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Forum Categories BOMA 1996 - Office Buildings Question

3 surfaces for dominant portion

Emily Freeman: Underhill Geomatics Ltd.; July 2, 2013

Hi,

I have a situation where I have 3 different types of surfaces for the dominant portion. From the floor up, there is a wall that is 3.24 feet, then from there inside face of glass that goes for 4.04 feet, then, because the building slopes inward as you go up there is another 1.21 feet up along an angled wall to the actual ceiling (total height for to ceiling is 8.50 feet. I hope this makes sense, note that the only sloped portion in the 1.21 feet near the ceiling. So where would the dominant portion be?

Thanks,

Adam Fingret: Extreme Measures Inc.; July 2, 2013

Hi Emily,

The BOMA 1996 Standard does not provide guidance for multi-part walls where none of the surfaces constitute 50% or more of the floor-to-ceiling height, so you won't find a perfect answer to your question. As such, you will have to take a best-practices approach to the problem.

In my opinion, it both reasonable and defensible for you to deem the glass dominant, chiefly because it is the "most dominant" surface. Also, window glazing is a very common surface to measure to when conducting BOMA measurements and there isn't anything unusual about measuring space this way.

If you are still concerned, make sure you note your decision on relevant plans and and supporting documentation to ensure full transparency.