechanical room is supplying the common area. I guess I am also confused about the usability of the mechanical room inside the tenant space.