Commercial Architecture
Ecclesall Design is the best choice for commercial architectural design services to deliver your project. Our flexible and skilled team will lead your project from the initial idea to completion. Creative and functional architectural solutions, adherence to planning guidelines and appropriate technical specifications meeting current Building Regulations are all essential parts of a successful project. Our combined experience in architectural design, planning and Building Regulations will ensure the optimal solution for your unique case.
Commercial property, as a category, covers a wide range of sites and structures with great possibilities for creative development depending on the nature of your business and the plan for your investment. The wide range of options makes it difficult to describe architectural services for commercial property in general and that is why in this page you will find our thoughts on several main types of commercial projects and how our talented Ecclesall Design team can contribute to your project.
Your project objectives and priorities shape our bespoke approach towards your architectural design. Virtually all commercial projects would require Building Regulations Detail approval and planning permission (or a Lawful Development certificate if the project fits within the definition of Permitted Development). We will offer the best design ideas for your project and then lead it through Planning and Building Control to get required approvals.
Ecclesall Design also provides Project Management service for commercial projects where we help to specify the exact products and materials, prepare a tender document for builders and oversee your project progress through the construction process ensuring that the key ideas and architectural features do not get lost by the time building is completed. This service can be tailor-made to suit your specific project needs so we focus our involvement on the parts of the project where our contribution most needed.
It is useful to get in touch sooner rather than later to learn how we can help to make your project come true.
Stores, cafés, restaurants and other shopfront commercial architecture buildings
Buildings with shopfront presence are one of the most common commercial property types, including shops, cafés, restaurants, medical practices etc. The feature that groups these properties together is the prominence and the focus on the public appeal. Shops, cafés, private business premises – they all command higher focus on the external appearance that would both attract customers and represent your business with confidence. The style should reflect the quality and nature of your commercial activities.
These commercial property projects are where we explore the most creative and contemporary architectural solutions. Exterior style, materials, glazing and advertisement areas are only some of the important aspects we would consider whilst working on your project. This type of building should express the best of your business with the architectural quality that makes you proud and we are prepared to work tirelessly to find the best solution for the specific circumstances of your project.
The public prominence of shopfront type buildings is the reason why great attention to architectural quality needs to be paid from a planning point of view. These buildings shape the streetscenes and townscapes of the most prominent areas we live in and it is in the public interest to demand high-quality architectural solutions for developments of such kind. This encourages us all – architects, developers, property owners and planning officers – to look for the optimum solutions for each particular place. Our Ecclesall Design team is dedicated to work with you and find a great quality design that would meet your requirements and expectations.
If your company is expanding or preparing for a big change of premises – get in touch with us and let’s start creating a new home for your business.
Industrial Building Architectural Design
Many businesses grow and change the methods or operation as time passes and expanding, reconstructing or building new premises for your company is a natural but challenging part of the business life cycle. The Ecclesall Design team can help you to choose the right plot of land, location and layout for your industrial or storage project to ensure that we make the best of your property and provide exciting solutions for your business growth.
Industrial buildings and warehouses often create significant impact on surrounding properties and the environment. Strict planning requirements regulate these development processes making good quality architectural design essential for your project success. In current times when impact on surrounding environment is more important than ever a thoughtful and creative architectural design can provide an opportunity for your business to be proud of its new development.
Our approachable team is would welcome the opportunity to work together with you to understand the nature of your business and the way it operates. This allows us not only to draw up our initial ideas to present to you but also explore alternative options and compare them for you so you would be in a position to make the best choice with confidence. Our experience in dealing planning issues allows us to lead your chosen architectural design through the planning application process and our project management services will take the whole project through the construction preparation and building phases to successful completion.
HMOs, B&Bs and other accommodation building architectural design
Buildings designed for accommodation purposes form a unique group of commercial architecture that has a lot in common with residential buildings. This would include houses in multiple occupation, care homes, B&Bs, hotels etc. Buildings for accommodation purposes must adhere to standard planning and Building Regulations rules as well as strict fire escape requirements where our knowledge and experience in residential architecture and Building Regulations would allow us to provide a valuable contribution to your project.
