Xymax Real Estate Institute

RESEARCH REPORT

Office Specifications Changing with Time
Examining the office pyramid in depth

February 13, 2019

In this report, Xymax Real Estate Institute (“Xymax REI”) describes the changes in the specifications ofbuildings that constitute the office stock explained in Tokyo 23 Wards Office Pyramid 2019,*1 released on
January 23, 2019, by size of building and year of completion. It also examines the situation of quakeproof
measures (e.g. repairs) in old seismic standard buildings (buildings completed in or before 1981).
Please note that the office pyramid survey is based on the data of 9,206 buildings in the Tokyo 23 Wards butthat the results may differ from current figures if there have been changes in building specifications (e.g. anincrease in electrical power capacity due to renovation) since the time the data were collected.
*1 TOKYO 23 WARDS | Office Stock Pyramid 2019, released on January 23, 2019https://www.xymax.co.jp/english/news_research/?type=research

1. Data and Completion Year of Buildings Used in This Report[Building specification data]
As in Tokyo 23 Wards Office Pyramid 2019 (Number of Buildings), the following buildings were thesubject of this report (1 tsubo = approx. 3.3 sqm):
・ 9,206 buildings in Tokyo 23 Wards with a gross floor area of 300 tsubo or more used mainly for offices
・ Buildings completed between 1946 and 2019
・ Small & medium-sized buildings refer to buildings with a gross floor area of 300–5,000 tsubo, andlarge buildings refer to those with a gross floor area of 5,000 tsubo or more
Data of the specifications of the buildings above (as of when the data were collected) that could be
confirmed in for-rent documents were used in this report.

[Year of completion]
The buildings were classified into years of “before 1979,” “1980–1999” and “2000 or later” (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Office Pyramid 2019 (Number of Buildings)

Office Specifications Changing with Time
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
This report may not be reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2019 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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2. Average Value of Specifications (by Size & Completion Year)The following are the average values of each specification by size of building and year of completion(Figures 2 and 3).
Figure 2: Small & Medium-sized Buildings: Average Values of Specifications
Before 1979

1980–1999

8F

8F

GFA
1,014 tsubo

GFA
956 tsubo

GFA1,490 tsubo

Typical floor

Typical floor

Typical floor

103 tsubo

101 tsubo

132 tsubo

Ceiling height 2,492 ㎜
Floor load 320 kg/㎡
To station 3.1 min

2,517 ㎜
349 kg/㎡
3.6 min

2,720 ㎜
437 kg/㎡
3.2 min2000 or later
9F

Figure 3: Large Buildings: Average Values of Specifications
Before 1979

1980–1999

2000 or later
23F

18F

15F
GFA
14,117 tsubo

Ceiling height
Floor load
To station

GFA
14,098 tsubo

GFA
20,888 tsubo

Typical floor
601 tsubo

Typical floor

489 tsubo

Typical floor
575 tsubo

2,590 ㎜
318 kg/㎡
2.6 min

2,617 ㎜
384 kg/㎡
3.9 min

2,812 ㎜
486 kg/㎡
2.7 minFor both small & medium-sized and large buildings, the newer the building was, the higher the ceiling height
and the greater the floor load were. Newer large buildings were also notably taller.
Gross floor area and typical floor area are smaller and the distance from the station (in minutes on foot)longer for buildings completed in 1980–1999 than buildings completed in other years. This is probably because
many small buildings and buildings located in remote places were built during the bubble economy era.

Office Specifications Changing with Time
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
This report may not be reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2019 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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3. Changes in Specifications
The following are the changes in buildings’ basic specifications by size of building and year of completion.

