Commercial buildings are no longer characterized as the usual plain, cold, and boring white box where people come in to work. At the very least, these should now be comfortable, aesthetically-pleasing, and well-planned out to foster a happy and productive working environment.
Those qualifications may be a lot to put together, but seasoned architects and contractors can help you turn that dream into a reality. Commercial interior and exterior design trends today are a reflection of all those challenges to balance work and comfort.
Keep reading to explore some of the commercial building design trends slated to be seen from this year and beyond.
- Enabled For Technology
Technology is being used in operations across various industries, so your commercial building should be designed to enable such. For example, a modern commercial building’s HVAC design must be suited for the installation of servers like bang. Temperature control is essential in server rooms.
Also, because servers need to be at the center of the building and in a room without windows, the building design must have such a provision for tenants that will likely install servers.
- Shapes Taking A Center Stage
As briefly touched in the introduction, commercial buildings were mostly just like a square box for practicality purposes. Before modern construction technology came into being, it was more practical to build. Moreover, in commercial buildings that are being rented out, it’s easier for tenants to renovate and re-design their space when it’s merely a box.
Nowadays, advancements in construction technology have paved the way for more shapes. Circles and curves are becoming more common, especially with steel construction and using Amico expanded metal.
The objective of adding more shapes is to have that perfect marriage of traditional and modern design. It’s about playing with different shapes so as to encourage passersby to take a second look at the building and recognize the business’ existence. That’s all a part of marketing as well.
- Going Green
As to functionality, commercial buildings are also now designed in such a way that they’re more environment-friendly. This starts with being more particular about where the materials are sourced. Then, it goes as detailed so as to ensure that all the design principles incorporated make the commercial space into a greener one. For instance, floor-to-ceiling glass windows are good for energy-efficiency as there’ll be less need for lights during the day. It’s more expensive at the outset, but it will turn out cheaper in the long run when the utility expense of the building becomes smaller.
- Open And Multi-Purpose Layouts
Gone are the days when commercial buildings had a lot of partitions in between spaces. In the effort to be more cost-effective, practical, and functional, commercial buildings are also seeing a lot of open and multi-purpose layouts. Not only does this foster productivity, but it also gives more room to breathe–-literally–-when employees feel they’re too constricted in their rooms.
Moreover, having multi-purpose layouts means that some office floors can be easily convertible or enclosed into smaller spaces for private meetings or functions when necessary. These are made possible through modular partitions and the right furniture sources, to name a few.
- More Outdoor Spaces
In the year 2020, a global pandemic hit the world which brought about drastic effects such as limiting indoor operations. This may have been temporary but the effects in various sectors like construction and design, as in this case, are lasting. More buildings now see the importance of having more outdoor spaces.
Whenever it’s possible to accommodate an outdoor space on each floor, designs are making this apparent through functional balconies and al fresco areas. In commercial buildings like malls and shopping centers, these al fresco areas are great for restaurants.
On the one hand, for commercial spaces which are merely offices, the outdoor space can serve as a break-out room for employees. Human resource teams are now realizing even more the importance of having work breaks, and having the space to have some natural light in and to breathe fresh air in may just help employee wellness and productivity.
Those outdoor spaces are also good for incorporating more plants into commercial buildings. This is also another design element that’s becoming quite a norm even in commercial buildings these days.
- Warmer Paint Colors
After years of staring at white and gray colors, buildings nowadays have more life and style to them, too, starting with the paint. It really makes a whole lot of difference when the paint colors are calmer and warmer, like in neutrals. It’s not too plain and dead as white is, but also not as stiff as grey.
Pops of color in the wall paint are now being added, whether it’s for a full wall or as an accent. When your design team looks into the psychology of paint colors, commercial building owners may gain more insights into what colors will best suit the environment they intend to exude in their space.
Conclusion
Designing both the interior and exterior of commercial buildings can be very challenging, to say the least. Business owners have to stay nimble with their design, all while keeping up with ever-evolving trends in workplace style and comfort. Nowadays, it’s no longer sufficient to simply have a building that functions as an office per se. Rather, the design should contribute to all the efforts a business makes to attract customers and clients and keep them there.