Improve your standards

The possibility to assess the class of the building is of great value for all the market players: developers, funds, tenants, agents and designers. Therefore we have captured the best practice in terms of office design, efficiency and occupational standards for the benefit of the industry. The below classification should be applied equally in all the markets, also the regional ones. The secondary and tertiary cities aspire to attract world class tenants and investors. In order to compete with Warsaw as well as other regional hubs in Europe, the possibility to compare the standards of the buildings is valuable.

Thus we hope that the guide will facilitate many design processes, help to understand the requirements of particular standards and to determine many briefs, specifications and costs of a particular building type. It might be particularly helpful with controlling cost and quality as the outline specification can be agreed early in the planning process. It also conveys the latest trends in technology and addresses today’s user expectations. We believe that all those factors significantly impact the understanding of the building classes as this is a continual process.

Where quality matters

There are 20 key criteria for determining office quality standards. As some criteria are more important than others, 12 of them are treated as obligatory (OB), as they comprise non-negotiable fundamentals in good office design. The other eight criteria are treated as an option to achieve a particular classification (AD). The absence of two or three of the additional criteria may not necessarily preclude a building from achieving a Class ‘A’ rating. There are also lower measures for B and C classes. Also, all 20 quality criteria might be divided into five groups concerning different parts of the buildings and deployment aspects. These include Building Stature, Building Space, Building Technical, Building Comfort and Building Sustainability.

Class A buildings should meet at least 17 out of 20 standard requirements (12 obligatory + 5 additional). A Class B+ property is expected to meet at least 15 out of 20 standard requirements (12 obligatory + 3 additional), while Class B buildings should meet at least 13 out of 20 standard requirements (12 obligatory + 1 additional). Class C office buildings must meet any 12 and fewer out of 20 standard requirements. You will find them listed below:

Building Stature

• Landmark Status (AD) – allows to assess if the property is a landmark building recognized in a local context by brand name and/or visibility

Recommendations: Landmark status and/or strong defining character or quality is required to achieve this grade

Building Space

• Internal Layout and Grids (AD) – helps to recognize highly flexible internal design, flexible layout grid and efficient plan with a good net to gross ratio

Internal layout and grid recommendations: when planning grid – 1.35m related to facade divisions. Standard office module – 2.7m x 5.4m plus corridor of appropriate width (min 1.4m without any obstructions, usually 1.6-1.8m), column grid – to suit 1.35m planning grid – an 8.1m column grid centre to centre (unless extenuating circumstances apply). Parking bays must be fully clear of columns. Central columns should be offset from parking bay front line to avoid clash with notional circulation zone.

Office efficiency recommendations: achieve maximum pct net to gross ratio for particular type of the building, allow at least 13 cubic meters volume of free space per person and 2 sqm area of free space per person. For offices lower than 3m from floor to ceiling allow at least 15 cubic meters volume of free space per person

• Lobby/Reception (OB) – allows to examine if lobby is well-designed and reception features 24 hour concierge service, if lobby and reception area are appropriately sized and designed for the building’s size and use

Recommendations: well-designed reception space and facilities suitable for the particular building type, 24-hour secured access, reception space designed to provide good access control at the entrance level and to properly organize people’s flow. Lobbies or central reception spaces are important elements of high class office buildings. They form the first impression for visitors. They must be well-designed, well-lit, be welcoming and obvious from the outside. There is no simple recipe as to how to design the perfect reception. It will depend on many factors such as location and size of the building, its class, number of entrances, etc. Quality of finish is an important aspect of these considerations. The main lobby or reception combined with the BMS room, common ground floor WCs and backrooms, etc., should have an appropriate size but not exceed 5-6 pct of the building’s net area. This space is defined as a part of the ‘add-on factor’.

