Helpful Advice for Designing a Commercial Building

Are you constructing your first commercial building?

There is a multitude of options out there when it comes to building material, size, and structure. How do you know what design option is best for a commercial building?

Weighing your options and picking the right design for you can be a challenge, so we have compiled a list of design tips to consider before officially deciding what type of building will be best for your new project.

Keep reading below to learn about the different design options and which will work best for you!

What Material Should I Use to Construct My Building?

The most significant part of the building design is probably aesthetic, so deciding what material to use to construct your building is a big decision

Wood, brick, and metal are probably the three most common choices, but deciding between the three can be a challenge, so let’s delve into the pros and cons of each.

Climate should be a huge factor in the type of construction material you choose to use

If you reside in an area that gets a lot of rainstorms, snow, or hurricanes, you may want to reconsider if you were planning on using wood to frame your new commercial structure.

Wood not only rots and harbors mold and mildew when wet, but it is also susceptible to termite damage.

Brick can be a great option, but the downfall is often the cost of building an entirely brick structure.

Not to mention, similar to wood, bricks are porous and have the potential to harbor mold and mildew if a hurricane or heavy rain cause any flooding.

For those reasons, most commercial business owners choose metal buildings for their new structures.

Metal buildings offer unique design flexibility, a quick construction timeline, reduced material costs, minimal longterm costs due to the low maintenance and durable exteriors, and they provide an economically and environmentally friendly design.

Metal buildings are typically made from recycled steel, which lowers building costs. They are incredibly durable, and owners will not need to worry about the effects of minor flooding, heavy rains, strong winds, and the other issues caused by mother nature.

Metal buildings are also easy to insulate and modify because of their simple metal framing. This allows utility costs to be cut in half, in comparison to other traditional construction methods.

Also, because most metal buildings are pre-engineered, the time from conception to erection is significantly shorter than with other types of traditional construction projects.

This reduces the downtime of your business while saving you money and decreasing the carbon footprint at the construction site.

Our biggest design tip for you is to choose a pre-fabricated metal building.

This option allows you to keep more money in your pocket and choose a quick and sustainable option for the next building project.

Choose a Building Engineer that Uses a Building Information Modeling Software

It is imperative that you choose a building engineering firm that utilizes Building Information Modeling.

BIM is invaluable to the initial design stages of your building, as well as the construction process and entire lifecycle of the project.

Building Information Modeling can save owners thousands of dollars by correcting mistakes and making necessary adjustments before the construction process is initiated.

Spacial planning is another crucial aspect of design engineering, and without a Building Information Modeling software, expensive mistakes could be made that will end up costing owners thousands in expansion projects.

When late-construction changes need to be made it increases the project timeline and requires additional materials. This would be a recipe for financial disaster if these expenses were not considered in the initial budget.

Therefore, this intelligent model-based software design program allows for spatial relation and a virtual representation of the inside and outside of your building before any construction even begins.

Using this type of technology allows for any necessary changes to be made before any time, money or effort being put forth.

Owners can ensure their equipment, machinery, inventory, and employees can safely fit and function in the new building.

Money-Saving Building Design Tips

There are many ways in which you can implement energy efficient design elements to help save money on utility costs.

Most of these need to be implemented on a metal building, so once again, our push for steel building construction holds.

Metal roofs, compared to traditional dark roofs, hold less heat and prevent the “heat island effect.” Keeping your building cooler in the summer will help cut down on energy costs. 

Additionally, the sunlight your metal roof does attract can be put to good use via solar panels. We realize that this does require a more substantial initial investment, but it will pay off ten-fold.

If your new building is in a sunny climate, your solar panels may eliminate your energy costs.

Finally, metal roofing can allow for rainwater to gather. While this water cannot be resold or used for consumption, it can be recycled for watering the landscape or the toilet plumbing, dramatically cutting down on your water usage and bill.

Contact CDMG to Get Started on Your New Building Project

Are you ready to start designing your new building? We hope our design tips helped you determine what type of commercial building project would work best for you.

While we are somewhat biased on the benefits of choosing pre-fabricated metal buildings for your commercial building project, we do genuinely believe it is the best option for cost and sustainability, not to mention metal building kits are leading the way in “green” construction.

If you are ready to get started on your steel building project the design engineers at CDMG can help you.

Our professional project managers use Building Information Modeling to design each client’s metal building to their exact specifications.

When you choose to partner with CDMG for your next commercial project, you can rest assured knowing you are working with a professional company that uses only the most sustainable and high-quality steel for its projects.

Click on the button below to speak with a design engineer today!

Original blog content written here.