Buildings Table: Field Reference

This topic documents all the Buildings table fields. A few of these fields are used by the Archibus Client / Server applications and are not used in the Web Central applications. When a field is not currently used, this is noted in the Purpose column.

The table is sorted alphabetically by Field Heading.

Field Heading Field Name Purpose Archibus Type
Account Code ac_id Stores the account to which expenses are billed for this building. Validated by the Accounts table. Maintaining accounts enables you to charge costs to accounts rather than to the components of organizational hierarchy, such as divisions or departments. You can filter some reports to show costs for specific accounts. None
Address 1 address1 Stores the complete street address, for example, 18 Tremont Street. The application uses the Address 1 field (along with the City Code and State Code) to calculate the longitude and latitude for a building, so that you can see it on map views. None
Address 2 address2 Stores any additional address information. Address 2 is used to place the item on the map only if Address 1 is left blank. None
Auto-estimate Balance Points? auto_est_balance_points

Balance points are the outside air temperature at which a building's heating or cooling systems begin to operate . If the Auto-estimate Balance Points? field is set to Yes, the Energy application calculates the balance points for your buildings as part of the weather model data it creates. If this field is set to No, you can manually enter these temperatures.

This field is entered when defining buildings from the Energy application.

None
Avg. Area per Emp. area_avg_em

This field is currently not used, and is therefore not calculated.

Calculated
Avg. Area per Floor area_avg_floor This field is currently not used, and is therefore not calculated. Calculated
Building Code bl_id This field stores the unique identifier for the building. None
Building Condition condition

This field stores the current condition of the building as New; Excellent; Good; Fair; Poor; Bad. These values are stored in an enumerated list.

The condition of an asset is a key factor in optimization analysis.

None
Building Contact contact_name Use this field to document the party to contact concerning the building. For example, you can enter the facility manager in charge of this building; if you lease the building, you might enter the landlord’s name. You can review contacts using the Building by Contact report. None
Building Graphic image_file

Not currently used.

Graphic
Building Name name This field stores a description of the building to distinguish the building in lists, such as drill-down lists. Desc
Building Occupancy count_occup

You enter this value to include the current building occupancy for both the areas you are leasing and the areas you are occupying. This value is summed for the property, and is used in calculations; for example, it is used to calculate the Occupancy Rate shown in the Property Abstract report (Building details section), and to calculate the Vacancy Rate in the Global Portfolio Dashboard.

None
Building Photo bldg_photo

This document field stores an image of the building, so that it is included in reports, such as the Leases and Suites by Buildings or Leases by Structures / Land reports (Portfolio application), or the Building / Structure / Land/ or Lease Details reports (Leases application.)

If your company uses the Archibus Space Book mobile app, you can complete this field with the name of a bitmap image representing the building. The Space Book app will include this image in building lists that it presents.

The bldg_photo field can be updated from several locations in Web Central, including when adding a building or defining a location.

Document
Building Use use1 A description of how the building is used (for example, office space, mixed use, hotel). This field is handy for sorting the records of building reports, such as the Building Abstract report. It is also used by Energy to filter reports, such as the Energy Consumption by Location, Energy Consumption Over Time, and the Annual Summary reports. It also can be used as part of the Energy Star building performance rating system managed by the EPA. The values for this field are stored as an enumerated list. None
Building Remaining Depreciated Value bl.value_deprec_remain Used for reporting Balance Sheet (Asset Value) Calculated
Campus Code campus_id

Typically, use the Sites table to store campus information.

However, if you are working with BUILDERTM SMS, you can complete the Campus Code field since BUILDERTM SMS uses campuses. The Archibus Extensions BUILDERTM SMS package includes aconnector that imports campus values and writes them to the Campuses (campus) table.

This field is validated by the Campuses (campus) table.

None
Campus Name campus Typically, use the Sites table to store campus information. None
City Code city_id

The city where the building is located. Validated by the Cities table.

The application uses the City Code field (along with the Address 1 and State Code) to calculate the longitude and latitude for a building, so that you can see it on map views.

