3D Visualisation:

Use of technology in 3 dimensions to recreate workspace plans. These media allow the customer to visualize the future working environment and are of use as a basis for meetings and working on the modifications to be brought to the project.

Absorption:

The rate, in percentage form, when available space in the marketplace is leased during a predetermined period of time. It is also stated as a Market Absorption.

Activity profile:

Typology defining the mode of work for various employees within the company in terms of their activity. Several activity profiles may coexist in companies. They can constitute “classic” profiles for employees such as “sedentary”, “nomads”, “expatriates”, etc. or more detailed profiles taking into account not just the frequency of presence in the company premises but also other indicators demonstrating the ways of working (small or large amounts of team working, the need for regular informal meetings, the need for a lot of/specific technological equipment, etc.)

Analysis of the Life Cycle:

This analysis is an evaluation tool for environmental impact (consumption of materials and energy, air and water emissions, waste), taking into account the whole of the product’s life cycle from production to final elimination (cradle to the grave approach). This tool aims to provide information for decision making in the choice of products and materials.

Annual Headline rent:

The annual rent corresponds to the value stated in the lease signed between the two parties.

Assignment:

A transfer by the lessee of the lessee’s entire estate in the property. Different from a sublease (a sublessee acquires something less than the lessee’s entire interest).

Assistance in project management (maîtrise d’ouvrage):

Within the framework of a construction project, refurbishment or fitting out, assistance in the project management at each stage in the form of advice and proposals.

Awareness Workshop:

Organised workshop foremployees from every hierarchical level and aiming to understand their needs, prepare their support for the ongoing project and to help them to integrate the changes to come. 

Base Rent:

An amount defined and used as a minimum rent in a lease with provisions to increase the rent over the entire term of the lease.

BBC (Low Energy Building):

The BBC-effinergie (new) label ® aims at identifying the new or partly new buildings for which the very low energy needs contribute to attaining the 2050 targets: reduction of green house gases by 75%.  For new buildings other than residential use, the target for maximum consumption of primary energy sources is fixed at 50% of the reference consumption levels.

The BBC-effinergie renovation label ®:

The conventional primary energy consumption of the building for heating, cooling, ventilation, the production of hot water and the lighting of premises is 40 % lower than the conventional consumption of reference defined in the so-called Global Thermal Regulations.

BEPOS (Positive energy building):

Building for which the design is such that it produces more energy than it consumes. These buildings are very well thermally insulated and fitted with the most economical equipment and function without heating or at least without a fossil fuel heating system. They produce energy in quantities superior to their needs, generally by way of solar equipment linked to the electrical network. According to the “Grenelle” environmental guidelines, positive energy buildings are a target to be achieved before 2020.

BREEAM:

International certification of Anglo-Saxon origin recognizing the environmental performance of a building, by evaluation of the respect for standards during the design, construction and management of the building.

Car sharing:

Joint, strategic use of a vehicle by several people, with the purpose of transport cost cutting, reducing the consumption of fuel and relief of traffic congestion.

Carbon assessment:

Method by which the greenhouse gas emissions of a product or an entity are counted (individual, company, community…). The undertaking of a carbon assessment is obligatory for a certain number of structures (companies with more than 500 employees, territorial regions with more than 50,000 inhabitants and public institutions of more than 250 people).

Centralized technical management:

A mode of management by a centralized, automatic system, allowing management of a large number of different settings and functions. For example, the same system manages the lighting of the production zones, the production of compressed air, the production itself, the atmosphere conditioning, etc. from data sent by the sensors.

Certification:

Procedure by which a third party, independent body attests that a product, process or service is in compliance with the specified requirements.

Certivéa:

Subsidiary of the CSTB, its objective is to accompany initiatives for performance improvement via certification amongst the key players in the construction sector in all their fields: managerial, technical, environmental, societal, economic and Customer satisfaction.

Change Management:

All methods which support and encourage support from personnel for a workplace transformation project. This could include awareness workshops; workshops designed to define needs; site visits; support in internal company communications (in the production of documents like welcome packs, newsletters or even implementation of a project intranet).

Common Area:

There are two aspects of the term “Common Area”:
• If associated with the Rentable/Usable or Load Factor calculation, the common areas are areas within a building that are available for common use by all tenants (e.g. lobbies, corridors, restrooms, parking, landscaping, etc.)
• The costs of maintaining these areas are included in the term “common area” when calculating the tenant’s pro-rata share of building operating expenses.

