Technology Education Department
Advanced Technical Drawing for Architectural Design

The process of designing a commercial building is comparable to the designing of a residential structure with a few variations. Commercial buildings usually involve more occupants and/or visitors, a wider range of activities, a greater selection of materials and construction methods, higher costs, and larger floor areas. Although commercial buildings can be grouped into categories such as retail, service, and office, there are no general rules or specifications to follow. Each structure will have different needs based on the various occupants, lot sizes, location of infrastructures, building codes, community design restrictions, and owner budget constraints.

The "Design Process" for commercial buildings is a systematic procedure used by architects and designers to create structures to meet the needs and desires of the occupants or owners. This procedure is used to prepare a set of plans and specifications that guide contractors, masons, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, roofers, painters and many other skilled workers in the completion of their work.

The number of steps in the process will vary from company to company or textbook to textbook but should include the following:

1. prepare a "Design Project Statement" that provides basic information and parameters about the structure, the client, the site, the cost and the time of completion;
2. complete an accurate, detailed "Analysis" of the client's needs including types and numbers of employees, daily duties and activities occupants, furnishings and equipment needed, possessions, preferences and desires;
3. develop "Room Layouts" for each room needed showing furnishings and fixed cabinetry to determine optimum room size and shape (include room dimensions and area);
4. develop "Area Diagrams" showing Customer (Public), Employee (Private), Mechanical (Utilities) and Storage areas to determine optimum room locations and building shape;
5. develop "Preliminary Floor Plans" in sketch form and complete a "Traffic Study" to determine the livability of the layout and placement of hallways and stairways;
6. prepare a "Presentation Drawing" showing the preliminary floor plan and an exterior elevation that meets the requirements of the clients;
7. present and discuss the ideas with the client for his approval;
8. revise and combine ideas after discussions into a final solution;
9. prepare scale working plans including floor plans, elevations, foundation plan, structural plans, electrical, plumbing and heating plans, interior details, wall sections, schedules and a plot plan;
10. prepare a scale model if needed to sell or promote the construction of the building;
11. prepare written "Specifications" and a "Materials List" for establishing cost of construction;
12. select contractors on the basis of sealed construction bids and establish a time table for construction and completion;
13. visit the construction site periodically to inspect construction and to insure completion on the date specified;
14. examine the completed structure, approve payments to contractors and sign over to the owner.

The "Statement of Problem" is developed by the architect with the client and briefly indicates the general scope of the design project being undertaken. The following information should be included in the Statement of Problem:

• type of building and/or function of structure
• overall size of structure
• physical description of site
• client information
• general method of construction or materials desired
• approximate construction cost
• date of completion.

The "Project Analysis", often called the "Program", for a commercial building is developed by the architect and the client after considerable discussion of the scope of the project. This document helps the architect understand the needs and desires of the client before any of the design work is started. The following categories of information should be included in a "Project Analysis":

• client data (name, address, phone numbers, etc.)
• building site data (location, dimensions, area, contours, landscape, easements, etc.)
• personnel data and needs (number of employees, job titles, responsibilities, equipment and furnishings)
• customer needs (outside and inside)
• building design data (shape, dimensions, levels, square footages, style of building),
• building materials desired (exterior walls, roofing, soffit or trim, windows, glazing of windows, exterior doors, roof drainage, interior walls, interior doors, interior trim, cabinetry, hardware, floor coverings, wall coverings, ceilings, lighting fixtures)
• space needs (rooms, quantities and sizes)
• mechanical equipment (heating system, cooling system, electronic air cleaning, water heating, humidification, dehumidification, central vacuum cleaning system, communications system, security system, sprinkler system and fire alarm system)
• special features (skylights, atriums, elevators, escalators, vaults, coolers, freezers)
• miscellaneous information and notes.

Specific information for each of these categories must be identified before the project can proceed.