None
Comments comments This field stores a brief description of the building location, condition, amenities, or dates of any renovations or modifications. None
Construction Type construction_type Choose a value from the enumerated list to describe the building’s general construction material (wood, concrete, block, brick). This field is used to filter reports, such as the Energy Manager / Facilities Director reports. None
Contact Phone contact_phone Use this field to document the phone number for the Building Contact. For example, you can enter the phone number for the facility manager in charge of this building; if you lease the building, you might enter the landlord’s phone number. You can review contacts using the Building by Contact report. None
Cooling Balance Point cooling_balance_point

The Energy application can determine the cooling balance point field based on data entered from your energy bills when you run the Update Calculations task to create the weather model data.

Alternately, you can manually enter this temperature. See the entry in this topic for Cooling Balance Point (User Defined).

None
Cooling Balance Point (User Defined) cooling_balance_point_manual

This is the manually entered outside air temperature (OAT) at which the cooling system in a building begins to operate. The cooling balance point is used to calculate cooling degree days, a measure of the demand for energy to cool the building.

To manually enter this field, you must select 'No' for the building's Auto-estimate Balance Points field, and enter the cooling balance points for the building using the Background Data - Facilities / Define Locations task.

Alternately, the system can determine the cooling balance point. See the entry in this topic for Cooling Balance Point.

None
Cooling Utility Type utility_type_cool The type of energy used to cool the building. The Cooling Utility Type is used by the Energy application's weather model calculations. The Business Process Owner defines these as Bill Types. The Business Process Owner then associates a cooling utility type with specific buildings. None
Cost per Area cost_sqft Use this field to record the cost of 1 square meter or 1 square foot of the building (depending on the area measurement standard you are using). Typically, an accountant in your organization will determine the cost of one square foot of area and provide you with this figure. The Cost Per Area is used to calculate the Cost Per Employee benchmark shown in the Building Abstract report. None
Country Code ctry_id The country where the building is located. To have the building appear in KPI charts grouped by location, enter this geographic information for the building. Validated by the Countries (ctry) table. None
Criticality criticality

A numeric field to document the importance of the building to your enterprise's mission. The value is entered as a whole number from 1 to 9 using whatever definition of these numbers you find useful.

Criticality is a key factor used to evaluate an asset for re-purposing, refurbishing, relocating, or disposing.

None
Date Book Value Assessed date_book_val Use this field to record the date the book value was determined to help you evaluate if the book value needs updating. None
Date Built date_bl Use this field to record the date the building was built. This date is included in some reports, such as the Building Abstract and Building Details reports None
Date Costs Calculated date_costs_last_calcd Each time you generate the Building Abstract or Property and Building Benchmark reports, the system updates the Date Costs Calculated field,(along with the Date Costs Start, and Date Costs End fields) based on the dates entered in the Filter console when you last generated the report. If you are unsure as to the financial data that a report presents, you can check the value for these fields shown in the reports. None
Date Costs End date_costs_end Each time you generate the Building Abstract or Property and Building Benchmark reports, the system updates the Date Costs End field (along with the Date Costs Calculated and Date Costs Start fields) based on the dates entered in the Filter console when you last generated the report. If you are unsure as to the financial data that a report presents, you can check the value for these fields shown in the reports. None
Date Costs Start date_costs_start Each time you generate the Building Abstract or Property and Building Benchmark reports, the system updates the Date Costs Start field,(along with the Date Costs Calculated and Date Costs End fields) based on the dates entered in the Filter console when you last generated the report. If you are unsure as to the financial data that a report presents, you can check the value for these fields shown in the reports. None
Date Disposed date_disposal The date the building was disposed of. This date is entered using the Asset Disposal Console. None
Date Market Value Assessed date_market_val Use this field to record the date the market value was determined to help you evaluate if the market value needs updating. None
Date of Rehab date_rehab Use this field to record the date the building was renovated. This date is included in some reports, such as the Building Abstract and Building Details reports None
Detail Drawing detail_dwg

This field associates the building's database record with a CAD drawing that details the building. To complete this field, enter the drawing name, but not the .DWG extension.

This detail drawing can be used to create a location hierarchy of assets that you might want to drill down through. Currently, the use of Detail Drawings to drill down is used only n the Space Book mobile app.