Quite often a commercial project for accommodation purposes involves changing the use of the existing building. This can be done either via a separate planning application or as part of an application for alterations or additions to the existing premises and we can offer its management as part of our service package if required. It is good practice to establish a change of use first before any more funds are to be invested into architectural design and various site investigations. Once the change of use is approved, we would suggest moving onto the next stage of the project and would then find the best architectural design solution.
Efficient space planning is also a priority for this building category and our experience in residential architecture allows us to find the ideal solution for your project that would balance the creative and thoughtful architectural design with the requirements of the planning guidelines and Building Regulations.
Some of these premises would be more focused towards efficiency (e.g. HMOs) and some would require more focus on the character and design of the building (e.g. hotels). Please do feel welcome to get in touch with us so we can explore the opportunities for your project and how Ecclesall Design could help it happen.
Architectural Design For Public Buildings
The term ‘public buildings’ covers a wide range of properties, but our practice is focused on small to medium scale projects such as: visitor centres, galleries, religious buildings, libraries, meeting halls, community centres to name a few. Being a small team, we target this scale project to ensure that our personal hands on approach achieves the best results whereas large scale projects would require subcontracting tasks or spreading them through a greater team of people and that would be contrary to how our service model works. Our small organisation allows us to make sure that the people of our team who you deal with are the same individuals who are going to do the work. This way you will have the benefit of clarity and will be able to trust the people working on your project.
Architectural design for public use building is always an exciting challenge. The ideas and features we choose are not only shaping the face of a public institution that is going to use the premises but also greatly contributing to our townscape and an image of a city seen through the eyes of the visitors of the building. Our team has a steadfast record in cooperating with local planning authority to find the best suitable design and achieving planning permission for our clients.
The process of designing public buildings and providing other architectural services can vary significantly depending on the exact type of the project. We are particularly enthusiastic about designing public buildings for our clients – there is a wide range of ideas to be explored in finding the best option for your project. We are always happy to advise you on how our team could contribute to the success of your project.
How It All Works?
The best way of starting your project moving is to get in touch with us so we can talk through the details of your property and the ideas you have in mind. This would allow us to provide a detailed quote for our services and choose the best way forward to proceed with your project.
The first step usually is a survey of your existing property carried out by our team. Depending on the exact type of your project, on occasions a topographical survey would be required before we can start working on our part. This provides us with the necessary information relating to your existing property and its parameters to enable us to make sure that our architectural design proposals would accurately match your project site.
The next step of the project is the architectural design stage where we would propose different suggestions and solutions for you to choose from and will give you an explanation with pros and cons of each option so you will make an informed decision. The design stage is completed when the required amendments have been made and you are happy with the proposed architectural design. The project then moves to the planning stage.
At the planning stage we would generally recommend that we first apply for planning pre-application advice that allows us to work with the local authority planning officer and obtain his/her support. Any amendments required or advised by the planning officer would be considered and implemented at this stage. After that we would submit a full planning application on your behalf and manage it through the process. This stage usually takes at least 8 weeks including the neighbour consultation period and any further negotiation with the planning officer if required. At the end of this process a planning notice would be issued for your project.
Once planning permission is achieved it’s time to move to the Building Regulations phase where we will prepare and submit the Building Regulations detail application together with the required drawings. We would then manage the application on your behalf and negotiate with the local authority Building Control to fine tune the specifications that would best suit your project. At the end of the process your Building Regulations details would be approved, and the project is then ready for the construction phase.
We also offer a project management service to lead your project from the preparation for construction phase through the building process to successful completion. Please read our Project Management page to know more about this service.
We hope this page provided you with a useful information about how Ecclesall Design could contribute to your project. Please get in touch if you’d like to know more about our services or about the possibility of us working together on your project.