• Common Area Provision (OB) – confirms if cores are to be well planned and appropriately sized to service the building occupants

Recommendations: minimum recommended standards for toilet provision should include 1 washbasin for every 20 people, 1 WC for every 20 women, 1 WC plus 1 urinal for every 30 men, 1 cubicle for ambulant disabled, cleaner’s cupboard at each floor, if number of people is fewer than 10 toilet may be unisex, maximum travel distance to sanitary accommodation not exceeding 75m (50m for disabled). Compact core arrangement, a minimal additional corridor access for multi tenanted arrangements, showers

• Car Park and Servicing (OB) – verifies good accessibility and car park provision for tenants and visitors, good access for deliveries and building management services are essential for modern office buildings

Recommendations: 10 pct of spaces for disabled are considered to be good practice, providing taxi drop-off points and good access for commercial and public vehicles on site is beneficial, cycle racks and motorbike spaces, the installation of city bike stations nearby

Building Technical

• Lift Service (OB) – verifies a minimum lift provision with a maximum waiting time of 30 seconds

Recommendations: lifts should be designed to achieve an 80 pct loading, while passenger handling capacity should reach 15 pct of total building population in a 5 minute period. The installation of goods lift should be considered for buildings larger than 5,000 sqm and provided for properties of over 10,000 sqm. A second goods lift should be considered for buildings larger than 25,000 sqm - 30,000 sqm. At least one lift suitable for stretchers shall be provided. This might be a goods lift if it serves all the floors and meets dimensions criteria.

• Ceilings and Lighting (OB) – allows to examine provision of a modern ceiling with efficient lighting to meet minimum standards

Recommendations: office buildings should be equipped with the most modern energy efficient lighting systems as the lighting energy consumption is a vital factor in energy efficiency of the whole building. Avoiding high contrasts, light blinking and glare could reduce fatigue and discomfort of office staff. According to building regulations for general office use the maintained illuminance level shall not be less than 300 Lux. For computer based tasks it should have at least 500 Lux and in corridors not less than 100 Lux. In addition to fulfilling minimum levels of illumination on the working area, e.g. desk surface, the minimum lighting levels for the rest of the surface must be satisfied. Light sources give a wide range of colour impressions related to their colour temperature described in Kelvin degrees: warm impression (below 3000K), neutral colour impression (3300-5300K), cool colour impression (above 5300K). The higher the illumination level is, the higher temperature of light source shall be used. For the offices best colour temperature is 3000K or 4000K depending on whether warm or neutral lighting is required. Colour rendering index (Ra) for office areas shall not be less than 0.8.

• Small Power (OB) – tests good small power provision meeting minimum requirements

Recommendations: small power requirements (loading diversified), lighting at the level of 10-15W/sqm, office equipment and air conditioning at the level of 50W/sqm, some spare ways at riser distribution boards shall also be provided

• BMS Systems (OB) – helps to if there is there is a modern BMS system that controls the access and security, fire, life safety systems and other building services

Recommendations: to install a BMS to control/ monitor internal environment, including heating/ cooling/lighting in an easily zoned fashion, central security control, fire alarms and access for firemen at ground level, overall energy efficiency

• Cabling (OB) – verifies the provision of space for cabling and IT infrastructure

Recommendations: intake/frame rooms – some IT/telecoms providers will require dedicated rooms at the point of the services entry into the building (usually at the basement level). Ideally, access routes for external data cables should be separated by a minimum distance of 10m, allow for server rooms (to provide suitable slab loading capacity bearings for servers, IT and cooling equipment), allow for telecoms risers which are separated from electrical risers and minimum two redundant risers, allow for flexible raised floor

• Tenants’ Plant Space Provision (AD) – requires the capability to accommodate additional devices and services that might be used by tenants within the building, such as IT rooms, satellite dishes, etc.

Recommendations: allow space for satellite dishes, additional cooling capacity ( for separate tenant cooling system), IT intake rooms at the basement level, tenants’ services in mechanical and electrical risers, tenants’ power generator and UPS, gas suppression system for IT rooms

• Power Supplies (OB) – confirms the provision of multiple power sources to ensure a constant power supply in the event of a local power grid failure

Recommendations: alternative power can be provided via the use of a generator unit or a second independent power supply from a different mains circuit from the primary supply, standby generator provided for life safety systems (if required), the provision of space for tenants generators may depend on the number of tenants

• Floors (AD) – recognizes the provision of a raised floor

Recommendations: 120 – 150mm overall depth min. 90mm clear access zone 300mm for deeper floors (18m + core to facade), 300mm – 500mm for sub-floor air conditioning, 500 or 600mm square metal floor tiles, point loads of 3.0KN (over 25mm2)

• Structure (OB) – helps to assess if there are minimum structural loading floor capacities for each office floor level with an area allocated for high loading levels on each floor