None
Disposal Comments comment_disposal When a building is disposed of using the Asset Disposal Console, use this field to store any comments about the disposal. None
Disposal type disposal_type This field describes how the asset was disposed of, for example, by selling, donating, or discarding. It is recorded using the Asset Disposal Console. None
Drawing Name dwgname If you represented the building with an asset symbol in a drawing, the system automatically completes this field with the asset symbol’s drawing name. Dwgname
Efficiency Rate (U/R) ratio_ur

The Usable / Rentable (U/R) ratio shows how much of a floor's space is dedicated to service area. This is also known as the efficiency rate because it indicates how well the building was designed

Calculated when you generate the Building Abstract report as:

Building's Usable Area / Building's Rentable Area

Calculated
Energy Baseline Period Start energy_baseline_year

The starting month and year that determines the energy baseline period that is used as the basis of comparison for energy consumption for a building. This period could be right before you made some change in your energy program; so that you can compare energy consumption before the change was implemented to subsequent years when the change was in effect. Alternately, to see how a building's energy consumption is trending, you can select any starting point for the baseline period.

You specify the starting point for the energy baseline period for each building from the Energy application when you enter building information using the Background Data - Facilities / Define Locations task.

None
Entity Handle / Unique ID ehandle If you represented the building with an asset symbol in a drawing, the system automatically completes this field with the asset symbol’s entity handle. When querying the drawing, the Archibus Smart Client Extension for AutoCAD uses the values in the Entity Handle field to quickly find the asset symbols Ehandle
Expense - Oper. Total cost_operating_total

This amount summarizes a building's operating expenses as net income; the operating expenses are subtracted from any incidental income for the OPERATING EXP cost type.

This sum is calculated when you generate the Building Abstract report as:

Sum of (Income minus Expense) values for cost records or the building whose Cost Category Cost Type is OPERATING EXP

Calculated
Expense - Other Total cost_other_total

This field summarizes expenses for cost types other than the major categories of TAX, UTILITY, or OPERATING EXP.

This sum is calculated when you generate the Building Abstract report as.

Sum of (Expense) values for cost records whose Cost Category Cost Type is NOT IN (TAX, UTILITY, OPERATING EXP.)

Calculated
Expense - Tax Total cost_tax_total

This amount summarizes a building's tax expenses as net income; the tax expenses are subtracted from any incidental income for the TAX cost type.

This sum is calculated when you generate the Building Abstract report as.

Sum of (Income minus Expense) values for cost records whose Cost Category Cost Type is TAX

Calculated
Expense - Utility Total cost_utility_total

This amount summarizes a building's utility expenses as net income; the utility expenses are subtracted from any incidental income for the UTILITY cost type.

This sum is calculated when you generate the Building Abstract report as:

Sum of (Income minus Expense) values for cost records whose Cost Category Cost Type is UTILITY

Calculated
Ext. Gross Area area_gross_ext If you are not depicting your floor in a CAD drawing, you can manually enter the size of the floor in this field. The Space calculations will use the value that you enter. If you are developing this area in CAD drawings, the system will complete it with the size of the external gross area asset symbol. None
Ext. Wall Area area_ext_wall

The thickness of the outer building shell. External wall area is calculated as the difference between the external and internal gross areas; it usually consists of building materials such as concrete or steel.

Knowing the external wall area is useful for construction cost and gross area reporting.

Calculated
GIS Object ID geo_objectid When using advanced map features, if you are maintaining asset geometry outside the Archibus environment (rather than with the Smart Client Extensions), you export this field from ArcGIS Map Services, so that it can be imported into Archibus. None
Group Bldg. Common Area area_bl_comn_gp

Calculated by the chargeback routine as:

Sum of group areas with prorate = BUILDING, plus sum of Floor Remaining Area if prorate field is set to BUILDING.

Calculated
Heating Balance Point heating_balance_point

The Energy application can determine the heating balance point field based on data entered from your energy bills when you run the Update Calculations task to create the weather model data.

Alternately, you can manually enter this temperature. See the entry in this topic for Heating Balance Point (User Defined).

None
Heating Balance Point (User Defined) heating_balance_point_manual

This is the manually entered outside air temperature (OAT) at which the heating system in a building begins to operate. The heating balance point is used to calculate heating degree days, a measure of the demand for energy to heat the building.

