- Author
- Caro, T. C. | Milke, J. A.
- Title
- Survey of Fuel Loads in Contemporary Office Buildings.
- Coporate
- Maryland Univ., College Park
- Sponsor
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NIST GCR 96-697, September 1996, 32 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Contract
- NIST-GRANT-60NANB4D1625
- Keywords
- office buildings | fuel loads | surveys | chairs | computers | furniture | interior furnishings | office furniture | occupants
- Abstract
- The method, used in the latest study performed in 1975, for surveying offices to determine fuel load estimates is presented. The frequency distribution for the estimates of the fuel load found in the study are presented. Two methods for determining movable fuel load are utilized in this study. Moveable fuel load is considered to be the furniture, equipment, and other items brought in for the service of the occupants after construction of the building. Direct weighing techniques are utilized in both methods. In one method, the office contents are taken from their operational location and weighed. The second method, weighs the office contents when packaged for either relocation or remodeling purposes. Two types of offices were surveyed, open plan design and the traditional compartmented layout. Current offices are composed of large open plan spaces which are subdivided into office space or workstations by partitions. Also contributing to the fuel load are desktop computers which are common accessories. Surveys were conducted in buildings at the University of Maryland College Park and at the General Services Administration (GSA) Headquarters Building in Washington, D.C. Statistical results are presented for the two survey methods, each office type and each material category. The results of the study present the impact of open plan designs on the fuel load and also present the partition and computer accessory fuel load contributions. In addition, a comparison is made for the fuel load found at the University of Maryland, College Park and that found at GSA. The fuel load estimates for each office are separated into the following categories in order to group items of similar material composition: papers/books, computer equipment, furniture, partitions, and miscellaneous.