Final answer:
The percentage increase in the building area is calculated by dividing the increase in area by the original area and multiplying by 100.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the percentage increase of the area of the building space, we need to find out how much the area increased and then divide that by the original area. The increase in area is the new area minus the old area, which is 20,160 square feet minus 16,000 square feet, giving us an increase of 4,160 square feet.
The formula for calculating percentage increase is:
Percentage Increase = (Increase in Value / Original Value) × 100%
Applying the values we have:
Percentage Increase = (4,160 / 16,000) × 100% = 0.26 × 100% = 26%
Therefore, the correct answer is b) 26%. The building area increased by 26% from the original 16,000 square feet to 20,160 square feet.