CPE - Energy Performance Contract:

The objective is to guarantee an improvement of the energy efficiency of a building or complex of buildings over time. The CPE contains, on behalf of the selected operator, a commitment on a defined and measurable level of energy volume savings for a given level of service. The actions implemented by the operator can concern the built structure, the technical equipment, the use (conditions of use and behavior of the users included), the maintenance or several domains at the same time, within the limits fixed by the consultation regulations. The operator can be a group of companies with additional skills. In that case, it is the grouping which brings the guarantee. 

Cultural Analysis (or cultural quickscan):

Analysis driven in advance of a workplace transformation project and aiming to formalise company culture with the goal of putting in place a future workplace environment which fits that culture (or any new culture intended by the company).

Depreciation:

The amount that the value of property improvement shave decreased over time due to usage.

Desksharing:

In the case of a nomadic population and a relatively low occupation rate (typically <60%) it is possible for a company to set up a system where workstations are not dedicated with the aim of space optimization, but also staff engagement and retention, reduces carbon footprint, higher productivity, etc. The employee can then choose his working environment according to his needs and activity (individual closed office for work requiring strong concentration; meeting room to receive a client; informal meeting space for a brief exchange with a colleague, etc.). This type of environment often proposes more collaborative, sharing and meeting spaces. It is often referred to as Activity Based Working (ABW).

Design/Build:

A system where a single group is responsible for the design and construction of a new building/structure. This term can refer to an entire facility or to an individual element of the construction to be completed by a subcontractor.

Design project management:

Assisting the user in the project design phase with respect to the client’s programme. This includes: the design, submission and tracking of administrative documents with the view of obtaining all necessary authorizations, guidance in the choice of contractors and suppliers, monitoring of works and control of execution plans etc., to ensure design integrity and quality control.

Eco design:

Eco design is a preventive approach which is characterized by the consideration of the environment during the design phase or improvement of a product or building. The objective of this approach is to improve the ecological quality of the product or building; that is to reduce its negative impact on the environment throughout its life cycle, while keeping its useful quality.

Ecolabel:

Official recognition of the ecological quality of a product, ecolabels come from certification and were set up under the supervision of public authorities. In France, the national ecolabel is NF-Environnement, owned by AFNOR CERTIFICATION: it brings the double guarantee of a "quality product" and "environmental performance". The ecolabel can be national ("NF-Environnement " in France or "Angle bleu" in Germany) or supranational (European Ecolabel).

Economic or Effective rent:

The economic or effective rent is the average rent paid over the length of the lease which is the headline rent including any preagreed increases, less any rent free period.

Effective Rent:

The actual rent rate required by the landlord after deducting the concession values from the base rental rate paid by a tenant.

Efficiency Factor:

The percentage of Net Rentable Square Feet describing the building’s common areas (lobbies, rest rooms, corridors, etc.). This factor can be computed for an entire building or a single floor of a building. (A.K.A. a Core Factor or Rentable/Usable (R/U) Factor, calculated by dividing the rentable square footage by the usable square footage).

Effinergie:

Association with the objective of promoting constructions and renovations of low energy consuming buildings.

Energy Performance:

A building’s energy efficiency (and more generally all objects which require a source of energy to function) of which the energy consumption and the impact in terms of the emission of green house gases are reduced and are less than the energy production.

Energy audit:

In contrast to the Energy Performance Certificate (DPE), this is not obligatory. It comprises a deeper examination and calculation of the usage and energy consumption of a building in order to identify areas for improvement and to propose works and energy saving measures or renewable energy sources.

Energy efficiency:

Energy yield of a process or device compared with its energy use. For a technical device for example, good energy efficiency is defined as lesser energy consumption than for the same service provided.

Energy performance diagnostic:

Compulsory for sales since November 2006 and for lettings since 1st July 2007, the DPE is a document prepared by a professional which contains information on the energy consumption of a building (for the purposes of heating, cooling and water heating) and on greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) as well as recommendations to reduce this consumption. Its purpose is to inform the future owners or tenants. The information is presented in the summary energy label already familiar to consumers for household electrical appliances.

