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Forum Categories BOMA 2010 - Retail Question

GLA Calculation for Movie Theatre

Scott Campbell: McLean & Kerr LLP; October 27, 2010

I am looking for assistance in the calculation method for the GLA of a movie theatre.

The movie theatre auditorium itself has steep seating which permits additional useable area underneath the seating level for party rooms.

We are trying to determine how to calculate both the theatre area and the area of the party rooms but can't find the applicable method in the ANSI/BOMA Z65.5-2010 retail standard.

Given that movie theatres are moving toward this style of steep seating, is there an industry standard for the calculation of the GLA of the various areas of useable space?

Any assistance would be appreciated.

David Fingret: Extreme Measures Inc.; October 28, 2010

Hi Scott,

This is a good question. You are correct in that there is no specific mention of this scenario in the BOMA Retail standard. If you are strictly applying the standard, it would appear that you cannot additionally calculate the area under the auditorium seating. The area of the theatre should be calculated at the ground level as if the seating was not there.

Designating a portion of the seating as Mezzanine (only one third of the floor area and calculated from the point at which you have 7 feet of clearance underneath) could be considered but I don't believe this would really follow the intentions of the standard.

We are not aware of any industry standard for calculating this type of space so you may want to consider customizing the provisions of the lease to incorporate the additional space enjoyed by the tenant.