Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Agenda
Introduction
Key Commercial Definitions
Commercial Clients?
How do we meet our Clients Requirements?
Any other questions
Introduction
Commercial Clients
Who are our Clients and how do they effect construction costs?
Owner Occupiers
Developers
Tenants
Commercial Clients?
Owner Occupiers
Owner occupier specific requirements
Compliant with their business motto
Company policies (ie: their own vision of sustainability, modern,
open plan etc).
International standards rolled out across the globe.
Company Safety Requirements.
Locations (ie: vicinity to nearby residential areas, access to
main roads and highways etc.)
Commercial Clients?
Developers
Make buildings that are attractive to tenants (ie: finishes,
modern external facades, iconic / signature building etc.)
Compliant to the business needs of the landlords and tenants
Building specification pitched at the right audience
finishes and fit out grade, floor to ceiling heights, large
spans for studios
Compliance with their sustainability policies the use of eco
friendly products, green / brown roofs, high LEED /
Estidama Pearl ratings, Photovoltaics etc.
Looking to increase profitability of the development (ie:
inclusion of retail units etc.)
Commercial Clients?
Tenants
Specific business requirements such as:
Building Autonomies/Redundancies
Additional Services (Gyms, Shops etc)
MEP Equipment Capabilities
Company Image
Landlord Rental Requests
Design Efficiency
The key design drivers under examination in this section are:
Floor plate design
Net to gross efficiency
Core efficiency
Faade and envelope strategy; wall to floor ratio
Structural solution
Design Efficiency
Floor plate design
The shape and form of a floor plate is one of the largest contributors to the success of the design
and cost.
Its form influences architectural, structural and servicing strategies, in addition to more fundamental
economic, planning and aesthetic considerations.
The layout and plan of the typical floor plate has a direct influence on the net to gross efficiency and
the wall to floor ratio which both in turn affect the construction costs.
The square or rectangular floor plan is a simple and effective shape for office design.
The irregular floor plate generates greater articulation in the faade and requires proportionally
more faade area which reduces the wall to floor ratio and increases the cost/sqm.
Design Efficiency
Net to gross efficiency
The net to gross ratio plays an important element in the appraisal of spatial requirements, as it
reflects the proportion of usable space relative to the space lost to circulation, structure and
services.
Irregular floor shape and /or enlarged cores reduce building efficiency and increase the cost/sqm.
A good net to gross efficiency on a typical office floor should be 80-90%. Overall it should be
65-75% depending on the height of the building.
Design Efficiency
Core efficiency
Well planned cores are key in order to improve the net to gross efficiency.
Careful consideration of staircases and plant space is necessary, together with the lifting strategy,
WCs and circulation space, in relation to net lettable floor area.
Design Efficiency
Faade and envelope strategy
The wall to floor ratio is a well used indicator of cost efficiency of a building a low figure indicates
better efficiency and lower cost/sqm. 0.35 is regarded as very efficient. Significant articulation /
indentation will push it over 0.50
E.g. 0.05 increase in wall:floor ratio on a 200,000 m 2 building, with a faade costing AED 4,200 m 2,
will result in a circa 3% increase in shell and core cost.
Design Efficiency
Structural solutions
A number of structure forms may be optioneered early in the design
stage.
Structural solution will depend on loading, shape and form, height, fire
protection and speed of construction.
Optimum solution in UAE has traditionally been concrete frame.
Alternative steel solutions becoming more common as the UAE
market and supply chain develops, commodity prices fluctuate and
availability of local steel improves.
Combined steel and concrete solutions are also becoming more
common
Relative costs of steel vs concrete vary with building form and shape.
Other Factors
Local Authority Requirements
UPC Car Parking Requirements
Provision of Prayer Rooms
Floor to Ceiling Heights
Means of escape, occupancy load and fire resistance
Provisions for the disabled
Sourcing of materials (illegal to source from certain countries)
Minimum building specification requirements (ie: health and safety
regulations, to cope with the heat and dust in the U.A.E. etc.)
Single Tenancy versus Multi Tenancy
Single Use
Multiple Use
(yesterday)
(today)
(tomorrow?)
MONOCENTRIC
POLICENTRIC
NETWORK