Economic life of a building
Several definitions have been developed to assess or specify the life of buildings, structures and their components, from the perspective of different stakeholders.
Economic life refers to the amount of time an element is in service before its replacement is more advantageous economically than the continued maintenance that will be required to keep it in service.
Economic life may be a key consideration of owners, particularly if they are managing the an asset from which they wish to ensure an adequate return on the investment they have made by purchasing or building it and operating it.
However, as there is no general legally-agreed definition of economic life, if it is to be included in contract documentation as a performance requirement, it is important that it is carefully defined within those contract documents and that it is consistent with all other requirements in the contract documents.
NB BG 87/2024, Useful Information Guide, written by Chin Hang “Kay” Lam and published by BSRIA in 2024, defines economic life as: ‘The estimated number of years until an item no longer represents the least expensive method of performing its function.’
Other definitions of life include:
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Concept structural design of buildings.
- Decommissioning.
- Demolition.
- Design quality for buildings.
- End of life potential.
- Fitness for purpose.
- Life.
- Life cycle assessment.
- Service life.
- Structures at the end of their design life.
- Useful life.
- Utilising life cycle costing and life cycle assessment.
- Whole-life costs.
Featured articles and news
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.
The restoration of the novelist’s birthplace in Eastwood.
Life Critical Fire Safety External Wall System LCFS EWS
Breaking down what is meant by this now often used term.
PAC report on the Remediation of Dangerous Cladding
Recommendations on workforce, transparency, support, insurance, funding, fraud and mismanagement.
New towns, expanded settlements and housing delivery
Modular inquiry asks if new towns and expanded settlements are an effective means of delivering housing.
Building Engineering Business Survey Q1 2025
Survey shows growth remains flat as skill shortages and volatile pricing persist.
Construction contract awards remain buoyant
Infrastructure up but residential struggles.
Home builders call for suspension of Building Safety Levy
HBF with over 100 home builders write to the Chancellor.
CIOB Apprentice of the Year 2024/2025
CIOB names James Monk a quantity surveyor from Cambridge as the winner.
Warm Homes Plan and existing energy bill support policies
Breaking down what existing policies are and what they do.
Treasury responds to sector submission on Warm Homes
Trade associations call on Government to make good on manifesto pledge for the upgrading of 5 million homes.
A tour through Robotic Installation Systems for Elevators, Innovation Labs, MetaCore and PORT tech.
A dynamic brand built for impact stitched into BSRIA’s building fabric.
BS 9991:2024 and the recently published CLC advisory note
Fire safety in the design, management and use of residential buildings. Code of practice.