Given the low demand for construction work from the worldwide economic recession, now is a great time to take advantage of the lower prices in construction services. In addition, there is more room for negotiations with these services desperate for the custom. Obviously the outlay will still be significant but this is a great financial opportunity for any large organisation looking to move premises or to establish their own building.
The first point to consider when deciding to construct a new building is the location. Regarding this point, the most significant factor is the transport links as these are vital in ensuring that your employees are able to reach their new workplace. Therefore there must be main roads to your location with different access points. Another thing to consider is the cost of the land, time should be spent assessing several areas for these factors to decide on which provides the most value and will be most beneficial for the company and the employees.
Another important factor is the size of the premises, which will largely depend on the size of your company and the future growth of your company. Time should be spent analysing the number of rooms that will be needed and how many floors the building should have to assess the dimensions of the building. If the company is likely to expand in the coming years, it may be beneficial to take this into consideration when planning how many offices to have and rooms for specific departments. If this is ignored it may be more costly to have an extension added to the building later on. However this will depend on the budget that is available for this construction with unoccupied rooms being low on the priority list.
Another option is the possibility of having more than one building but this is less practical for most companies. The main reason behind doing this is to create separation for security reasons. For some companies they may wish to separate specific departments in order to keep one area secure, which would be the case for companies such as pharmaceuticals.
Car parking is an area that should not be overlooked in the exterior construction. Depending on the amount of land available you may choose to go for either an outdoor parking area or with modern buildings, there is the option of having an underground car park where space is more of a factor. Additionally, if possible it is beneficial to have an outdoor garden space for employees to take breaks or have their lunch. Regarding office jobs it has been known that time outside during lunch breaks gives employees the opportunity to rest their eyes and to return to work refreshed.
With construction, a lot of time will go into the style and design of the building. This is for the reason of brand image and reputation, where some companies go for buildings that are made largely from glass. Height is also seen as an important part of a building although this can make it more costly to construct. Buildings should be stylish but functionality should never be forsaken as it is the most important part of a building.
Paula is a freelance architect and has been part of the field for the past ten years. Paula is very passionate about her job and has been involved with several different projects including the likes of Architect Melton Mowbray. For further information on any of the topics raised in the article please visit John Fowkes Architects.
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