The last year has been a busy one for outgoing BOMA International chairman Joe Markling, who this week is handing over the reins to chair-elect Rich Greninger of Carr Properties.
Markling, the managing director of strategic accounts for CBRE, is wrapping up his term at the Every Building Show Conference & Expo, presented by BUILDINGS magazine and BOMA International. In the meantime, he reflected on the organization’s top accomplishments over the last 12 months. Key among them:
1) International measurement standards. BOMA recently formed a coalition with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, a UK-headquartered organization for surveyors and other property professionals with over 100,000 members in more than 50 countries. The two groups aim to “establish a true international standard for building measurement,” Markling says. “We’re very excited about our progress there.”
2) Codes and standards advocacy. A real estate and construction team that included BOMA lobbied against more than 1,200 proposed changes to ICC’s codes at the group’s April hearings. The defeated proposals represented avoided costs of approximately $3.50 per square foot for existing buildings due to requirements such as retrofitting elevator lobbies in all existing buildings under 75 feet. At an average installation cost of $30,000 per floor, this proposal alone would have cost affected buildings approximately $3 per square foot.
3) High-performance buildings. Founded in 2009, this building certification program focuses on operations and maintenance (O&M) excellence. Nearly 600 buildings have earned the designation, which rewards best practices in life safety and risk management, training and education, energy performance, environmental and sustainability factors, and tenant relations and community involvement. “BOMA 360 measures and demands high performance from buildings,” Markling says. “It’s been a great year, and we’ll continue to push forward.”
