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The choice of a particular architectural solution when designing a building considerably influences the costs of its construction. The aim of this paper is to present the indexes which may relate to the complexity of the building shape, and which were then specified and compared on a particular example.

The article analyses various indices of building shape evaluation, their influence on the changes in construction costs and their sensitivity to the changes in the dimensions of the building. The methodology adopted in this article concerns the analysis of the selected simple factors assessing the shape of the building against the cost‐effectiveness of constructing the basic elements of the building.

The authors established the best building shape in relation to the costs of constructing the walls and foundations (square), and to the layout of the inside of the building (rectangle). They believe that the best evaluations of building shape were achieved by the LBI index, which evaluated the shape correctly in all of the analysed examples and which is the most sensitive to the changes in building parameters in correct proportions to the changes in construction costs.

The article presents the indexes which may relate to the complexity of the building shape. The authors established the best building shape in relation to the costs of constructing. The authors provide the degree of the floor area usability in buildings of various shapes.

Traditionally, early-stage investment decisions on buildings purely based initial capital costs and simply ignored running costs and total lifecycle cost. This was basically due to the absence of estimating models that yield running costs at the early design stage. Often, when the design of a building, which is responsible for 10–15% of its total cost, is completed, 80% of the total cost is committed. This study aims to develop a building characteristic-based model, which is an early-stage determinant of running costs of buildings, to predict the running costs of commercial buildings.

A desk study was carried out to collect running costs data and building characteristics of 35 commercial buildings in Sri Lanka. A Pareto analysis, bivariate correlation analysis and hedonic regression modelling were performed on collected data.

According to Pareto analysis, utilities, services, admin work and cleaning are four main cost constituents, responsible for 80% of running costs, which can be represented by highly correlated building characteristics of building height, number of floors and size. Approximately 94% of the variance in annual running costs/sq. m is expressed by variables of number of floors, net floor area and working hours/day together with a mean prediction accuracy of 2.89%.

The study has utilised a sample of 35 commercial buildings due to non-availability and difficulty in accessing running cost data.

Early-stage supportive running costs estimation model proposed by the study would enable construction professionals to benchmark the running costs and thereby optimise the building design. The developed hedonic model illustrated the variance of running costs concerning the changes in characteristics of a building.

Rising energy costs and increasing environmental concerns are catalysts for introducing sustainable design features in buildings. Incorporating sustainable design features in commercial buildings cannot be overstated because it could confer benefits to the investor (owners) and occupants. This study aims to develop a model that could aid in the prediction of operation and maintenance (O&M) costs from the knowledge of building-design variables. There is little evidence that design variables influence the O&M costs of buildings. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between design variables and O&M costs in commercial buildings with the intent of developing a cost model for estimating O&M costs at the early design phase.

The study was approached quantitatively using a survey strategy. Data for the study were obtained from 30 randomly selected commercial buildings in the CBD in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pareto's 80/20 rule, correlation and regression analysis were performed on the data to prove the statistical relationships between the buildings' O&M costs and their design variables.

The study found that 12 significant O&M costs elements contribute to about 82% of total O&M costs. Repairs and decoration had a strong correlation with building shape. Furthermore, the regression analysis found that O&M costs values were primarily dependent on the building size (the gross floor area and height of the buildings). The gross floor area and height handled over 73% of the variance in the O&M costs of commercial buildings in Sri Lanka.

These findings are a useful insight into the principles for design economies that could contribute to more sustainable commercial buildings.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the whole-life costs of non-residential green-rated building developments in Singapore to derive useful information for research and practice. When industry stakeholders like building owners, architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, builders and facility managers have detailed information about the initial and operating costs of different types of buildings, they will be able to apply whole-life costing to their existing or new projects with the intention of achieving value for money, as well as environmental sustainability. The developed index is useful to green policymakers and building owners.

Data are collected from building projects certified by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore under the Green Mark scheme, starting from 2005. Statistical analysis is performed on the collected data to generate the information required to build the index as well as cost database. The Paasche price index method is used to produce a weighted composite index for Singapore’s non-residential building sector.

The results show the classification of whole-life costs components by two main groups – “development and construction costs”, and “operating and maintenance costs”. There are a total of 68 cost significant items selected from 13 construction work categories. Comparing the weights for three non-residential building types, the highest is obtained for industrial building, which is followed by institutional and commercial buildings.

Without data, the description of the research has primarily dealt with the formulation of the proposed index because designing an appropriate methodology is key to ensure widespread acceptance and use.

Prospective users have to be aware that the index cannot provide information about change in absolute terms and is not very accurate as such in reflecting the actual level of costs or prices of the variable of interest. However, it is a good indicator of the relative change over time in the level of costs or prices.

It is expected that this method contributes additional information to BCA’s existing tender price index about a building’s operating costs as well since the proposed index is a measure of change in the average whole life-cycle costs of buildings over time.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.

A complete enumerative study was made of the operating and maintenance costs of the 1,255 delivery post offices throughout Japan in 2000, in order to grasp the characteristics of the whole life costs of post office buildings. The operating and maintenance cost of five standard post offices were also monitored for 20 years. This paper demonstrates how the acquired knowledge of the whole life costs is used for the decision making of the facility investment. After analysing the relationship between the rebuilding cycle, and rebuilding, repair and improvement costs, by changing the present rebuilding at age 40 to building additions at age 40 and rebuilding at age 60, it became apparent that a significant reduction in facilities investment costs could be expected.

Index by subjects, compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.

Although it is easy to show that some buildings cost more to run and operate than others, few people take the trouble to collect evidence and make the comparisons — reflecting the relatively low priority given to buildings in business. Reductions in costs can be significant to company profitability, yet it is a difficult matter to provide a convincing and fully costed argument for making changes to reduce future expenditure, especially where investment is required and where the benefits cannot be easily quantified. Indications are that significant savings are possible in most building costs in use. Indirect cost reductions may be achieved by reorganisation or by encouraging behavioural changes which will enable the building to be used to its full potential. However, direct cost savings may be made by changes to the physical fabric and positive steps can be taken in managing buildings to benefit from these changes and affect profitability. It has been possible to show through action research that the life cycle costs of buildings can be reduced by design, often at no overall capital cost With the availability of suitable tools the future, and its cost consequences, can become an influential factor in management decisions about the building stock.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.