Internal dominant face
According to the International Property Measurement Standards (IPMS): Office Buildings, published by the International Property Measurement Standards Coalition (IPMSC) in November 2014, the internal dominant face is:
| The inside finished surface comprising 50% or more of the surface area for each vertical section forming an internal perimeter. |
Where, the vertical section is ‘Each part of a window, wall or external feature of an office buildings where the inside finished surface area varies from the inside finished surface area of the adjoining window, wall or external construction feature, ignoring the existence of any columns.’
NB RICS property measurement, 2nd edition, published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in January 2018, defines the Internal Dominant Face (IDF) as: ‘The internal finish comprising more than 50% of the floor to ceiling height for each IDF Wall Section. If such does not occur, the Finished Surface is deemed to be the IDF.'
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles
Building Safety Wiki Interviews
Chief executive of the British Woodworking Federation.
Planning condition discharge in England and Wales
A brief explanation from a building compliance expert, with further links.
Overheating guidance and tools for building designers
Guidance for dealing with element of building fabric control that have increasing importance.
Shading for housing, a design guide
From the Good Homes Alliance and British Blind and Shutter Association.
UK Standard Skills Classification (SSC)
A shared framework for describing skills needs.
Social media ban consultation comes to close
CIOB urges UK Government to consider social media’s role in careers guidance in ban debate.
The latest of eight Skills England apprenticeship units
The addition of battery manufacturing welcomed by ECA with a warning about the risks of fast-tracked apprenticeship units.
Building Control Independent Panel final report
A precis of a key report led by Dame Hackitt with full recommendations and link to the government response.
Building Safety recap April, 2026
A short and longer run-through of the month, with links to further information and sources.
CIAT May 2026 briefing.
From medieval scribes to modern word art.
ECA welcomes crackdown on late payment and push for clean energy, whilst CIOB seek fixed cladding removal timeframes.
Cyber Security in the Built Environment
Protecting projects, data, and digital assets: A CIOB Academy TIS.
Managing competence in the built environment
ITFG publishes new industry guide on how to meet the ICC principles.



















