Commercial Building Types

The skyscraper is becoming more environmentally friendly.

There are dozens of different types of commercial buildings worldwide, ranging from basic laundromats and pubs to opulent hotels and majestic commercial banks. Commercial buildings usually consist of more than 50 percent space available for public use, and adhere to a different set of safety standards. Today, virtually all new commercial buildings are constructed to reduce their carbon footprint with energy-efficient technology.

Banks

Banks have become better integrated to the surrounding environment.

Commercial bank buildings have evolved from turn of the 20th-century stately multi-story Victorian and Beaux Arts structures to signify stability, strength and integrity to "green" banks, such as San Francisco's New Resource Bank that uses solar-based energy technology and loans funds for similar community-based solar projects, according to aia.org.

Restaurants

Restaurants can be standalone structures or found in commercial buildings.

Commercial dining establishments are either standalone structures or housed in multi-business commercial buildings. Restaurants are generally divided into a dining area, crew preparation workplace and kitchen. Contemporary décor in fast-food restaurants may feature LCD screen menus, a mix of retro and modern furnishings, and a modern and industrial architectural exterior design, according to retailtrafficmag.com.

Hotel

Hotels provide an outlet for architects to design bold buildings.

Most commercial hotel buildings, not to be confused with motels, have changed little in the basic presentation to clientele. The exception is that modern hotel buildings generally stand alone with an emphasis on updating services and rebranding prominent hotel names, such as Holiday Inn, to fit contemporary tastes. All must accommodate high-volume traffic that requires a sizable lobby, elevator, meeting rooms and rooms that feature a minimum of a bedroom and bath.

Office Building

The skyscraper is the most recognizable commercial building.

The office building, often in the form of a skyscraper in urban areas, requires significant working space and adherence to strict safety codes. Since 2000, architects have designed commercial skyscrapers with an eye toward better use of floor space by using large-span mega-trusses and reinforced concrete core walls to eliminate interior columns.

Supermarket

The supermarket focuses on a design to encourage convenient shopping.

Supermarket commercial buildings are designed to offer the best use of floor space for marketing products with an emphasis on impulse buying and floor plan to promote customer convenience. Supermarket commercial design also focuses more on lighting and environment to encourage more comfortable shopping.

Shopping Mall

Shopping malls can contain hundreds of businesses under one roof.

The enclosed shopping mall has been part of the commercial building landscape since the 19th century, but became more common in the 1950s and also had a significant building boom in the 1970s. Constructed in suburban areas, vertical multi-use building designs and environmental-friendly technology are becoming the standard among mall builders, according to "Retail Traffic" magazine.

Retail Store

Storefront retail businesses are ubiquitous in the suburbs.

Retail commercial businesses range from mom-and-pop convenience shops to massive "big-box" discount outlets that provide all retail services, including a fast-food restaurant or tea room under one roof. Since retail store buildings account for about 48 percent of the world's greenhouse emissions and consumes 68 percent of the world's electricity, more aggressive efforts are being made to make retail commercial buildings more energy efficient.

References

• Retail Traffic: Restaurant design
• American Institute of Architects: Commercial bank buidlings
• Hotels Magazine: Hotel architecture

Resources

• Trends Ideas: Skyscraper trends
• Architect Magazine: Supermarket lighting
• Retail Traffic: Future of shopping malls