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OfficeIQ - Builders glossary Category: Architecture and Buildings Date & country: 03/12/2007, UK Words: 254

Hub
Common term for a café or other area for impromptu meetings.

Humidity
The amount of water vapour carried in the air.

Interim certificate
A certificate issued by the supervising officer binding the client to pay the fitting-out contractor an agreed amount for work that has been completed.

Interior designer
An expert in the selection and design of materials and finishes for the inside of a building. (See Action 37)

Ironmongery
Door handles, hinges, locks, hooks and other architectural hardware.

IT consultant
A specialist in the design and installation of voice and data systems. (See Action 39)

Joint Contracts Tribunal
An industry body that publishes suggested forms of building contracts.

Knowledge Centre
Library.

Land Registry
The government agency that records who owns, and in some cases leases, buildings and land.

Landlord
The owner of a building, or someone who leases a building to a tenant.

Landscape consultant
A person qualified in the design of gardens and terraces outside the office.

Layout plan
A plan, which shows an overall picture of a floor rather than detail of one specific area.

Lease
A legal agreement between landlord and tenant, for a fixed time, that allows the tenant to occupy a building in return for paying rent.

Lease break
The time at which a break clause can come into effect.

Lease expiry
The date on which the lease ends.

Lease term
The duration of a lease.

Lease terms
The conditions in a lease.

Leasing proposal
The initial lease terms presented before any negotiation has taken place.

Lessee
Tenant.

Lessor
Landlord.

Letter of intent
A written statement confirming that a contract is about to be entered into, subject usually to certain conditions.

Letting agent
A commercial agent who specialises in the leasing of property.

Licence
An agreement for the use of offices, which are less onerous than a lease, common in serviced offices and sometimes called a landlord's consent.

Lighting consultant
A person expert in the design of lighting environments and feature lighting.

Liquidated damages
The amount of money agreed as compensation for losses incurred though failure to meet the terms of a contract.

Local Authority Search
A search of statutory registers held by the local authority, (such as Planning or Listed Buildings) and the raising of standard enquiries with reference to such matters as road or rail schemes proposed.

Long list
A selection of, say, fifteen offices that might be appropriate.

Lump sum
A single agreed price.

Lux
A unit of illumination level.

Making good
Correction of defects.

Management contract
A form of contract where the management contractor appoints all the sub-contractors. (See Action 14)

Mark-up
A percentage added by a contractor to quotations received by him from sub-contractors.

Measured survey
A dimensional check on a building giving detailed measurements.

Mechanical layout
A plan showing the position of heating and ventilation equipment.

Mechanical ventilation
Fans.

Method Statement
A written statement prepared by the fitting-out contractor detailing how the project objectives will be met.

Monthly valuation
A document that evaluates the amount of work completed in a month that forms the basis of payment to the fitting-out contractor.

Mood board
A collection of images samples and sketches that demonstrate a design concept or theme.

New ways of working
The most common term for flexible working.

Nominate
To instruct a design and fitting- out specialist, fitting-out contractor, or management contractor take on the services of a particular supplier.

Novate
To instruct a design and fitting- out specialist, fitting-out contractor, or management contractor take on the services of a particular professional.

Office manager
A person who is responsible for the management of office equipment and buildings.

Open Book
An arrangement where paperwork from sub-contractors is shown to the client and payment is made to the fitting-out contractor on the basis of these, perhaps with a mark-up included.

Open plan offices
Offices not generally sub-divided by walls - although they may include meeting and tea areas, etc.

Organisational Psychologist
A specialist used to identify critical staff issues within your organisation.

Package
An element of work carried out by a sub-contractor.

Package deal
A contract where everything that is agreed is provided through one company.

Partition
A dividing wall or screen.

Passing rent
The current rent paid to the landlord by the tenant who holds the property.

Perimeter trunking
A trunking system that runs inside the outer walls of an open plan office.

Perspective sketch
A drawing in three dimensions to show a room, reception area etc. or a building.

Phasing
The division of a project into separate stages.

Pigpen
A common term for an area separated by high screens from the rest of an open plan office.

