Real Estate Thought Leadership Blog

T3 launched its new "Corporate Real Estate Lunch & Learn" program- an exciting program aimed at educating corporate real estate executives and T3 on a variety of real estate and facility issues.
 
The first program was "MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) for Dummies" taught by Kevin Jensen of AHA Consulting Engineers, Inc. AHA is a leading national engineering firm.
 
Some interesting takeaways for facility managers and corporate real estate decision makers-
 
Occupant Comfort-  While there are a variety of HVAC systems out there, whenever possible a Variable Air Volume system is preferred.  Of course tenant layout (open cube space vs private offices) can have a dramatic impact on HVAC system needs and loads.
 
Life Science Tenants/rooftop issues-  Rooftop exhausting is an incredibly important issue when selecting a property.  Be careful to understand wind currents in the area and of there are any residential abutters to your building.  
 
Life Science Tenants/shared mechanical spaces- Since lab tenants often require 100% outside air for their spaces, there is a need for much larger HVAC systems and associated mechanical spaces.  This means lab tenants often have to rent significant mechanical spaces increasing rent expense per employee.

Electrical Supply- When considering new space, get electrical supply in terms of “watts per square foot”.  Also understand how many w/sf are dedicated to your space and systems versus the base building spaces and systems. Make sure to understand how your space is metered for electricity as well.
 
Look for next month’s Program!