To manually enter this field, you must select 'No' for the building's Auto-estimate Balance Points field, and enter the heating balance points for the building using the Background Data - Facilities / Define Locations task.

Alternately, the system can determine the heating balance point. See the entry in this topic for Heating Balance Point.

None
Heating Utility Type utility_type_heat The type of energy used to heat the building. The Heating Utility Type is used by the Energy application's weather model calculations. The Business Process Owner defines these as Bill Types The Business Process Owner then associates a heating utility type with specific buildings. None
Income - Total income_total

Use this field to review income-producing costs for a building, for example, fees or rent you receive from a tenant. This amount summarizes income for a building for cost types that are not TAX, UTILITY, or OPERATING EXP.

Calculated when you generate the Building Abstract report as.

Sum of (Expense) values for cost records whose Cost Category Cost Type is NOT IN (TAX, UTILITY, OPERATING EXP.)

Calculated
Int. Gross Area area_gross_int

If you are not depicting your floor in a CAD drawing, you can manually enter the size of the floor in this field. The Space calculations will use the value that you enter. If you are developing this area in CAD drawings, the system will complete it with the size of the internal gross area asset symbol.

Archibus uses the internal gross area as the basis to derive all floor area calculations; therefore, you must represent internal gross area in each of your floor drawings.

For example, the system uses the Int. Gross Area to calculate the remaining area:

Internal Gross Area - Total Area = Remaining Area

None
Latitude lat

The building's latitude that is calculated from the building's street address (Address 1 field), City and State Codes when you run the Geocode action for the building. This enables you to view the building on a map.

The geocode action is available from the Energy application, the Real Property's map views, and the Define Locations task.

Calculated
Longitude lon

The building's longitude that is calculated from the building's street address (Address 1 field), City and State Codes when you run the Geocode action for the building. This enables you to view the building on a map.

The geocode action is available from the Energy application, the Real Property's map views, and the Define Locations task.

Calculated
Max. Bldg. Occupancy count_max_occup

Complete this field with the maximum building occupancy for both the areas you are leasing and the areas you are occupying. This value is used in calculations; for example, to calculate the Occupancy Rate for the building shown in the Property Abstract report (Building details section), and to calculate the Vacancy Rate in the Global Portfolio Dashboard.

The occupancy rate = (Building Occupancy/ Max. Bldg. Occupancy) * 100.

None
Non-Occup. Bldg. Common Area area_bl_comn_nocup

Calculated by the chargeback routine as:

Sum of RMPCT Allocated Room Area with prorate = BUILDING and occupiable = 0 and used_in_calcs IN ('all_totals')

Calculated
Number of Floors count_fl This field stores the number of floors in he building. This value is not calculated by the system and can differ from the number of Floor records assigned to this building. None
Occupancy Count count_em

The Occupancy Count = total number of occupants assigned to the building , as calculated by the Occupancy / Background Data / Update Employee Headcounts task.

This values is shown in the Building Abstract report.

Calculated
Occupiable Bldg. Common Area area_bl_comn_ocup

Calculated by the chargeback routine as:

Sum of RMPCT Allocated Room Area with prorate = BUILDING and occupiable = 1 and used_in_calcs IN ('all_totals'), plus sum of Floor Remaining Area if prorate field is set to BUILDING.

Calculated
Option 1 option1 This field is available to use when customizing the application. None
Option 2 option2 This field is available to use when customizing the application. None
Pending Action pending_action

This field stores the description of where the building is in the disposal process. These values are stored in an enumerated list: N/A (for not being considered for disposal); Mark for Disposal; Mark for Donation; Mark for Evaluation; Mark for Refurbish; Mark for Repurpose.

This value is entered using Assets domain's Asset Disposal Console.

None
Postal Code zip This field stores the postal code for the building. The postal code appears in some reports, such as the View Buildings by Building Status report. You can sort this report by Postal Code. None
Property Code pr_id The unique identifier for the property on which the building is located. Validated by the Properties (property) table. None
Real Property Unique Identifier grp_uid

Archibus provides the non-validating Real Property Unique Identifier (grp_uid) field in the Property (property), Building (bl) and Equipment (eq) tables for deployments looking to link US Federal Registry assets to Archibus asset inventory tables.

