Commercial structures tend to be designed with many uses in mind. Whether you’re building a commercial structure for a specific industry or are creating a new retail space, there are some key things to consider in your build. When working on structure design for your next commercial build, here are the key principles to keep in mind.
Building and Design Materials
As you’re designing the space of your structure, you’ll also need to think about materials. You’ll want to be well-versed in how different materials can affect the overall design of a space. Some factors that determine what types of materials you may use include the size of the building, what environment you are building it in, sustainability, and overall budget. Most large commercial buildings will rely on materials like concrete since they are strong, durable, and budget-friendly. You can learn more about architectural concrete in this overview.
Once you have your materials for the architectural structure of the commercial building, you can start to get more creative with the interior materials. Commercial designs can vary based on what the building will be for and what companies you’re collaborating with. Some may want to stick with the industrial feel of concrete and steel. Others may focus on a more sustainable interior with recycled materials. You can start to get creative with patterns, textures, and characters when designing the interior of the commercial space.
Working with Space
One of the first key principles to consider in commercial structure design is space. You’ll not only need to consider the amount of physical space you have to design your structure but also how you want the space on the inside of the building to look as well.
Commercial buildings need to be functional. This means creating different spaces inside of the structure that make sense for what it is being used for. If you are creating a commercial structure that will be used as a warehouse, the space you’ll want to have inside will be much larger and more open than if you’re designing an office building.
An office building may require you to break up the space much more and incorporate areas for people to meet one another as well as more private rooms for individual workers.
Once you have a grasp of how much space you have to work with for the size of your structure and the use of the building, you’ll be able to create a functional architectural design for the building.
Lighting
Commercial structures are built to be used by many different people throughout the day. This makes the lighting of the building an important aspect of the design. You’ll want to make sure you incorporate a good amount of natural light into the design of the structure. In spaces where it isn’t possible to get natural light, you can brainstorm lighting designs that will brighten the space.
There are many different ways to get creative with lighting design. Whether it’s installing large windows facing a great view or having a custom chandelier installed in a foyer. The lighting of a commercial space will give the design character while also keeping it functional.
Tech Requirements
Designing a commercial building doesn’t stop at the structure and interior design anymore. A crucial aspect of many commercial buildings is their technological capabilities. You may need to design rooms that have audio/visual capabilities. Other tech aspects may be sustainable lighting, heating, and cooling. This includes things like lights with sensors that turn off when there isn’t anyone in a room. Or automatic heating and cooling that can be set to certain temperatures during certain working hours throughout the day.
Some buildings may want advanced wifi and security capabilities built into the structure. To make a space even more convenient for everyday use consider installing lots of convenient outlets and places to charge devices.
Branded Designs
When working on a commercial space you can make the design even more exciting by incorporating the branding of the company you’re working with. Companies that are building commercial spaces will have their color palettes, logos, and branding that can enhance the design of the space.
These elements can be reflected in the shapes that you create in the interior of the building as well as the feel of the exterior of the structure. You can work on the interior design by incorporating the color palette of the company. If you are building a general commercial space that will be used by many different companies, you’ll have more flexibility to add interesting design elements that can set the building apart from other commercial spaces.
Conclusion
Designing commercial structures combines important architectural design pieces with more creative interior designs. You must make sure that the building design is structurally sound while also adding personality to the space. Using the key principles can help guide the design process for your next commercial design.
