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Forum Categories BOMA 2017 - Office Buildings Question

Structural Exterior Walls - Boundary Area

Leila: VCA; November 6, 2023

I understand the Boundary Area is defined by the dominant vertical interior surface of the exterior wall. The plan I'm referencing has windows that are dominant and about 6ft of brick wall between the windows. We don't have existing drawings of the original building, but we believe the walls between these windows have rebar and act structurally for the building. If that is the case and the walls are acting like columns here, would they be treated as columns when drawing the Boundary Area even though there is no formal steel or concrete column in the wall? If so, then the Boundary area would be defined by the glazing and could run through the center of the entire exterior wall.

David Fingret: Extreme Measures Inc.; November 7, 2023

Hi Leila,

Columns and Projections are ignored according to the Dominant Portion Boundary Condition. A structural wall would not be considered a column or a projection. The BOMA 2017 Office Standard further clarifies this in the "Special Conditions - Perimeter Columns" section, stating:

"Structural columns (and other building support systems necessary to the Building) occurring along the Building Enclosure which protrude towards the interior of the Building are ignored when establishing the Boundary Area on any given Floor"

To summarize, you can ignore any structural protrusions that protrude from the Building Enclosure wall, but not the wall itself. I would recommend reviewing the Boundary Conditions and the Perimeter Columns Special Condition carefully as there might other information there that is relevant to your project.

Thanks,
David