Space / Space Inventory

Usable Area (Concept)

Tenants require information on a floor's usable area when evaluating space offered by a building owner, and when allocating space for personnel and furniture. The amount of usable area can vary over the life of a building, as corridors expand and contract.

In the above floor plan, the building owner decided that secondary circulation would not be designated as service area, and so secondary circulation is included in the usable area.

How it is Calculated

A floor’s usable area is calculated by subtracting the service areas from the rentable area.

Usable area also equals the internal gross area minus the vertical penetration areas and service areas.