Area Types

[Isaacarus]

This may be a stupid question but I can't seem to find where to create new area types. I Can't find the process in the help file.

[sfaust]

Settings->Area Settings

[Isaacarus]

I know how to create new area Schemes. What I need to be able to do is create new area types. For instance "Classroom" instead of "office" or "building common space". How would I accomplish this.

Thanks for the help

[Dimitri Harvalias]

Are you talking about an area key schedule?

View/New/Schedules-Quantities and make sure the Schedule Keys option is selected.

[iru69]

I know how to create new area Schemes. What I need to be able to do is create new area types. For instance "Classroom" instead of "office" or "building common space". How would I accomplish this.
I think your looking to create your own area types? I don't think you can (but please, someone correct me if I'm wrong) - or at the very least, it's really not intutitive.

What might work for you is that you can edit your Color Scheme and then identify the colors by Name rather than Area Type. In this way, you can kind of create your own Area Types. Then rename the areas as you'd like them to show up in the Color Scheme.

Also, don't forget that you can create a new Area Scheme for each view if need be.

Not a solution, but under some circumstances, it works close enough.

[Isaacarus]

Thanks that will work for Naming and coloring, but what if I wanted to define a specific set of area calculation rules for a new type of space? Can this be done?

[Tom Dorner]

The two Area Plan types that are predefined in Revit are Gross Area and Rentable Area. Both of these area plan types respond to the rules of area line placement per BOMA standards. You must of course make sure you have the "apply area rules" on when placing or picking the area line location.

When an area tag is placed into the Rentable Scheme, the area lines will shift location based on the area types you choose. The area types again are the standard BOMA area types.

There are time though when you want to have an area scheme and area types that are not based on BOMA standards. To do this, first you need to create a new Area Plan type 'Settings>Area Settings>Area Scheme>New. The new Area Plan type you create can be named anything you want. It will not respond to any type of rules though as only the Gross and Rentable types can.

To add a new area type, it is best to create a new shared parameter, something like "my_area_type". You then need to load this shared parameter into your project and associate it with areas. If you want the new area type parameter to display in the area tag, you will need to create a new area tag.

HTH

[irwin]

There are time though when you want to have an area scheme and area types that are not based on BOMA standards. To do this, first you need to create a new Area Plan type 'Settings>Area Settings>Area Scheme>New. The new Area Plan type you create can be named anything you want. It will not respond to any type of rules though as only the Gross and Rentable types can.
This isn't quite right. All new Area Schemes behave according to the BOMA Rentable rules. So, you can have one Gross Area scheme and any number of Rentable schemes. If you want something that doesn't respond to any of the rules then uncheck "Apply Area Rules" before creating the boundaries and answer No when it asks about automatically creating area boundary lines from external walls.

[Roger Evans]

What are the BOMA rules exactly?
on what parameters are they based?
how are they measured ie what/where are controls taken from?

[Tom Dorner]

Irwin,

Thanks for the clarification on multiple area types responding to the BOMA rules.

We use that knowledge all the time to maintain multiple rentable schemes. For simplicity sake in answering this post, I omitted that information as the post was asking if one could define their own rules for area types.

As in most posts to this forum, we are all usually at work and in a hurry, so in depth explanations are not always possible. It is good to see that you are looking at the answers to add to the knowledge base.

[Tom Dorner]

What are the BOMA rules exactly?
on what parameters are they based?
how are they measured ie what/where are controls taken from?
Roger,

BOMA stands for The Building Owners and Managers Association.

www.boma.org (http://www.boma.org/)

BOMA produces a standard area measuring method that is used here in the U.S. for measuring commercial office buildings to determine what we call the R/U factor. The R is the Rentable area and U is the Usable Area. Usable is the area of a office suite for example, but we charge the tenant an R factor (usually 15%) which takes into account the tenants pro rata share of common items in a building like corridors, restrooms, utility rooms etc. As a tenant your space may measure 1000 Sq. Ft., but you lease will state the area as 1150 Sq. Ft. Rentable.

Hope this helps clear things up.

[ita]

Roger, check out the UK - there will be an equiv organisation there. BOMA produces standardised measurement rules for leased/rented tenancies such as including the area inside the window or door frame to the face of the glazing etc, or to the centre/face of walls dividing tenancies etc. In Oz BOMA rules do not permit an "allowance" factor add-on for common area etc as Tom's thread states, The common area areas/costs have to be a pro rata of the actual area related to the declared cost of maintaining the space - unless there is an agreement to the contrary which needs to be declared to the other Tennant's. The Revit BOMA rules appear to be very similar to the OZ BOMA rules.

[blumarble]

I see some time has passed since this thread was originally posted; has anything changed?
I'm also trying to figure out area TYPES. I'm working on a school project with departments: art, science, admin, etc. I've figured out how I can create a schedule based on names (departments) and total the areas, but I'd like to define area types (departments) so that I can tag the rooms with their names -- e.g. Choir Room, Painting & Drawing Room, etc. -- then group & total by types (departments) -- Art & Music Department, Science Department, etc. This way the schedule reflects each room by name & area, and then totals the departments. The sketch attached represents the schedule form I'm trying to achieve.
Is this still not possible?

[sbrown]

You cannot do what you want to do. You have to draw the lines yourself making sure the check box for apply rules is unchecked, then add a project parameter or shared parameter to areas called AREA TYPE then you can do color fills based on that.

[blumarble]

Maybe I just don't understand, but I'm not sure that your advice about rules & parameters has any bearing on my question. I know that I can name areas according to Departments, then group & total by names (department names). How do the rules & method for defining areas make any difference (or does it)? And how would adding any parameters have any benefit?

[Tom Dorner]

You can really get the information you are looking for with a room schedule rather than using area plans. I've attached a simple project with some plans color filled and a couple of schedules. I added a new shared parameter to our template called "JMA space type" and assigned it to the room category. This allows me to use the built-in "department" of the room plus the space type.

Hopefully this will make more sense by opening and reverse engineering the file.

You could use the same technique for area plans, but if what you are looking for can be accomplished with rooms I think that is the better way to go.

[blumarble]

This is great! It essentially enables me to do what I wanted to do.
Thanks!

[smorse.71532]

What about exterior site areas like landscape, building area and paved areas?

What I have been doing is creating sub-regions on a topo surface and clicking on each one and reading the properties. Is there an easier way?