Plan
An imaginary view of a building showing a horizontal slice through it.

Planning Supervisor
Ensures the project complies with health and safety regulations (CDM) under the Construction (Design and Management) regulations 1994.

Pre-let
The early letting of a building prior to completion and often prior to starting construction on site.

Principal contractor
The contractor that has responsibility for health and safety during the construction period (usually the main contractor, fitting-out contractor or design and fitting-out contractor.

Privacy
The ability to screen or mask unwanted noise.

Procurement route
The type of contract chosen for a project.

Professional project manager
Someone who supplies project management services from a specialist company.

Project Champion
A senior member of your organisation who will take overall responsibility for the project. (See Action 1)

Project management company
A firm supplying professional project managers.

Project manager
Responsible for co-ordinating all aspects of the project. Will make all key decisions relating to the project and act as the main point of contact for the project team. (See Action 2)

Project Sponsor
Responsible for budgetary control, this is usually a role for the financial director.

Property Costs
The total cost of running your existing premises and the total cost of running future premises.

Property lawyer
A professional solicitor who deals with all aspects of property law. (See Action 9)

Property portfolio
All the properties owned or leased by an organisation.

Proximity requirements
A measure of how closely together individuals need to work to do their job.

Quantity surveyor
A professional who deals with all financial matters related to building contracts. (See Action 39)

Rack rent
A market rent usually only revised upwards.

Raised floor
A special floor laid on top of another to form a space where cables and pipes can run out of sight in a void.

Remediation
Removal of pollutants from contaminated ground or buildings.

Removal Specialist
A firm that specialises in moving organisations to new premises or within existing offices. Their services include logistics, storage, dismantling and re-erecting furniture and IT systems.

Rent-free period
The period at the beginning of a lease when it is agreed that no rent is payable, as an incentive to the tenant.

Repairing Covenants
The legal documents that detail what must be put right before disposal of your property.

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
A workplace injury that can be caused by prolonged use of a keyboard or a mouse.

Restrictive covenant
An agreement that prevents you from doing, something, such as making excessive noise or using the property for particular purposes.

Retention
Money held back by the client until the end of the defects liability period.

Riser
A vertical pipe or duct.

Sale and leaseback
An arrangement where a building owner sells his freehold to another party who then leases it back from the landlord.

Sample board
A presentation of the finishes to be used in an interior design proposal using samples of the actual materials, such as carpets, wall coverings, ironmongery and ceilings.

Schedule of condition
A document that describes in detail the condition of a building at the start of a lease.

Schedule of dilapidations
A document that describes in detail the state of disrepair of a building which either the landlord or tenant must put right.

Scope of works
A written document detailing all the work that needs to be done.

Section
An imaginary view of a building showing a vertical slice through it.

Security consultant
An expert in intruder and fire alarms and prevention of break-ins and theft.

Selection criteria
The features that are important to you when you acquire offices (developed from the accommodation strategy).

Selling agent
A commercial agent who specialises in the selling of property.

Server farm
A facility that contains a group of computers that are shared between a large number of organisations to store and retrieve, via fast data connections, information.

Service charge
Monies usually collected by the landlord for running the building, including maintenance of the structure, common parts and the exterior, heating, lighting, security, lift maintenance and reception facilities.

Serviced offices
A group of offices designed to be occupied by more than one tenant where the landlord supplies shared facilities such as secretarial services, reception and meeting rooms and normal building services. Search for serviced offices. (See Action 20)

Services
All the systems that heat, cool, light and power a building.

Shell
The structure of a building, including the frame, structural floors and roof, excluding any services or finishes.

Shell and core
An office development where all internal finishes and services are left out, for provision by the tenant.

Shortlist
A selection of, say, four offices that are the most appropriate.

Sign Off
The process of the client agreeing the content of one stage of a design before the team proceeds to the next.

Small power
Normal voltage electrical supply for low consumption items such as PC's copiers, etc.

Snag
Defect.

Snagging list
A list of defects.

Soft strip
The removal of internal finishes such as carpets and suspended ceilings.