Building Comfort

• Amenities (AD) – checks the good local provision of amenities either on site or close by

Recommendations: good access to local amenities for lunch, convenience shopping/ banking etc. is a must

• Daylighting (AD) – verifies good levels of natural daylighting, at least 70 pct of net lettable area to be located within 6m of an external window, while minimum floor to ceiling height must be 2.7m

Floor to ceiling height recommendations: ceiling height – open plan minimum height 3.00m required under the Polish law but lower heights can be achieved with a SANEPID relaxation, minimum height for Class A offices is 2.7m

Window design and daylighting recommendations: 1:8 window area to floor area ratio, minimum 70 pct of the area to be located within 6m of a window

• Heating, Cooling & Ventilation (OB) – ensures the provision of a modern system of heating, cooling, ventilation and humidity control to achieve good quality of internal climate
• Noise (OB) – assess if the building provides a quiet office environment to meet minimum standards

Recommendations: to keep noise levels as low level as possible to increase the comfort of the office environment

Building Sustainability

• Sustainability Standards for the Design and Construction of the Building (AD) – verifiable by the achievement of one of the following certificates: LEED Gold Standard for Building Design and Construction and/or BREEAM Very Good Standard for the BREEAM International New Construction Scheme

Whilst energy performance is seen as one of the key indicators of a sustainable building it is now accepted that a more holistic view of the design and construction of a building should be taken when considering its sustainability credentials. The issues that are generally considered include: health & well-being, energy, transport, materials, waste, water, land use and ecology, pollution, innovation. The two major green certifying schemes in Poland are LEED and BREEAM. Both seek to reward developer behaviours that outperform those required by local or EU legislation. These schemes have therefore been used to help with the classification of office buildings.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is a third- party certification program established by the US Green Buildings Council. LEED certification is now well established in Poland. This programme sets a benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, recognising performance in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Buildings are granted scores and qualify for one of four levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

The British Research Establishment or BRE has established the BREEAM Standards originally for the UK but it is now being used throughout Europe and the Middle East. The BREEAM Standards for offices are a simple means of environmentally assessing buildings in their entirety to arrive at one of a simple range of ratings: fair, good, very good and excellent. With the aim of making the best Polish offices amongst the best in Europe, the target is to achieve BREEAM ‘very good’ standard for all new office buildings.

An office building which receives a LEED or BREEAM certificate typically has lower operating costs, secured asset value that avoids “brown stigma” and is healthier and safer for occupants, compared with a regular office building. While receiving certification for design and construction is increasingly expected on the market, it is equally required to manage the building in line with the sustainable criteria to protect the received classification status.

• Sustainability Standards for the Operation and Maintenance of the Building (AD) – verifiable by the achievement of one of the following certificates: LEED Gold Standard for Building Operations and Maintenance and/or BREEAM Very Good Standard for the BREEAM In-Use International Scheme

The sustainable credentials of a building not only relate to how it was designed and constructed but also in a large part as to how it is operated and managed. Both of the certification organizations, LEED and BREEAM, have schemes that directly address how a building is operated and managed and the particulars of the schemes can be found on their web site.

LEED has a scheme dedicated to how a building is used and managed called the “Building Operations and Maintenance” scheme. The scheme applies to existing buildings where little or no construction work is ongoing and considers the following aspects on a weighted basis in relation to certifying a building: location and transportation, sustainable sites – property management, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation. BREEAM also has a scheme dedicated to how an existing building is used and managed. It is called “BREEAM In Use International” and considers how the asset is managed and run. The scheme is comprised of three parts (asset performance, building management performance, occupier management) whereas any of them can be selected for certification. There is also the possibility to certify parts 1 and 2 jointly. For the purposes of classifying a building parts 1 and/or 2 are applicable. Part 3 is typically considered by tenant occupiers.