"Area Diagrams" are used by the architect to quickly study the general layout and orientation of a structure. A typical diagram uses free-formed shapes to represent the approximate square footage of each of the four areas:

• public (customers - entryway, reception, waiting rooms, meeting rooms, restrooms, service counters, display rooms, product space, etc.),
• private (employees - offices, conference rooms, workstations, copy rooms, restrooms, locker rooms, break room, lunch room, etc.),
• mechanical (heating, air-conditioning, electrical distribution, water heating, security, communications, etc.)
• storage (products, materials, tools, equipment, office and cleaning supplies). A solid black triangle is added to the diagram to locate the entrance.

Multiple area diagrams may be studies by the architect and the client to determine the best arrangement.

"Room Layout Sketches" are created for each room listed in the "Space Needs" category of the "Project Analysis". These freehand sketches show the arrangement of furnishing, built-in cabinetry, room dimensions, square footage, and room name. The client and architect review the "Room Layouts" and when approved are used to create a scale "Room Cutout" that includes the room name, dimensions and area. "Room Cutouts" may be done on four different colored sheets of paper that represent the different areas of a commercial building.

A "Basic Floor Plan Sketch" is completed by arranging the "Room Cutouts" according to the "Area Diagrams". Walls are represented by single lines. Windows are represented by short intersecting lines. Doors are represented by an open space, a 90° arc and a perpendicular line. Built-in cabinetry, appliances and bathroom fixtures should also be included but furnishing are optional. Rooms should be labeled by name or number with square footages indicated. Overall length and width dimensions should be added to the plan along with a title block. The "Basic Floor Plan Sketch" helps the client and architect visualize the overall shape of the building, check the arrangement of rooms, and study the flow of traffic by employees and customers.

A "Traffic Study" is used to evaluate the arrangement of rooms and determine locations and sizes of hallways and stairways. Each room is listed along the top and left margins of a matrix drawn on graph paper. The distance from the doorway of each room to every other room is entered on the matrix. Long distances are studied to see if an alternate room arrangement reduces travel time.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

In addition to walking distances from room to room, the following design considerations should be applied to the layout of a building:

Storage space for retail products should be readily accessible by employees as well as delivery and/or receiving personnel.

Storage space for manufacturing or construction materials should be readily accessible by employees as well as delivery and/or shipping personnel.

Storage space for office and cleaning supplies should be readily accessible by employees.

Dining areas should be provided when employees have short lunch hours or when dining outside of the building is not nearby.

Mechanical rooms should be placed on exterior walls, along the sides or back of a building and as close as possible to the location of utilities such as electricity, natural gas, telephone, cable and water lines.

The number and size of restrooms should be based on the number of employees and visitors or customers that occupy the building.

Restrooms should be placed on common plumbing walls and located near exterior walls as close as possible to the location of sewage lines.

Restrooms should be placed above each other in multi-storied buildings.

Hallways and stairways should be a minimum of 48" wide to accommodate people passing each other and to facilitate the easy movement of furnishings, equipment, and products.

Exterior doors and doors from public meeting rooms should be a minimum of 42" wide (48" recommended) and should open outward.

Interior doors and restroom doors should be should be a minimum of 36" wide.

Service doors should be a minimum of 42" wide or 72" wide with removable center post if doubled .

Zoning restrictions influence the type of business, the placement of the building on the property, the size of building, the amount of parking, the location of entrance and exit drives, and in some communities the style of the building.

Building codes influence the type of construction, the sizes of building materials, and safe occupancy regulations.

Easements are strips of land set aside for utility companies to work on their pipe or cable lines as well as for access to landlocked areas by community groups such so police, fire and rescue departments.

The path of the sun should be taken into account to take advantage of natural light and solar heating.

Prevailing winds should be considered for natural cooling in the summer and reducing heat loss in the winter.

Landscaping should be considered for providing privacy, protection from wind, and shade and aesthetics.

Parking for employees should be based on the number of employees, be placed apart from customer or visitor parking, and be convenient to the employee entrance.

Parking for customers or visitors should be based on the anticipated number of customers or visitors, be placed apart from employee parking, and be convenient to the main entrance.

Handicapped accessibility should be considered in the areas of parking, walkways, building access (ramps), entry doors, restrooms, hallways and elevators. Ramps should be a minimum of 42" wide (48" recommended) and have a slope of 1" per 12".