None
Region Code regn_id This field stores the region where the building is located. Validated by the values in the Regions (regn) table. None
Remaining Area area_remain

This is the amount of area that was not captured in the space inventory, and is being charged to departments. The chargeback routine calculates the remaining area for each floor and sums remaining area to the building as:

area_gross_int - (area_rm + area_gp)

The Remaining Area report shows the remaining area for each floor and sums remaining area to the building.

Calculated
Rentable Area area_rentable

The area in a building that is leased, or could be leased, to a tenant. Rentable area indicates the total income-producing area of a building, and is useful for analyzing the economic potential of a building.

A building's rentable area is the sum of the Rentable Areas for all floors located in the building. Archibus calculates a floor's rentable area by subtracting its vertical penetration areas from the internal gross area when the Update Area Totals action is run. This field appears in the Building Abstract, Lease Abstract, Rent Roll, Lease Benchmarks, and Property and Building Benchmarks reports.

Calculated
Room Bldg. Common Area area_bl_comn_rm

Not currently used.

Calculated
RU Ratio (R/U) ratio_ru

The Rentable / Usable ratio indicates how much of a facility's space is dedicated to service area, and therefore describes efficiency from a leasing standpoint. It describes how well you are using the rentable space.

This value is calculated when you generate the Building Abstract or Property and Building Benchmarks report as.

The building's Rentable area / the building's Usable area

Calculated
Service Area area_serv

Sum of room areas assigned to rmcat.supercat of SERV for the building. This value is used to calculate the building's usable area.

Calculated when you run the Update Area Totals action.

Calculated
Service Building Common Area area_bl_comn_serv

Calculated by the chargeback routine as:

Sum of Service Areas with prorate set to BUILDING

Calculated
Site Code site_id This field stores the site where the building is located. Validated by the values in the Sites (site) table. None
Standard Area Per Employee std_area_per_em

This field stores the typical amount of area used by an employee situated in this building,

Used by the Portfolio Forecasting and Portfolio Forecasting applications to calculate the area for an allocation event based on employee headcount.

None
State Code state_id This field stores the state where the building is located. Validated by the values in the States (states) table. None
Status status

This field stores the ownership status of the building, The system can generate the status based on information you enter for the building. In the case of buildings, the status field is used to help identify buildings that need to be evaluated for disposal, refurbishment, or repurposing. See Status Definitions for Assets for a description of all statuses.

For Buildings, some statuses are set by the system, such as:

  • Owned property or buildings are assigned a system-generated Ownership Transaction ID and a status of 'Owned" when you set the Transaction Status to 'Owned" on the Ownership tab of the Portfolio Edit Wizard for that building or property using the Real Property application..
  • Leased property or buildings are associated with a lease that has the Is Signed? field set to Yes. You can set the Is Signed? field using any of the Add / Edit tasks in the Portfolio or Leases applications.
  • Sold property or buildings have the Transaction Status set to 'Disposed.' in the Ownership Transaction section of the Building, Structure, or Land tabs of the Portfolio Edit Wizard. This also sets the building's Status to Sold.
  • Disposed. When you set the Disposal Type to Sell or Discard, the Building Status is set to Disposed.
  • Donated. When you set the Disposal Type to Donated, the Building Status is set to Donated.

The Building Status is shown in the Asset Registry. You can review Building Status in the Buildings by Building Status, All Properties Yearly Financial Summary by Country, Property Financial Summary, and Undeveloped Properties reports.

None
Suite Area area_su

The sum of the Area - Usable fields of all suites assigned to the floors that are assigned to this building. The Area - Usable field is derived from suites developed in CAD.

You can highlight the buildings in the Manage Buildings by Location map view by Total Suite Usable Area.

UsableCalculated
Total Emp. Dept. Area (fld not used) area_emp_dp This field is not used. Calculated
Total Group Area area_gp

Calculated by the chargeback routine as:

Sum of group areas.

Calculated
Total Group Common Area area_gp_comn

Calculated by the chargeback routine as:

Sum of group areas with prorate = FLOOR, plus Floor Remaining Area if prorate field is set to FLOOR.

