Live loads in office buildings: point-in-time load intensity

This is the first of two papers that describe a study on live loads in office buildings. Eight office buildings with a total floor area of 11 720 m2 were surveyed in Kanpur, India. Point-in-time load intensity is analyzed and the results are compared with those of other similar surveys. A definite relationship was observed between the use of the room and the load, and also between the size of room and the load. Analyses have been made to determine the variation of live loads with building height. The mean occupancy duration for offices of 17.7 years was obtained. The composition of live load is also discussed in the paper.