The Federal Government has created the National Performance Standards for Office Buildings (NPS) 2016 and is seeking industry stakeholder input.
Scope
This NPS applies to real property projects undertaken by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) on its own behalf or by the private sector on behalf of PSPC on Crown-owned office buildings for which PSPC is custodian. This includes the construction of new office buildings and the renovations of existing office buildings.
The requirements of this document apply to renovations to the extent of the scope of the renovations and to the extent which is practical given existing conditions. Variance from the standard must be justified in writing within the project documentation.
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to establish minimum base building design and technical requirements for office buildings in order to ensure:
- office building are built to a high level of quality that meets operational needs;
- office building requirements are clearly defined and applied consistently by private sector service providers and PSPC staff;
- the design and construction of office buildings contributes to meeting Government and PSPC sustainability targets;
- design excellence;
- sound stewardship of our federal identity; and
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the design and construction of office buildings presents best value to the Crown.
If you have an interest in office building standards and would like to support the RAIC as a national voice for the profession, please contact Donald Ardiel, Director, Practice Support, to obtain a copy of the document. He can be reached at dardiel@raic.org or 613-241-3600 ext 202, or 519-878-6958.