ERV – “Estimated rental value”:

An estimate of the current open market rental value of a commercial property

Environmental certification project management:

Project management assistance within the context of the construction of high environmental quality and/or high energy performance buildings.

Environmental management:

The designing of management methods for an organisation looking to take into account the environmental impact of their activities, to evaluate this impact and reduce it. This approach could be motivated by: conformity with the rules in force, improvement of the company image, improvement of relations with local residents, savings, environmental certification or an eco-label.

Existing RT – Existing Thermal Regulation:

Thermal Regulation relative to existing buildings, published 3rd May 2007.

Facility management consulting:

Facility management consulting consists of accompanying the user in the optimization of aspects relative to the management of the operation of the site (users and building). For example, it will be a question of helping him in the choice of service providers within the framework of calls for tender.

Final energy consumption:

Quantity of available energy for the end user.

Fit out standards:

Project reference document describing the scope of the project, the strategic objectives and the typologies of spaces to include, according to needs formulated by the customer and the profiles of activity identified within the company.

Feasibility studies for energy supply:

Public and private clients now have to study the energy supply possibilities for buildings. It is a statutory obligation which has been imperative since 1st January 2008 for new buildings, or since 1st April 2008 for renovation projects. The objective of this new constraint is to favor recourse to renewable energies and to the most successful power production systems, and so to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

FRI – “Full Repairing & Insuring”:

An FRI lease is a lease where the tenant is responsible for all repairs (internal & external) and for insuring the property.

General contractor:

Within the framework of a signed general contractor’s project, AOS Studley delivers a turnkey service to the customer. Responsibilities include management of the assigned budget, sub-contracting of all trade packages, interfacing with all the contacts involved in the project and ensuring the programme is met.

Great Place to Work:

The Great Place to Work® institution is an international company for the study, advice and training which helps organizations to identify, create and maintain a great working environment, via the development of corporate culture where confidence reigns. Present in 45 countries, the Great Place to Work Institute organizes a prize list of the great companies to work for every year. In 2012, AOS Studley France entered the prize list on the occasion of its first participation.

Greenhouse Gases:

All the gases which retain the infrared radiation emitted by the surface, which contributes to warming the planet. Stemming in particular from the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, fuel); carbon dioxide (CO²) represents more than half the emissions of greenhouse gases.

Grenelle de l’Environnement:

Based on a report that France was in the grip of a large-scale climatic and ecological crisis, the former president of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, introduced the Grenelle Environnement laws from 21st May 2007. It united the state and representatives of civil society for the first time to define a road map in favor of the ecology and sustainable development. The overall objectives of the Grenelle Environnement laws are the reduction of energy consumption by 38 % and greenhouse gas emissions by 50 % before 2020. The 1st Grenelle Environnement law promulgated on 3d August 2009 gives more precise orientations to these objectives. It was completed in 2010 by the 2nd Grenelle Environnement law.

“Grenelle” building plan:

It is put in place to help with the implementation of fixed objectives within the framework of the “Grenelle” laws, more specifically in the building domain.

HQE (High Environmental Quality):

Label certifying the implementation of an approach to reduce the impacts on the environment of a building during its construction, renovation or in its everyday use.

Immediate stock:

All the vacant areas proposed for marketing at a given date.

ISO 14001:

International environmental certification, certifying in particular the adoption by an organization of a system aiming at the control of its environmental impact.

Lease:

An agreement where the owner of real property (e.g. landlord/lessor) gives the right of possession to another (e.g. tenant/lessee) for a specified period of time (term) and for a specified consideration (rent).

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design):

Consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods.
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 1998, LEED is intended to provide building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. It is similar to the high energy performance rating in France. A building can reach four standards: certified, silver, gold or platinum.
Criteria for evaluation include: energy efficiency, water consumption efficiency, heating efficiency, use of locally sourced materials and the reuse of surplus. (Source: Wikipedia)

Macro-zoning:

Phase of a fit out project consisting of the allocation of the floor areas to the various teams within the company. This global allocation takes into account area needs and proximity needs between the functions (also known as Block Planning).

Market Rent:

An estimate of the rental income a property would have the ability to command an open market with a landlord and tenant who are able and willing to consummate a lease; based on what tenants were willing to pay and landlords were willing to accept in recent transactions for similar space in the area.

