Evening star., 1925-08-01
NEW ADVISORY GROUP
WILL ASSIST BUILDERS
Committee of Experts From O,oners and
Managers Makes Recommendations
on Construction and Equipment.

With the entry Of the building
planning committee Of the National
Association of Building Owners and
Managers into the construction field.
an innovation has taken place that
will undoubtedly have marked effect
on the building industry.
This committee last week conferred
in Washington on the plans for the
new addition and equipment of the
Hotel DriScoll. and an opportunity was
given 10 those In Wa shington inter.
ested in the building industry to see
The group in action.
The basis upon which this commit
tee works is that while architects can
plan and design splendid buildings. it
is the hotel ma ger or the office
building ma nager who has TO make
the building pay, and therefore his
experience in past years is necessary
IN the planning and equipment of the
new building. Following out this idea
the committee some time ago met and
discussed the Straus Building in Chi
cago and left behind suggestions hat
not only cut s250.000 from the cost
NJ the building. without reducing it's
size. but added S25.OOo per year to
the availa BILE rental space and elm
/ mated high maintens nee costs nv sug-
cestins the proper type Of equip.
nenf.
Marked New Era.
The Straus Building meeting was
considered the first systematic AT.
| tempt 10 turn to account the ha
won wisdom Of the building manager
/ on this committee sat some Of the
ma nagers and some Of the owners
of the biggest office buildings in the
country. These men gave the benefit
~ theT experience as parr Of their
duty as members Of the National As
socia tion Of Building Owners and
Managers 10 their fellow members
The committee had it's beginning
in 1928. when the National Associa
tion Of Building Owners and Man
ayers undertook 70 analvze the fac
! tors entering into the operation Of
| l65 large Office buildings in AS States
/ The association gathered data on op.
Grating expenses. rental income and
| investment returns. and found that
average net income was 4 ST per cent.
There was wide variatio in the in.
come. starting from 0,s5 of ! per cent
on l5,story building TO 40.2 on
1S-story building
Many Factors Enter.
The cause Of this varia nee was
found 10 lie in many causes in which
the question OF design waste space
the buildings were so planned that
the cost of cleaning was high and the
cost Of operating the building was ex-
cessive.
While the owner and the architect
heretofore were responsible for the
building. il is hoped in the future thai
experts and the building mana gers
ra nsement Of the building they are
responsible for
~ was found that there were many
problems confronting the mana gers
and men responsible for the income
return on the building that could be
avoided by the exchange of ideas and
experience by committee Of experts
The association has now ha ndled some
OF the Iargest office buildings in the
country. including the Straus Build.
ing. Chicago; the Bull Building, De
froit: the big Macabees Building. De.
trolt. and many others In Aueusr
they will go 10 Indisnap polls 10 work
on the Indiana polls Cha nber of Com
merce Building.
First Hotel job.
The meeting in Washington last
SATURDAY on the DriscoU was the frst
motel job ever tackled by the commit.
Tee This committee was composed of
Russell Keith. manager of the Hotel
Statler Cleveland; William +. Bar
Ton Of The French Mana cement Co.
New York tina nciers and operators OF
hotels; Cha rles F.. Foster of Stafford
Bros. Inc. specialists in hotel
( financing; j. @. Morgan Of the Otis
elevator Co. f. r. Thorpe Of the
Morewood Realty Co.. operators of
hotels in New York Citv. L. r
t.rmeltn2 Of Chicag go. secretary of the
National Association of Building
owners and Mana gers: Lee Thompson
Smith. president Of the association.
r. ;. Kennedy. owner OF Meridian
Ma nsions. at 24O0 Sixteenth street:
j. II. de SiboUr local architect. and
James n. McShea ma nager Of the
Bliss properties here. which is erect
ing the new ei2ht-story addition TO
the hotel
The work Of the committee is en-