(1) Gross floor area
As for the floor area of small & medium-sized buildings with a gross floor area of 300–5,000 tsubo, less than
1,000 tsubo accounts for more than 60% of buildings built before 1979 and in 1980–1999, while it accounts forless than 50% of buildings completed in 2000 or later, indicating a decrease in the construction of smallbuildings. Among large buildings with a gross floor area of 5,000 tsubo or more, less than 10,000 tsubo
accounts for more than 50% of buildings built before 1999, but its percentage decreases to around 30% forbuildings built in 2000 or later. Buildings have become larger, with a gross floor area of more than 50,000 tsubo
accounting for around 10% of large buildings (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Gross Floor Area by Size of Building and Year of Completion (n=9,206)(2) Typical floor area
As for the typical floor area, less than 100 tsubo accounts for a majority of small & medium-sized buildings
completed before 1999, but it only accounts for less than a half of buildings completed in 2000 or later. Amonglarge buildings, while more than 500 tsubo accounts for roughly half of the buildings completed before 1979
and in 2000 or later, it accounts for less than half of buildings completed in 1980–1999, during which thepercentage of less than 300 tsubo is larger than other floor areas (Figure 5).

Office Specifications Changing with Time
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
This report may not be reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2019 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜ Xymax Real Estate Institute
Figure 5: Typical Floor Area by Size of Building and Year of Completion (n=7,826)(3) Number of floors above ground
Nine floors are the most common among both small & medium-sized and large buildings built before 1979.
This was probably due to the 31 m height restriction (the so-called “100 shaku (1 shaku=0.3 m) restriction”).
Taking advantage of the easing of regulations, high-rise buildings started being built by the 1960s, after
which the lifting of absolute height restrictions in 1970 due to the revision of the Building Standards Act andthe full introduction of floor-area ratio restrictions prompted the supply of high-rise buildings. Among large
buildings, 10 floors or more account for more than 60% of buildings completed before 1979, 80% of those built
in 1980–1999 and more than 90% of those completed in 2000 or later (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Number of Floors Above Ground by Size of Building and Year of Completion (n=9,206)

Office Specifications Changing with Time
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
This report may not be reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2019 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜ Xymax Real Estate Institute(4) Ceiling height
Regardless of building size, the newer the building was, the higher ceiling height it had (Figure 7). Amonglarge buildings, in particular, most of those built in 2000 or later had a ceiling height of 2,800 mm or higher. A
higher ceiling height gives spaciousness and a sense of comfort to the room, leading to greater tenantsatisfaction. The prevalence of OA floors and the development of a construction technology enabling pillar-freerooms are believed to be factors behind the high ceiling heights in large buildings with large typical floor areas.
Figure 7: Ceiling Height by Size of Building and Year of Completion (n=6,289)(5) Floor load
Floor load, which is the bearable weight of a floor per square meter, is concentrated in either 300–400 kg/m2
or 500–600 kg/m2 (Figure 8). 300 kg/m2 is the standard load under the Building Standards Act, while 500
kg/m2 is probably the assumed level required when tenants install a library or a server room in the office space.
A floor load of 500–600 kg/m2 accounts for a majority of buildings completed in 2000 or later.
Figure 8: Floor Load by Size of Building and Year of Completion (n=1,863)

Office Specifications Changing with Time
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
This report may not be reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2019 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜ Xymax Real Estate Institute(6) Electrical power capacity
Electrical power capacity has increased with time and with the use of OA equipment by tenants (Figure 9).
While the standard range had been 30–50 VA/m2 until 1999, 60 VA/m2 has become the most common in 2000
or later, regardless of the size of building.
Figure 9: Electrical Power Capacity by Size of Building and Year of Completion (n=1,491)(7) Distance from the station (in minutes on foot)A majority of the buildings, regardless of size or the year of completion, are located within five minutes onfoot from the nearest station. Large buildings are mostly located within two minutes (Figure 10).
Figure 10: Distance from Station (in Minutes on Foot) by Size of Building and Year of Completion(n=8,903)

Office Specifications Changing with Time
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
This report may not be reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2019 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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4. Quakeproof Measures in Old Seismic Standard Buildings
In Tokyo 23 Wards Office Pyramid 2019 (Number of Buildings), buildings completed in 1981 or before,
which are times of old seismic standards, accounted for 26% of all buildings, or 2,358 buildings (2,220 small &medium-sized buildings, 138 large buildings) (Figure 11).
Figure 11: Tokyo 23 Wards Office Pyramid 2019 (Number of Buildings)