Location, location, location

Yet building features and specifications are not everything that matters for determining office building’s class status. As location is considered to be perhaps the most important element in the process, there are separate location criteria for office buildings which, however, impact the overall building classification. Importantly, only buildings situated in prime locations – meaning those in the central business districts (CBD) or a defined office zone – can really be considered a Class A location. B Class buildings are situated in secondary locations on the periphery of CBDs or on industrial or office estates located outside the CBD. These are good office locations with good transport connections and services. Any other location not defined as Class A or Class B location is considered Class C location. Each of the quality categories can be paired with one of the three categories, creating a total of nine building classification categories: AA, AB, AC, BA, BB, B, CA, CB and CC. This way, you can for instance get a Class AA building classification for the properties that combine Class A building quality features with Class A location. AB would go to a building that meets Class A quality requirements and Class B location. An AC category would be awarded to those which merge Class A quality with Class C location.

What’s your size?

Many different space measurement standards have been adopted by developers and other industry players in Poland but none have been agreed as a single market standard. For this reason it makes it difficult to assess what the net to gross ratio of a particular building is, thus making it difficult to compare buildings. The following standards are currently in use in the country:

• The Polish standard PN-70/B02365 (one of two Polish standards in *5 measuring areas and volume of the building. It is used in procedures defined by the Polish building law for existing buildings). It specifies how to measure: total area, structure area, net area, circulation area, service area, usage area (main and auxiliary). It is applied for areas to be measured between unfinished surfaces of walls/structure elements (without lining, plaster, tiles etc.) at 1.0m above floor level.
• The Polish standard PN-ISO 9836¬1997 (one of two Polish standards *6 in measuring areas and volume of the building. It is used in procedures defined by the building law for newly constructed buildings). It specifies how to measure: total floor area, internal floor area, net floor area, circulation area, service area, usage area (main and auxiliary), and building envelope area. It is applied for areas to be measured between plastered surface of walls / structure elements at floor height.
• GIF Lettable Area of Commercial Spaces Measuring Directive established by Society of Property Researchers in Germany. It specifies building lettable area (this method is related to the German Standard DIN 277). The measurement is taken at floor height. It describes which areas shall be determined as lettable area exclusively dedicated for tenants and defined as common lettable area. It describes which areas are not to be taken into account as lettable area: service use, stair flights, ramps, landings between floors, lift shafts, vehicle communication areas, escape routes and stairs, atria, structural walls and columns.
• TEGOVA standard. It specifies how to measure building lettable area (this method does not comply with either of the Polish Standards. It is used to calculate lettable office area for property researching purposes only). The measurement is taken at 1.5m. The area to be measured between internal surfaces of external building walls or in case more than 50 pct of the external façade is glazed between the glazed surfaces. The area between the tenants to be calculated in the centre line of the division wall separating the tenants premises/or to the centre line of opening in structural wall. It describes which areas shall be determined as lettable area exclusively dedicated for tenant: hydrants, electrical distribution boards, kitchenettes and toilets, if dedicated for a tenant, and which areas shall be determined as lettable common area: entrance halls, corridors, toilets, lift lobbies, security rooms etc. It describes which areas are not to be taken into account as lettable area: internal structural walls and shafts, plant rooms etc.
• BOMA standard established by the US Building Owners And Managers Association (BOMA). It is used to calculate lease area for rental purposes only. According to the Boma Lease Measurement standard usable area is the actual occupied area of a floor or an office suite. In the Boma Lease Measurement Floor rentable area is the tenant’s pro-rata portion of the entire office floor, excluding elements of the building that penetrate through the floor to areas below. Boma Lease Measurement Building Common Area includes those areas of a building that are used to provide services to building tenants, but which are not included in the office area of any specific tenant. It also includes any associated common areas and is applied to the Floor Rentable Area to calculate the Rentable Area. Boma Lease Measurement Load Factor is the percentage of space on a floor that is not usable plus a pro-rata share of the building common area, expressed as a percent of usable area (also known as the common area factor, the loss factor, the add-on factor).
• RICS standard established by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and intended for use in the UK. It is used by UK developers and consultants and provides definitions for accurate measurement of buildings required for valuation, management, conveyancing, planning, taxation, sale, letting, or acquisition purposes. According to the standard, gross external area is the area of a building measured externally at each floor level, suitable for town planning, rating and council tax, building cost estimation purposes. Gross internal area is the area of a building measured to the internal face of the perimeter walls at each floor level, suitable for estate agency & valuation, property management purposes. Net internal area is the usable area within a building measured to the internal face of the perimeter walls at each floor level, suitable for rating, estate agency & valuation, property management purposes.

