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Forum Categories BOMA 1996 - Office Buildings Question

How to classify/measure 3' thick stone walls

Andrew Bush: USGS; April 11, 2022

We have a lease which implements the 1996 BOMA standard. At issue is how to classify/measure 3' thick stone walls. At one time the subject walls were permanent exterior walls. After additions to the original structure, there are several of these 3' thick stone walls which are now interior walls, permanent interior walls. These walls cannot ever be moved or renovated in any significant way. The space occupied by these walls is not useable for any other purpose.

How should these walls be classified or measured for rent paying purposes? Should the space occupied by these permanent 3' thick stone walls be considered rentable space simply because the walls are not interior walls due to additions to the structure?

David Fingret: Extreme Measures Inc.; April 11, 2022

Hi Andrew,

There is nothing in the BOMA Office Standards that deal with the issue of unusually thick interior walls. It would be ok to simply include the walls in the area of the space that they occupy. There are a few of other things you might consider as well. You could possibly allocate the walls as Building Common Area if they still serve some sort of building function. You might also consider separately disclosing the area(s) as a separate tenant so that the space is included in the building analysis without impacting any tenant usable areas. If you would like to exclude the walls completely, this may be considered to be a bit outside of the standard. Regardless, I would recommend ensuring that all related output and documentation has appropriate disclaimers.

Thanks,
David