Tag: commercial construction

Commercial Construction After COVID-19

Commercial Construction After COVID-19: How Developers Can Adapt

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the construction industry heavily. With people focusing on social distancing measures and businesses going online to cater to their customers, the commercial sector took a hit.The pandemic fuelled a boom in e-commerce has increased the demand for retail spaces, while many office spaces were left vacant. Fortunately, some companies have been taking up strategies that can benefit the commercial construction sector greatly. Speaking of adapting, the commercial real estate sector can focus on strategies like adaptive reuse.Apart from this, developers can also focus on creating spaces that are safe from COVID-19. When both these strategies are combined, the developers can repurpose vacant spaces into structures that are higher in demand and also ensure the indoor spaces are safe from the novel virus.Over the last few months, plenty of safety measures and precautions have been provided by organizations like ASHRAE and the CDC. The IWBI created the WELL Health Safety standard by providing scientifically proven measures for fighting against infectious diseases including COVID-19. Creating Safer Indoor Spaces:After a lot of research on the transmission of the coronavirus, extremely important evidence came into the picture that COVID-19 transmission can be airborne, especially in poorly ventilated indoor spaces. Therefore, creating safer than ever indoor spaces should be a top priority for developers.ASHRAE released a detailed guide for building owners on measures for promoting a safe indoor environment. The recommendations can be summarized in 3 main areas:Increasing outdoor air ventilation as much as possible, while minimizing indoor air recirculation. Upgrading the air filters to MERV rating 13 or higher. Installing Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) system for killing harmful airborne viruses and bacteria.Depending on the building conditions, the applications of the above-mentioned measures may vary but the main principle of ventilation, filtering, and purification still holds.Apart from new construction, they can also be implemented for existing buildings and in renovation projects as well for improving the indoor air quality. It is highly recommended to consult professionals that can identify the optimal measures for all building types.The IWBI came up with a list of 22 effective measures against COVID-19, and building owners can obtain the WELL Health Safety Seal by implementing at least 15 measures that are subject to verification. Mixed-Use Projects: A Viable Option While many companies are struggling with low occupancy in commercial buildings, the demand for housing is on the rise. A mixed-use project can not only provide housing spaces but also offer spaces for commercial use as well at the same time.Some of the interesting benefits observe are that in a mixed-use building, the occupied residential spaces will require services that can be easily accessible and provided from the commercial spaces in the same building. Also, business owners are drawn to such buildings as their potential customers are already there.Professionals working from home are also attracted to mixed-use developments as it offers various services within walking distance.Apart from this, mixed-use projects are highly beneficial for entrepreneurs planning to open a franchise, since they can have immediate access to a large number of potential customers. Repurposing Vacant Buildings with Adaptive Reuse: As mentioned earlier, some types of commercial buildings, like warehouses, are rising in demand, while some are seeing high vacancies. Adaptive reuse can be an excellent strategy for such building owners as the vacant buildings can be repurposed into structures like apartments, which are always in high demand.Work from home, implemented as a social distancing measure to fight against the spread of COVID-19 transmission, is now becoming a permanent solution for many companies. This led to less use of office space, which resulted in vacant office spaces and buildings. Repurposing such buildings is a viable strategy for office building owners. Conclusion: The commercial real estate sector was highly disrupted in the pandemic as the demand for some buildings increased greatly, while the others are now facing imminent vacancy. For staying competitive, developers implement the strategies mentioned above. Read Also:Commercial and Residential Construction: Key Differences Lifting and Rigging Equipment—Your Hardware Guide 3 New Age Engineering & Construction Technology All You Must Know About Construction Business Management Software

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commercial and residential construction

