BOMA Int'l. and IFMA launches common floor area measurement definitions

According to the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), "A Unified Approach to Measuring Office Space," a report outlining common definitions for floor area measurements as well as major revisions to IFMA and BOMA's respective area measurement standards has been published. These common definitions will be incorporated into the standards supported by each organization, with the primary goal being to clarify building measurement and industry comparisons based on floor area measurements. Currently, IFMA recognizes "The ASTM Standard Classification for Building Floor Area Measurements for Facility Management," while BOMA supports "The ANSI/BOMA Standard Method for Measuring Floor Area in Office Buildings." Together, the two standards form the foundation for benchmarking and best practice. They are commonly used by facility professionals and building owners and managers to measure floor area in office buildings. "The major benefit of this publication is that it establishes common terms and approaches for measurement that each organization will use as they revise their respective standards," said Kent Gibson, CPM, BOMA chair of the working group and vice president of Zions Securities Corp. in Salt Lake City.