Merger-acquisition:

Financial transaction consisting of the purchase of a company by another structure (generally another company). The bought company can keep its integrity (acquisition) or merge completely with the company having acquired it (merger).

Micro-zoning:

Once the Macro-Zoning is complete, the micro-zoning consists of refining the assignment of work space right down to allocating each workstation a name (also known as Detailed Space Planning).

Move management:

Assistance to a company in the final phase of moving, including the management of the removals company, the preparation for arrival of the employees, the support and communications with the employees relative to the new site, etc. All of this aimed at a fluid move and the fastest possible familiarization of the employees to their working environment (also known as Relocation Management).  

Net absorption:

Total square feet leased in a specific geographic area over a specific period of time less total square feet vacated in a specific geographic area over the same period of time. 

New building:

Newly constructed building, less than 5 years old and never having been occupied. Buildings of less than 5 years old are subject to VAT in the case of a sale.

Occupation study:

Preliminary analysis in the definition of a working environment and consisting of a measurement of the true occupation of space by the employees of the company in relation to their activity profile (sedentary, nomads, proportion of teleworking, etc.). The results of this study will allow definition of the typologies of space required for the company (proportion of individual spaces vs. shared spaces; meeting rooms vs. informal meeting spaces etc.) and highlight the potential to implement a dynamic work environment with shared workstations if the company profile lends itself to it.

Off shoring:

Relocation of some of its activities (service or production) by a company towards countries offering lower production costs.

Old building:

Building which is more than 10 years old and has not been renovated or restructured.

Organically sourced building label:

The notion of "organic-sourced" materials indicates materials of vegetable or animal origin such as wood, straw, hemp, feathers, sheep's wool… This new label created by a decree on 19th April 2012 which modifies the Code of Construction and Habitation, guarantees the environmental quality of projects which incorporate a significant part of biomaterials. A ministerial decree will determine the precise conditions of attribution of this label.

Outsourcing:

Relocation of some of its activities or staff by a company towards firms offering lower production or service costs and improved processes across a wide geographic area.

Photovoltaic solar energy:

Renewable energy using the sun’s rays to produce electricity.

Pre-marketing:

A building where the marketing is completed at least 6 months in advance of its provisional delivery date. The only transactions taken into account are those where all pre-agreed conditions have been lifted.

Primary energy consumption:

Total final consumption plus the consumption necessary for the production of this energy.

Project management:

Managing the design and execution of construction works to suit a client’s needs, all to agreed time, cost and quality criteria. Unlike turnkey, the individual consultants, contractors and suppliers are contracted by the client, not the Project Manager, who is merely appointed as a professional to lead the team.

Programming:

Approach carried out by project manager with regard to defining the project in its entirety, including urban, social, political, legal, economic aspects etc.

Real Estate Appraisal:

The act of estimating the value of real estate by a person licensed to do so. A person performing an appraisal must receive authorization from the appropriate body of the state in which he/she resides. A real estate appraisal may take into account the quality of the property, values of surrounding properties, and market conditions in the area. It is important for determining the property taxes for which the owner is liable, as well as a potential sale price, if the owner wishes to sell his/her property.

Real estate management scheme/master plan:

Reference plan including a snapshot of the state of affairs of a company/organisation’s real estate portfolio as well as its strategic evolution. The goal is to propose solutions relating to the future management of the portfolio (consolidation of sites, lease disposals and acquisitions, moves, works, etc.)

Recent building:

Building less than 10 years old which has been occupied, not renovated or restructured.

Remote working:

The possibility for employees to work outside of their offices (at their home or elsewhere). Remote working can also be regulated within the company via an agreement signed by the management and the relevant bodies. The frequency of remote working can vary depending on for example, the company’s HR policies, maturity of the individual, team and management attitudes.

Renewable energy:

Energy produced by various natural processes (solar power, wind, wood, water, geothermal, etc.). Contrary to fossil fuels, renewable energy is inexhaustible and does not emit greenhouse gases.

Renovated building:

Building which has been occupied and renovated, without obtaining a building permit.

Renovation:

Works conducted in a building with the goal of improving technical and/or aesthetic qualities, and to bring it into conformity with regulatory norms or to obtain an environmental certification.

