Limited Space, Limitless Imagination: Designing a Commercial Building with Space Restrictions

Architects use imagination, artistic skills, and engineering expertise to design structures with form and function. But commercial building design rarely starts with a blank canvas. Instead, clients are often looking to expand a current facility or integrate a new building with an existing one.

The type of building you choose can limit the possibilities–or it can enhance your design abilities. Limitations can actually make the project more enjoyable and ensure clients get maximum value from your efforts.

Space limitations are common. Legacy’s buildings allow you to design without sacrificing features or functionality. We are definitely not one-size-fits-all.

Typical Space Challenges 

• Desired footprint: Customers want the largest possible building, to accommodate maximum workspace and storage, but the site itself–or their budget–can limit the possibilities.
• Site conditions: The property may not be large enough, or it may have an irregular shape or drainage issues that make it difficult to accommodate the desired building.
• Zoning: Local building codes, zoning, and other regulations dictate usage, structural dimensions, setbacks, and many other commercial building design details. 
• Existing infrastructure: Other buildings or utilities may already be in place. Bulk storage and other distribution facilities are often located near transportation hubs, such as waterways and rail lines. These factors can affect structure design, size, and any configurations for workflow and transitioning products. Architects also must design around moving parts, such as trucks or human traffic.
• Environmental issues: There may be rules or regulations that protect land, waterways, or wildlife. Noise and air pollution standards are also common. The environment itself may be a factor, especially if the building will have to withstand extreme temperatures and harsh weather (such as hurricanes, hail, heavy snow loads, or salty marine conditions). 

Architects Appreciate Design Flexibility

Traditional brick-and-mortar buildings still have their place, but designers may be limited by material choices for the exterior wall facade. With a steel-framed fabric solution, they aren’t constrained to traditional materials. This can save time and money, especially if they can design a facade with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) rather than brick or concrete. The cost of PVC is much less than traditional materials–and the larger the building becomes, the more the client can save.

In some cases, building up can increase functionality on a small footprint. However, this likely won’t work for bulk commodity storage, sports complexes, equestrian, aviation, or other commercial applications that operate at ground level. Legacy buildings offer alternatives that can provide even greater design and operating benefits.

Clear-Span Construction

With Legacy’s rigid steel frame construction, you can build clear spans of more than 300 feet, along with high-proof peaks to accommodate tall racking systems or exceptionally large equipment. Hanging loads overhead, where they are integrated with the structure, moves bulky machinery and equipment off the floor and out of the way.

By eliminating the need for individual support systems, you then free up floor space for fully productive usage and more effective design.

• For example: If your client needs a huge facility in a location where it snows, the extra weight limits the functional width of the structure. However, you can achieve the desired footprint by joining two buildings engineered to withstand heavy snow loads. For many applications, adding a lean-to or side addition may provide the required space while accommodating restrictions. Other types of buildings won’t allow for that.

Legacy structures can also be expanded later by adding an adjoining structure. Or, since our buildings are not limited in length, they can easily be made longer because the engineering has already been done.

Sustainability

Sustainable building design is increasingly important and desirable. Often, this includes using more efficient and environmentally-friendly materials. Long-term, owners want a building that will last for many years–with the least maintenance effort and cost. Legacy supports sustainable design with:

• Roofs engineered to support solar panels.
• Energy-efficient lighting. Our white ExxoTecTM fabric allows for a brighter interior, even in huge spaces, creating a more pleasant working environment and reducing the need for artificial lighting. When uninsulated, the fabric’s 12% translucence admits enough sunlight for comfortable indoor work without additional lighting.
• Our fabric absorbs sound, creating an atmosphere that is naturally quieter, inside and out. This helps meet noise restrictions and means less shouting to communicate with co-workers.
• Our fabric is thermally non-conductive, so it’s easier (and cheaper) to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures year-round, anywhere in the world.

Custom Design Starts with Collaboration

You may not need as much space as you think to achieve project goals. The true test of successful structure design is functionality. So, no matter the industry or type of commercial building, the first question should always be how will the building be used?

Legacy works with every client to understand usage needs and site conditions, and then suggest solutions to accommodate those needs. Let’s look at a couple of examples.

Bulk Commodity Storage

Our bulk storage customers often assume they need a specific square footage figure to store tons of product. However, architects (and our Legacy design engineers) think of space as three-dimensional, not just square footage.

• To design for bulk commodity storage, we need to know how the product will enter and leave the building and how it will be when stored inside. Designing around the material for optimal workflow can often reduce the amount of space needed. In addition, loose products need bunker walls to keep them corralled, so by raising the wall height, more products can be stored on the same footprint.

Sports Centers

While sports center applications may differ from bulk storage, usage is still the fundamental question. Local zoning and building codes will affect the design, and there may also be sport-related requirements that affect interior space needs. 

• For example, U.S. Tennis Association guidelines define setbacks that must separate courts from spectators. Or, if you need locker space or other non-play areas at your sports complex, it may be more cost-effective to design two adjoined spaces.

Don’t Let Space Restrictions Cramp Your Style

Every new project brings its own unique set of challenges. Since every structure Legacy manufactures is entirely custom-built, we’re used to working closely with owners and their design teams, internal and/or external, to create a commercial building design that looks great and performs as expected or even better, cost-effectively, for years to come.

If you’re just starting to lay out your design for a commercial building, reach out to our team. We’re happy to help with your design and building needs.