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Building plans?

As it’s not every day you plan to build new business premises, we are more than happy to give you some tips. And of course to support you throughout the entire process, from design to realisation. These tips give you greater insight into those aspects that go towards determining the nature of your new building.

GENERAL

The right building
Once you have decided you need new business premises, you want to be helped correctly and to see the right result, in the foreseeable future. You therefore want a partner with the experience and working methods – and a tried-and-tested construction system – to guarantee a short construction period.

Prefabricated buildings
Choosing prefabricated buildings means guaranteed sustainability and quality, while avoiding unnecessarily complex details and connections.

Quality
The market offers a range of solutions for (prefabricated) building and partners who can fulfil your requirements. Within this market, however, countless companies operate, all differing in terms of experience and use of materials. Select a company that works with a tried-and-tested system that has proven its value across a whole range of reference projects. The system must have been subjected to rigorous testing and constructed using high-quality building materials. The quality of the connection details is also of crucial importance: these elements must fit perfectly onto the basic elements.

A single point of contact
The success of the construction process depends on the smooth functioning of all the links within the process as a whole. It is therefore desirable for a single partner to oversee, support and supervise the entire design and construction process. This prevents miscommunication and unnecessary extra work. After all, if the designer and the builder are not on the same wavelength, and are each responsible for different phases, this can end up costing you a great deal of money. It is therefore highly desirable to work with a single partner who can take care of the overall plan and maintain an overview of everything, from the outline design right through to final delivery.

Communication
Once you have found a good partner for your building plans, be sure to make agreements in advance on clear, simple communication throughout the process. A single prefabricated buildings supplier who can take care of everything for you offers no guarantee of clear communication between you and the constructor. It is a good idea to ask your partner for one-to-one meetings on the realisation of the building, a 3D visual, the technical description and clear architectural drawings.

YOUR BUSINESS PREMISES

Insulated foundations
The use of an insulated foundation system means insulation of the floor of your building is not needed, making use instead of the constant temperature of the earth (approx. eleven degrees Celsius). In summer, this provides cooling of your premises and in the winter, heating.

Dimensions
You may be considering a new building that needs some extra space either in terms of width or length. Together with your building partner, you should also look at the alternatives in terms of height. The right length/width/height ratio will determine the marketability of your building.

Volume
Before determining the size of the building, it is advisable to take a critical look at your operating processes. Efficient use of space can bring considerable savings in cubic content.

Light
If you need a good level of lighting in the building, without filling the space with light fittings, you can finish the interior of your space in white. This results in strong reflection of the light, meaning fewer fittings are needed to achieve the desired lighting level.

Floor
The flatness and finish of the floor can be tailored to the function of your building. Where high shelving is needed, the ground floor will have to be flatter than for an industrial space where the main activity is production. If you work with liquids, you will need a floor that is impermeable to liquids. And if the floor has to be kept dust-free, it will need a different finish again.

Roof covering
The roof determines the life span of the building to a considerable extent. It is therefore worth considering a high-quality roof covering. The use of EPDM roof covering guarantees a long useful life for your roof and corresponding low operating costs.

Roof inspection
While the building is in use, the roof should be regularly inspected. It is therefore recommended that the design include a hatch giving access to the roof and a safety line facility.

Sprinkler system
If a sprinkler system is required, it is advisable to take the maximum height of your building into consideration. If this is not specified precisely during the planning stage, it may prove necessary to install warehouse rack sprinklers. This generally involves many additional costs.

Compartments
Consider using compartments. Industrial spaces with compartments with a maximum compartment size of 1,000 m2 are generally not subject to government regulations in terms of fire safety.

Span
The use of columns in the industrial space reduces the load on the span, which in turn has a beneficial effect on the implementation of the steel structure.

Loading docks
If you have chosen for loading docks, you will generally need more than one pump with drain. If one of the pumps then fails, the other pump can take over the work without problems.

Spur stones
Spur stones protect the building. If you are using overhead doors in the exterior walls, it is advisable to install spur stones on both the inside and the outside. This protects the doors against collisions, for example by forklift trucks or heavy goods vehicles.

Columns
If there are columns in your industrial space, we recommend protecting these against collisions. This can be done by means of a steel frame filled with concrete.

Glass
To minimisethe use of security glass, it is recommended that windows in the exterior walls do not start at floor level – this saves costs.

Insulation
Relatively low power consumption costs are beneficial. These can be achieved by using sandwich panels and opting for the best possible insulation of the outer shell. If the outside of the industrial space has a higher insulation value, this will result in lower power consumption. A well-insulated outer shell provides protection against outside temperatures, both in summer and in winter.

Exterior walls
To protect the exterior wall against damage, et cetera, you could consider including a raised kerb in the paving around the exterior walls.

Plot boundary
Regulations apply to the construction of the building in relation to fire safety. The closer the building to the boundary of the plot, the stricter these fire regulations are.

Parking
Whenpurchasing a plot, you need to take account not only of the space required for the building, but also the required number of parking spaces.

Long term
It is a good idea to enter into maintenance contracts, in order to ensure many years of enjoyment of your business premises.

Future
You want business premises that meet your specific wishes and requirements. You may however also want to think now about selling or letting out the building later. How can you now gear your own requirements to an attractive plan for a future prospective buyer or lessee?