Commercial Properties Flashcards
What are the characteristics of a Grade A office?
- Prime Location
- Steel or reinforced concrete frame
- LEED or BREEAM certification, green roofs, energy-efficient systems, and water-saving measures.
- HVAC systems
- Excellent DDA,
- suspended ceiling with 350mm void
- 2.6 clear floor to ceiling height
What are the characteristics of a Grade B office?
- Grade A 10-20 years ago
- Well maintained
- Systems are functional but no longer industry leading
What are the characteristics of a Grade C office?
- Located in less desirable area
- Older than Grade A or Grade B
- Out of date furnishings and no DDA access
- Poor maintenance
What are the two main methods of construction of new office buildings?
Steel frame - less columns and wider span between columns
Concrete frame - more columns, lower floors heights, shorter spans between columns
What are the different types of air conditioning systems?
VAV - high cost but flexible
Fan Coil - low cost initially but high running cost
Mechanical Ventilation - fresh air is moved around the building
What is R22 refrigerant?
- Colourless gas used in refrigerant air conditioning
- Illegal as greenhouse gas
- Ban includes topping up with R22 - can continue using systems until tehy are obsolete but must use R44 10a or new system.
What is difference between CAT A and CAT B fit out?
CAT A - fit out of shell and core basic internal framework of building
CAT B - A finished office space that has been tailored to teh exact requirements of the client
What is the difference between comfort cooling and air conditioning?
-Comfort cooling focuses mainly on cooling the air
-Air conditioning provides full climate control with both heating and cooling capabilities, as well as more advanced humidity and air filtration functions.
What is HVAC?
Heating ventilation air conditioning
- refers to the systems used to regulate indoor environments, ensuring comfort, air quality, and proper temperature control in buildings.
What is a portal frame?
- Structural framework commonly used in industrial
- Two vertical columns, connected by a horizontal beam forming a rigid trapezoid shape
/\
[ ] - Typically span 15-50m
- Wall and roof cladding: plastic coated profiled steel sheeting with insulation
What is the basic construction of an industrial or warehouse premises?
Portal steel frame
Profile sheet cladding
What are the benefits of a portal frame structure?
- Rigid Joints - structure and strength
- Clear Span - no need for internal supports -> large open space
- Efficient Load Distribution - lighter construction materials and reduced building costs
- Cost-effective and Fast Construction
What is considered optimal site cover for an industrial development?
- Lower site coverage (40-50%) is often recommended in suburban or semi-rural areas where there is a need for landscaping, parking, and logistics space (e.g., truck maneuvering).
- Higher site coverage (50-60%) is more common in urban or industrial zones, where maximizing building footprint for manufacturing or warehousing operations is critical.
What is the floor loading requirement for industrial buildings?
30/40 kilonewtons per square meter
What is typical office coverage for industrial properties?
10% of total floor area
What is the typical fit out of industrial properties?
Roller shutters
High ceiling
Docking bays
Basic office fit out
Level dockers
CCTV
What is a dock leveller?
Height adjustable platform used to bridge the difference in height and distance between warehouse and vehicle
What is 3 phase power and why is it needed in industrial properties?
- Accommodates higher loads to service lots of electrical equipment
i.e plant and heavy machinery, HVAC, motors and pumps
Describe a typical industrial warehouse?
- Steel portal frame
- Profile steel cladding
- 10% office space
- Concrete screed floor
- 3 phase electricity
- Roller shutter doors
- 40 kilo newtons per square metre loading capacity
What is the Apex point?
The highest point on a building – top of the roof pitch
What is a typical retail unit fit out?
- Cat A or B (same as offices)
- Suspended ceilings or Acoustic Panels (for larger retail)
- LED lighting
- HVAC
- Partitions
- Shelves & Displays
What is the typical build specification of new retail units?
- Steel/concrete frame
- Vinyl covered concrete floor
- Shell condition for retailers to fit out to their own specs
Where will brickwork typically crack?
Along mortar joints or the narrowest section
What are the 4 types of cracking typically seen in brickwork construction?
- Horizontal
- Triangular
- Stepped
- Cracking to floor level
What is horizontal line cracking indicative of?
Cavity wall tie failure
What is triangular cracking indicative of?
Lintel failure
What is stepped cracking indicative of?
Structural failure
What is cracking running down to ground level indicative of?
Below ground movement
What are the 4 types of damp?
Penetrating
Rising
Condensation
Plumbing failure
What are the three causes of rising damp?
No damp proof course
Failed damp proof course
Bridged damp proof course
What is a sign of condensation in a property?
Black mould
What is an inherent defect?
Defect in design that has always been present
What is a latent defect?
Hidden or concealed defect that could not have been discovered during reasonable inspection
What would you do if you identified a building defect during an inspection?
Take photo
Try to establish cause
Inform client
Recommend specialist advice from a building surveyor
What are the three common causes of defect?
Movement
Water
Defective materials
What are the different types of movement?
Subsidence, heave, cracking and thermal expansion
What is subsidence?
Downward movement of the ground, causing a building’s foundations to sink or settle unevenly.
What is heave?
Upward movement of the ground, which pushes the building’s foundations upwards. This is typically caused by soil expansion.
What is wet rot?
- Wood decay caused by fungal growth that thrives in damp conditions
- Key is moisture
- Visual fungal growth and smell
- Solution - sort out moisture levels
What is dry rot?
- Wood decay caused by Serpula Lacrymans
- Develops in wood with lower moisture (as low as 20%)
- Insidious can spread through buildings
- Affected wood may appear dry, brittle and powdery + distinctive orange-brown spore dust
- Solution - improve air circulation and remove affected wood
What are common defects in period retail, office and shop buildings?
- Dry/wet rot
- Tile slip on roof
- Damp penetration
- Water ingress around doors
- Structural movement around windows
What are common defects in modern industrial buildings?
- Roof leaks
- Damaged cladding
- Cracking brickwork
- Water damage from broken piping
What are common defects in modern office buildings?
- Damp penetration
- Water damage from burst pipes
- Cavity wall tie failure
- Poor mortar joints
- Damaged cladding
- Structural movement
Other than building defects, what tenant breaches of covenant are you aware of?
Breach in repair covenant
Breach in user clause
Breach in alienation provision
What would you be looking for when carrying out an external inspection?
method of construction, repair and condition of exterior, car parking, access, defects or movement, site boundaries (encroachments), ways to date building