Figure 12 indicates the earthquake resistance of those groups of buildings by size.*2
The percentage of buildings that stated they were quake resistant in for-rent documents was 67% amonglarge buildings and 22% among small & medium-sized buildings. Of such buildings, the percentage of thosethat indicated they had made quakeproof repairs was 13% among large buildings and 3% among small &medium-sized buildings, indicating that large buildings had carried out quakeproof repairs more than small &medium-sized buildings.*3 The fact that high-rises were required to secure enough tolerance in quake
resistance even before the application of new seismic standards was probably the reason why large buildings
have a larger percentage of being quakeproof.
Figure 12: Statement of Quake Resistance (n=2,358)*2 Since 2006, buildings that received building certification on or before May 31, 1981 have been required to state
whether a quakeproof diagnosis have been made under new seismic standards and if so, the results of thediagnosis in the disclosure statement provided before the signing of a lease contract.
*3 Buildings that had carried out quakeproof repairs but did not state the fact in for-rent documents and buildingsthat carried out quakeproof repairs after the data collection date are not reflected in this percentage.

Office Specifications Changing with Time
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
This report may not be reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2019 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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5. Observations
In this report we examined the changes in building specifications by size of building and year of completion,
based on Tokyo 23 Wards Office Pyramid 2019 (Number of Buildings) released by Xymax REI.
The specifications of office buildings have continuously been upgraded as buildings became newer,
regardless of the size of building. The background to the upgrades not only includes changes in legislation andthe easing of restrictions but also tenants’ needs for enhancements in electrical power capacity and OA floors
to accommodate new OA equipment. The progress of construction technology in response to the changing
needs of tenants has probably also contributed to the improvement of building specifications.
Of the buildings that were built under old seismic standards, large buildings were earthquake resistant morethan small & medium-sized buildings. Furthermore, large buildings stated in for-rent documents that they had
carried out quakeproof repairs more than small & medium-sized buildings did. Owners of small &medium-sized buildings are mostly lease operators that own one or two buildings,*4 and lag behind in carryingout quakeproof repairs due to financial issues.
*4 Building Owner Survey 2018, released on October 25, 2018https://www.xymax.co.jp/english/news_research/?type=research

Building operators had tried to appeal to tenants by pursuing higher-grade specifications in new buildings
and upgrading the facilities of existing buildings in view of the new standard level of specifications so that they
could gain competitiveness in attracting tenants.
However, the office features required by tenants have been changing recently. Intangible aspects that enable
workers to work safely with peace of mind are becoming more important for the purpose of improving
productivity. Additionally, PCs have become smaller and wireless, resulting in less need for OA floors. Serverrooms are also less installed within the office space due to the introduction of cloud services.
The equipment capacity, which building operators had competed with each other to obtain as importantfeatures for tenants in choosing an office, may become excessive in the future.
As more companies introduce workstyles that are not bound by place or time in accordance with thechanges of the times, the required specifications of offices are likely to see further changes in time to come.
Xymax REI will continue to study and analyze office stock from a wide range of perspectives.

Survey Overview
PeriodDecember 2018 (The data of each specification are as of the collection date.)

Area

Tokyo 23 Wards

Targetproperties

Buildings completed or scheduled to be completed in or after 1946 with a gross floorarea of 300 tsubo or more used mainly for offices (as of the end of 2019)* The data were collected from properties whose date of construction is known based on publicly available information such as
newspaper articles and for-rent information (including that of the past). Owner-occupied buildings were excluded.
* Any changes to the specifications after data collection are not reflected in this report.
* The office stock in 2019 includes buildings whose scheduled completion date is known as of December 2018.
* In this report, “old seismic standard” buildings refer to buildings completed in or before 1981 before the enforcement of the
Revised Seismic Design Method.
* The figures may not sum across due to rounding.

Office Specifications Changing with Time
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
This report may not be reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2019 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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