The guide has been written by CBRE Poland’s property and asset management experts. The company also has substantial international experience in architecture, development advisory, design, project and construction management, letting, selling and managing of office buildings.

Joanna Mroczek

research and marketing director at CBRE Poland

The office market in Poland is growing extremely dynamically. This is the result of not only the positive economic situation and high demand, but also the number of market players aiming to build and lease in the country. The Polish market is still relatively small and buoyant as compared to other European capital cities. The Europe’s largest developers are currently in the process of diversifying their presence, and Poland is one of the most obvious destinations to place their operations in. Warsaw is now ranked among the top five European capital cities in terms of the number of schemes under construction, along with London, Paris and Moscow. Polish regional cities are no less active in meeting the quality standards or possibly even exceeding them in order to attract global investors.

A significant problem for the market is the large stock of the Class B and C buildings constructed before 1989 or just after. These buildings do not meet many of the present-day tenant expectations as they “have aged’ quickly, sometimes within only 10 years. Despite the fact that the total office stock in Poland’s capital city is now hitting nearly 5 mln sqm, which could seem to be a sufficient amount, only 45 pct of the space available falls into the Class A building category. In the regional cities, this share comes to only 38 pct. By 2017 the volume of a Class A office space will increase by app. 30 pct as compared to 2014, while the volume of B Class office space will increase by app. 4 pct. This suggests that the majority of developers are creating their new schemes to meet the Class A building standards. However, Class B buildings do not stop to attract tenants and are popular with public institutions and smaller local companies. Therefore, it is worth knowing what requirements have to be met by modern buildings, what elements are of importance and how to improve them in order to increase a building’s competitiveness on the hot market. Modern Office Standards Poland 2016 is a comprehensive and unique guide and tool for all participants of the office market.

STANDARDS SCORE CARD

QUALITY CRITERIA

Building Stature

1. A landmark building recognised in a local context by brand name and/or visibility (AD)
   
   Building Space
   
   
2. A highly flexible internal design, flexible layout grid and efficient plan with good net to gross ratio (AD)
3. Well-designed lobby/reception with 24 hour concierge, appropriately sized and designed for the building size and use (OB)
4. Cores are to be well planned and appropriately sized to service the building occupants (OB)
5. Good accessibility and car park provision for tenants and visitors, good access for deliveries and building management services (OB)
   
   Building Technical
   
6. Minimum lift provision with a maximum waiting time of 30 seconds (OB)
7. Provision of a modern ceiling with efficient lighting to meet minimum standards (OB
8. Good small power provision meeting minimum requirements (OB)
9. A modern BMS system to control access and security, fire, life safety and other building services (OB)
10. Provision of space for cabling and IT infrastructure (OB)
11. Capability to accommodate tenants additional services such as IT rooms, satellite dishes, UPS, etc. within the building (AD)
12. Provision of multiple power sources to ensure a constant power supply in the event of a local power grid failure (OB)
13. Provision of a raised floor (AD)
14. Minimum structural loading floor capacities for each office floor level with an area allocated for high loading on each floor (OB)
    
    Building Sustainability
    
    
15. Good local provision of amenities either on site or close by (AD)
16. Good levels of natural daylighting, minimum 70 pct of net lettable area within 6m of an external window, minimum floor to ceiling height of 2.7m (AD)
17. Provision of a modern system of heating, cooling, ventilation and humidity control to achieve good quality of internal climate (OB)
18. A quiet office environment to meet minimum standards (OB)
19. LEED Gold Standard for Building Design and Construction and/or BREEAM Very Good Standard for the BREEAM International New Construction Scheme (AD)
20. LEED Gold Standard for Building Operations and Maintenance and/or BREEAM Very Good Standard for the BREEAM In-Use International Scheme (AD)

A Building should meet at least 17 out of 20 standard requirements (12 obligatory + 5 additional)

B+ Building should meet at least 15 out of 20 standard requirements (12 obligatory + 3 additional)

B Building should meet at least 13 out of 20 standard requirements (12 obligatory + 1 additional)

LOCATION CRITERIA

A Primary locations within the central business districts (CBD) and major or prestigious business park locations with excellent transport connections and a good variety of local amenities

B Secondary locations on the periphery of CBD’s or on industrial or office estates located outside the CBD. These are good office locations with good transport connection and services

C Any other location not defined as class A or B