Rentable Square Footage:

Rentable Square Footage is equal to Square Footage plus the tenant’s pro-rata share of the Building common Areas, such as lobbies, public corridors and restrooms. The pro-rata share, often referred to as the Rentable/Usable (R/U) Factor, typically falls in a range of 1.10 to 1.16, depending on the particular building.

Restructured building:

Building which has had a heavy restructuring with or without conservation of the main building façade.

Restructuring:

Operation where by an entity (company or other organisation) is reorganised for an optimisation of its functioning.

RT 2012 – Thermal regulation 2012:

Conformity to Article 4 of the Grenelle 1 law, the Thermal Regulation 2012 objective is to limit primary energy consumption of new and partly new buildings. It is applicable to all building permits:
• Filed on or after 28th October 2011 for certain new buildings in the tertiary sector (offices, primary and secondary teaching establishments, crèches) and buildings used for residential purposes constructed in the ANRU zone;
• Submitted starting from 1st of January 2013 for all other new residential buildings (individual or terraced houses, collective housing, university residences, and young worker hostels).
For other types of buildings in the tertiary sector, the Thermal Regulation 2012 was completed for an application on the 1st January 2013.

Setting up a project:

Support the user in the definition and construction of project execution scenarios in order to align the project with their objectives. According to identified needs, AOS Studley can manage their entire real estate portfolio and be the interface with various different stakeholders: Landlord, developer, architect or constructor, administrative personnel, investors.

Solar Thermal energy:

Solar thermal energy which produces heat. The most widespread applications are those concerning buildings, such as the production of clean, hot water. The conversion of solar rays into heat is thanks to the solar heating panel.

Space Plan:

A picture depicting a tenant’s space requirements, showing locations of walls and doors, room sizes and can include furniture layouts.

Space-planning:

Project step consisting of establishing the new working environment and the different types of space used by the company and its employees via plans.

Sustainable development:

Sustainable development is usually defined as "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the capacity of the future generations to respond to theirs" (Brundtland Report, 1987).
It is thus about a mode of development for which the social and ecological repercussions are reduced to a minimum, the objective being the transmission of the current ecosystem to future generations.

Technical Building Management/Facilities Management:

Management of devices/equipment relative to the technical smooth running of a building (air conditioning, elevators, alarms etc.)

Tenant rep:

Representation of a client user in the definition of their real estate strategy and its implementation through various real estate projects and transactions – leases and sales and purchases. The Tenant Rep represents the user in negotiations with various parties – landlord, developer, local town hall, etc.

Tertiary:

All buildings with commercial use, offices, education, health, sports, cafés, hotels, restaurants, community housing environment, transport infrastructure.

Turnkey:

Contract by which AOS Studley commits to delivering a project in its entirety, from the first phases of real estate solution and the fit out design, up to the official acceptance of work, potentially including relocation management. Within this framework, AOS Studley is the only intermediary with the various project contacts/service providers.

Uptake:

Total amount of all transactions, either lettings or purchases undertaken by end users over a defined  period – usually expressed annually.

Vacancy rate:

The ratio measuring the relationship between immediate stock and the entire existing office space (last estimation available: ORIE 2006).

Valorisation:

Accompaniment of a user in optimizing property value, often via a process of reconversion, its underexploited land holdings whatever their type (old industrial ground, factory, building, etc.).

Visioning:

Formalized approach driven at the beginning of a real estate project, with executive management of a company, to align the project with the strategy of the company, to give direction to the project.

VOC - Volatile organic compound:

A group of atmospheric pollutants constituted by a multitude of substances of natural or human origin. Butane, propane, ethanol and the solvents in paints are among the most common VOCs in the air. They have known effects on health, in the short term (irritation of the eyes and throat, respiratory problems) and in the long term (carcinogenics such as benzene and formaldehyde).

Working environment:

All the elements constituting the ecosystem (place and conditions) in which an employee can work. It therefore integrates the various spaces offered (meeting rooms, offices, spaces for informal exchanges, cafeteria etc.) but also all the support and technology given (computers, video conference etc.), as well as the other services which can be proposed to him (company concierge service, day-nursery, gym etc.).

Works project management:

Continuing on from the project design phase, this phase constitutes the monitoring and management of works, quality control, financial management of the construction site, assistance to the client up to delivery of the building and lifting of conditions, assistance with regard to obtaining the conformity certificate.