Calculated
Total Group Dept. Area area_gp_dp

Calculated by the chargeback routine as:

Sum of group area assigned to divisions and departments

Calculated
Total Lease Negotiated Area area_ls_negotiated

The sum of the Area - Negotiated Rentable field of the leases that are assigned to this building.

It is calculated when you generate the Property and Building Benchmarks reports.

Calculated
Total Non-Occup. Area area_nocup

Calculated when the Update Area Totals action is run from the Space domain, or from the Real Property's Chargeback Cost Wizard.

Calculated as:

Sum of room areas assigned to rmcat with occupiable = 0 and used_in_calcs IN ('all_totals')

Calculated
Total Non-Occup. Common Area area_nocup_com

Calculated when the Update Area Totals action is run:

Sum of room areas with prorate <> NONE and occupiable = 0 and used_in_calcs IN ('all_totals')

Calculated
Total Non-Occup. Dept. Area area_nocup_dp

Calculated when the Update Area Totals action is run from the Space domain, or from the Real Property's Chargeback Cost Wizard.:

Sum of room areas assigned to departments with occupiable = 0 and used_in_calcs IN ('all_totals')

Calculated
Total Occup. Area area_ocup

This is the sum of the building's room areas that are assigned to a room category that has the Occupiable? field set to Yes. Calculated when you generate the Building Abstract report.

Use this field to review the total occupiable area for a building, and to compare this building to others. Comparing the occupiable area to the building's Usable Area helps you assess if any of your service area has been classified as occupiable and can potentially be used to assign personnel.

Calculated
Total Occup. Common Area area_ocup_comn

This is the sum of the building's room areas that are prorated to the building and that are assigned to a room category that has the Occupiable? field set to Yes. Use this area to assess how much of the common area that is being charged back to departments is occupiable.

Calculated when the Update Area Totals action is run from one of the processes for the Space Inventory & Personnel application or when you generate the Building Abstract report.

Calculated
Total Occup. Dept. Area area_ocup_dp

Sum of the Total Occupiable Dept for the building's floors.

sum(fl.area_ocup_dp)

Calculated when the Update Area Totals action is run from one of the processes for the Space Inventory & Personnel application or when you generate the Building Abstract report.

Calculated
Total Room Area area_rm

Sum of the room area for each floor in the building. Calculated when the Update Area Totals action is run from one of the processes for the Space Inventory & Personnel application or when you generate chargeback from the Cost Chargeback Wizard,. This value is used in the Room Inventory reports.

Use this field for an understanding of the way rooms are used throughout your buildings.

Calculated
Total Room Common Area area_rm_com

Sum of room areas for the building with prorate <> NONE

Calculated when the Update Area Totals action is run from one of the processes for the Space Inventory & Personnel application, or when you generate chargeback from the Cost Chargeback Wizard,

Calculated
Total Room Dept. Area area_rm_dp

Sum of room area assigned to divisions and departments for the building.

Calculated when the Update Area Totals action is run from one of the processes for the Space Inventory & Personnel application, or when you generate chargeback from the Cost Chargeback Wizard

Calculated
Usable Area area_usable

A building's useable area is the sum of all Usable Areas of floors located in the building.

Calculated when you run the Update Area Totals action as:

Rentable Area - Total Service Area

Calculated
Value - Book value_book This field stores the book value for the building. This field is summed for geographic locations, and is shown in dashboard key performance indicator charts that help you look for profit opportunities in your current portfolio. The Property and Building Benchmarks report provides the minimum, maximum, and average for this value for the properties included in the report None
Value - Market value_market This field stores the market value for the building. This field is summed for geographic locations, and is shown in dashboard key performance indicator charts that help you look for profit opportunities in your current portfolio. The Property and Building Benchmarks report provides the minimum, maximum, and average for this value for the properties included in the report None
Vert. Pen. Area area_vert_pen

Sum of room areas assigned to rmcat.supercat of VERT for the building.

The Vertical Penetration Area is used to calculate rentable area. It is calculated when you run the Update Area Totals action.

Calculated
Weather Agency Providing Data weather_source_id The name of the agency providing weather station data. By default, this is the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Used by the Energy application when calculating weather model data. None
Weather Station Code weather_station_id You select the weather stations from a list of weather stations shown to you on a map when running the Update Calculations task from the Energy application.. None