Building Analysis & Programming
Testing a building against a program
Building analysis asks whether an existing or proposed building can serve the program, and at what cost. For existing buildings, examine the structural system and bay spacing, column grid, floor-to-floor height, MEP capacity and routing, elevator core and vertical transportation, egress, envelope condition, hazardous materials, and historic designation. A change of use or occupancy can trigger upgrades - separations, sprinklers, accessibility - so confirm what is actually triggered rather than assuming either a full retrofit or none at all.
For new construction, the same logic drives planning: stacking and blocking, core placement to shorten lease spans and improve daylight access, structural bay efficiency, service and loading access, expansion and phasing. Compare options with a decision matrix using weighted criteria, and prefer life-cycle cost over first cost.
Measure consistently: gross versus net (usable) area, rentable area under BOMA conventions, core factor, and efficiency ratio. Office efficiency commonly lands around 75–85% net-to-gross; a core factor of roughly 15–25% is typical.
Traps
- Assuming a change of occupancy is automatically permitted.
- Assuming every nonconforming existing condition must be corrected.
- Confusing rentable with usable area, or comparing options on first cost alone.
- Ignoring the floor-to-floor height needed for structure, ducts, and raised floors.
Rule of thumb
Core factor = core area ÷ gross floor area. Example: a 24,000 sf floor plate with a 4,800 sf core is a 20% core factor - reasonable, but the remaining area must still absorb corridor and wall loss to reach a realistic efficiency.