Commercial buildings must follow design strategies that make them efficient for business and aesthetically pleasing. It takes some thought to pick a flawless design for a commercial building. So here are some ideas to consider to help you decide on the right design for your commercial building.
1. How Will the Building Be Used?
One of the first questions you should ask yourself when designing a commercial space is, what will the building be used for? Every commercial space will have different uses. And each use could affect the way that you go about creating the design. Some of the most common uses of commercial spaces include:
- Office Buildings
- Retails Spaces
- Restaurants
- Industrial
- Multi-use
If you’re building a multi-use space, you may pay more attention to the flow of traffic outside. Whereas an industrial space will focus on the use of the inside of the space.
Your initial design for a commercial building should be based on what the space will be used for every day.
2. Who is Using the Building?
You know what your commercial space is being used for, so now you must think about how people will be using the space in their day-to-day lives. Consider if the space you are creating will be used by employees, customers, or both. These parameters will affect the traffic flow of the floor plan you are designing.
If you are creating an office building, you’ll want to make sure that the offices get a good amount of light. You may even incorporate open areas for people to congregate and designated spaces for meetings. Depending on the company, you may get to be more creative with the design to reflect that brand of the company.
When working in industrial architecture, your floor plan designs will be much more open. You’ll need to create large, open spaces to ensure that workers can transport materials across the floor in an efficient way. Whereas an office building or mixed-use space may need traffic control built into the design to create an optimal experience.
3. What is the Area Around the Building Like?
Commercial spaces need to be easily accessible for the people using them. You need to make sure there are intuitive access points, so the parking lots and walkways don’t get congested. Commercial buildings will have many people visiting and coming in and out. So you have to consider the surrounding areas in the design. If there isn’t a lot of street parking, you may need to incorporate parking and a flow of street traffic to avoid people getting stuck in the lot.
If you are building a commercial space in an urban area, you have to account for foot traffic to your building. Are the entrances to the building easy to find? Can people get to where they need to go with proper directions? You want to make sure that your commercial building flows with the area surrounding the building. This will make it easy for people to find and use your commercial space.
4. Architectural Decisions
Another thing to consider when designing a commercial space is the surrounding architecture in the area. Do you want your building to stand out or blend in with the surrounding buildings?
If you are building something in a more historic commercial area, you may want to keep the synergy and keep the architecture consistent. Whereas a city center with a bunch of different styles of architecture can give you more wiggle room in your design.
5. Permits and Budgets
Commercial buildings have to comply with certain zoning laws and permits. You may have an amazing idea for a design that ends up being too big for the zoning laws in the area. You should keep this in mind as well as the budget that you have for the project. You may want to use certain materials that don’t fit into the budget. This is when you have to get creative and find alternatives to fit the project. Always consider the permits, zoning, and budget constraints you have when creating a commercial property.
Conclusion
Designing a commercial space is an exciting project. There is much more to consider than a residential build, but keeping all of these ideas in mind will help you create a building that can be used for generations. Always remember to consider the use of the building, where it sits in the surrounding area, and the people that will be using it every day. And don’t forget to add your artistic touches to create something unique and useful for everyone that walks in the door.