Commercial and Residential Construction: Key Differences

When it comes to construction, many business owners, who have faced residential projects before, are surprised at how different commercial projects are. The difference between commercial and residential construction approaches is big, starting from the volume of work and ending with regulationsWe’ve turned to the experts to list the key differences between commercial and residential construction. Knowing them is especially important when choosing general contractors and checking their portfolio, permits, and credentials. Commercial vs Residential Construction: DefinitionBefore we go further, let’s define commercial and residential construction. When we are talking about commercial construction, we mean creating a building for commercial purposes. It could be a store, office, school, factory, storage facility, warehouse, and more.When it comes to residential construction, it involves building something for residential living, including houses, apartments, condominiums, etc.At first glance, it may seem as if the approaches to these two types of construction are similar. However, they vary substantially. There may be a certain crossover between the skills of commercial and residential construction experts. However, a company that focuses on commercial construction may not have what it takes to deal with residential projects and vice versa. Regulations and Permits According to construction experts from afsgeneralcontracting.com, the key differences between these two types of construction are codes, regulations, and permits. Any kind of construction project requires special permits to be completed. For commercial projects, the number of these permits and codes is much higher than for residential buildings.Safety codes pertaining to parking lots, elevators, fire safety, and more are different for commercial properties. General contractors must have extensive experience following these codes since failing to do so could result in the entire project being done in vain.Commercial buildings come with elaborate concerns for electricity, IT, and parking. That’s why the level of complexity for working with such properties is much higher.Building codes and standards don’t just vary from residential to construction projects. They can be different in each state or even city. That’s why it’s important to check whether the general contractor you’ve chosen has experience working in your area. MaterialsAs soon as there is a building design in place, it’s important to identify materials needed for the construction project’s completion. Usually, materials required for commercial construction are drastically different from what you would purchase for a residential construction project.For example, an average residential building requires more wood since it uses a timber frame construction. Such an approach is considered to be cost-effective and well suited for buildings of smaller size.Even though some residential building owners prefer a steel frame for integrity, not too many agree. The reason is a much higher cost.Requirements for commercial construction project materials are stricter. The design is usually more complex than for residential needs. Timber framing often doesn’t cut it for large commercial buildings. Steel is the preferred material for companies building commercial properties. It’s resilient and allows for higher integrity and longevity of tall buildings.Obtaining large amounts of steel for framing requires an established relationship between a contractor and supplier. It may be easier for the residential owner to purchase timber directly from the vendor. However, in both cases, it’s better to rely on the contractor to find the right materials. Equipment and Training No matter how large and complex residential buildings can be, they are small and simple compared to some commercial projects. The large size of commercial buildings requires special equipment and workers’ experience. Operating tall cranes is different from working with aerial lifts. Meanwhile, the cost of such equipment, even if it’s rented, is much higher.Height-access equipment for commercial projects require specially trained operators. It’s also harder to find than aerial lifts for residential construction purposes.Some parts of residential construction projects are sometimes done by owners themselves or contractors using “How-to” videos. Even though it sounds questionable, these people often reach satisfactory results since the tasks aren’t hard.However, such an approach can never work for commercial projects. Mistakes that construction workers make with residential projects are much easier to fix than those occurring with commercial construction are. Meanwhile, commercial construction errors are likelier to result in a lawsuit.In most cases, residential construction workers need additional training to deal with commercial projects. Deadlines Commercial project deadlines are usually much stricter than their residential counterparts are. Higher construction costs and better-organized workflow usually mean that commercial construction tasks are executed much faster.For a company, a faster construction process means lower costs for labor and reduced financial investment. This motivates commercial construction workers to complete the project quicker.When it comes to residential projects, homeowners have a tougher time setting deadlines since they are prone to making changes. Meanwhile, some homeowners experience financial problems during the construction project, which may hinder deadlines.Residential construction projects require fewer workers than commercial construction does. This may also slow the process down. Costs The biggest difference between residential and commercial construction is cost. It doesn’t just stem from materials and compliance standards but depends on the costs of labor and equipment. The number of workers, as well as their experience and training, may reflect on the project costs tremendously. So can the use of specialized equipment, which is tougher to find and more expensive to rent.Residential projects require all of the above as well. However, due to their smaller scale, the costs go down proportionally.The approach to funding is different as well. For commercial projects, funding is found through bank financing, government agency or a wealthy owner/developer. Meanwhile, the homeowner usually funds a residential project through a loan. Final Thoughts Commercial and residential projects can be drastically different. The key differences between commercial and residential construction are materials, equipment, worker training, costs, and deadlines. When choosing a general contractor, the difference between the two is highly important since a company that deals with residential projects may not take up commercial construction tasks and vice versa.Read Also:Lifting and Rigging Equipment—Your Hardware Guide 3 New Age Engineering & Construction Technology All You Must Know About Construction Business Management Software

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