Measurement Cards

Question 1

What is Gross Internal Area (GIA) ?

Answer 1

Area of a building measured from internal face of perimeter wall at each floor level

Question 2

What does GIA include?

Answer 2

• Columns
• Lift wells
• Mezzanines with permanent access
• Loading bays

Question 3

What does GIA exclude?

Answer 3

• Canopies
• Fire Escapes
• Covered ways

Question 4

What property types is GIA used for?

Answer 4

Industrial buildings
Retail warehouses
Pubs

Question 5

What purposes is GIA used for?

Answer 5

Primarily valuation and agency purposes

• Rating
• Build cost estimates for commercial

Question 6

What is Net Internal Area (NIA) ?

Answer 6

Useable floor space within a building measured from internal face of perimeter wall at each floor level.

Question 7

What does NIA include?

Answer 7

• Notional lift lobbies
• Kitchens
• Built in cupboards
• Ramps, sloping areas, steps
• Areas occupied by heating and ventilation

Question 8

What does NIA exclude?

Answer 8

• WCs
• Plant rooms
• Stairwells
• Meter cupboards
• Areas less than 1.5m in height
• Cleaners rooms
• Columns

Question 9

What property types is NIA used for?

Answer 9

Retail

Question 10

What purposes is NIA used primarily?

Answer 10

Primarily valuation and agency purposes for retail property.

Question 11

What is Gross External Area?

Answer 11

Area of the building measured externally at each floor level

Question 12

What does GEA include?

Answer 12

Perimeter wall thickness
Columns
Atria and entrance halls
Lift rooms
Plants rooms

Question 13

What does GEA exclude?

Answer 13

Open Balconies
Open Fire escapes
Open Sides Covered ways

Question 14

What purposes is GEA used for?

Answer 14

Primarily construction type purposes and planning matters and council tax for example

Question 15

What is IPMS?

Answer 15

International Property Measurement Standards are a set of standards introduced by the International Valuation Standards Council for measurement of land and buildings and adopted by RICS.

To establish global consistency in measurement and mandatory for offices and residential.

Question 16

What is the difference between IPMS 3 and NIA?

Answer 16

• Perimeter measurements are taken to the ‘Internal Dominant Face’
• All Columns included
• No exclusions for areas less than 1.5m in height
• On floors of multiple occupancy, area is taken to midpoint of the partition wall between tenancies.

Question 17

What is the difference between IPMS 2 and GIA?

Answer 17

• Measurements are taken to the internal dominant face
• Restricted areas are included within IPMS 2
• IPMS 2 includes and stated separately balconies, fire escapes, canopies

Question 18

What is the difference between IPMS 1 and GEA?

Answer 18

Balconies included but stated seperately

Canopies included but states separately

Roof stated separately

But we’re excluded from GEA

Question 19

What is the internal dominant face?

Answer 19

Inside finished surface

Comprising more than 50% of the floor to ceiling height

For each IDF section