When you are thinking of creating your own purpose-built premises for your business, you will find that there are many different factors to take into consideration. For instance, you will have to find the right plot for your build in size, location, and of course, price.
Having found this, you will then have other important areas to think about.
#1 Design the Perfect build
Although your building will have to be functional and fit for purpose, there will also be the question of design and building materials that you will have to consider.
Hire professional designers
Hiring a professional architectural business that also knows how to integrate structural and MEP designs will certainly reduce costs and eliminate confusion that can occur when dealing with multiple design businesses. It will also ensure that all the different stages of the build are well catered to so that there will be little to no downtime while designs are reworked while the contractors are on-site.
Invest in the local infrastructure
Where your building plot is located will determine whether or not you will have to invest in the local infrastructure of the area. It is likely that your architect will be able to advise you on this and provide you with a solution that not only fits the bill but also pleases the local community.
Don’t forget to include landscaping
Of course, in order for your building to look pleasing and at home within its location, it is likely that you will have to get some landscapers involved. To make the landscape practical as well as functional, you should include areas within the design where your employees can rest in the open air, spend their lunch breaks as well as provide them with a bit of exercise.
A little light exercise, such as a leg stretch and some fresh air can reawaken the brain, therefore enhancing your workforce’s productivity when they come back to their duties.
#2 Include security options within your build
You should also include security options in your build, preferably at the design level. This can ensure that you have no ‘dark’ spots where mischief can be created or performed unseen. Although youths may see vandalism as an act of art or getting their views across, it can be costly to remove and heartbreaking for the business owner to see.
Once it has occurred, you are likely to find that it will occur again and again. To stop vandalism, preferably before it starts, you need to take action. Using gadgets such as a mosquito device will certainly help, but adding additional security measures could help prevent it as well as other criminal instances.
Cameras
Having security cameras around your building (inside and out) is not just a deterrent. It can also provide solid evidence in court should your property be the victim of a physical crime or, for that matter, any of your employees while they are on your property.
Lighting
With this in mind, you should also think about installing security lighting in your property boundaries. Ensuring everyone’s safety while they are on your site when dusk settles in, as well as in the twilight hours, will certainly prove popular. But lighting will not just help against crime but will also deter pests that are looking for somewhere safe and dark to spend the night – or make their home.
Gated entry
Not all crime is destructive; some instances are just simply disruptive, though not always necessarily crime either. For instance, having members of the public use your company’s parking lot for their own uses. This will reduce the number of parking bays available to your employees and your visitors.
This could reduce the amount of working time within that particular day, not to mention increase the level of stress that your employees could be facing at the prospect of getting to work late, not being able to get their job done or at the risk of losing their job altogether.
Having a gated entry that is either controlled by a key code, swipe card, vehicle registration recognition, or security guard will reduce the likelihood of this scenario taking place.
#3 Know how much room you will need to start with
Of course, even the best architect in the world will not be able to create the perfect business building for you if you do not take the time to brief them on what you want out of the building itself.
Parking facilities
You should make sure that you can offer on-site parking facilities for your employees and your visitors and customers. This could in itself be a big part of whether you can obtain the right candidates to employ as well as be able to attract valuable customers. In this circumstance, it is far better to have too many parking spaces than too few. As previously mentioned, not being able to find a parking space at the start of the day can cause all kinds of stress for an employee. Whereas if a customer or visitor cannot find a parking space, you may find that they take their business elsewhere.
Internal areas
You should make sure that you have enough room for all of your workforce to be comfortable and to house all the tech that your business will need to perform its function. This will, of course, include manufacturing and production areas if your business is operating in these industries. Alongside this, warehouse space to hold all of your parts and components from suppliers and your products waiting to be dispatched to customers.
#4 Understand how you can expand
You should also keep in mind how your business may grow and expand in the future. Limiting your business to small square footage may be seen as naïve. However, paying additional money to have a building that your workforce is rattling around in will also be a bad financial decision.
Extend your premises
When your build is at its design stage, you should keep in mind how you may be able to expand your property and create more parking should you require it. It isn’t a good idea to rely on the point that you may at some point in the future, be able to purchase a neighboring plot. This is because they may already be built on by other companies by the time you require them.
Offer hybrid or remote working conditions
Of course, in order to keep your office as small as possible, you can introduce the concept of hybrid working. This will free up parking spaces as well as office space on your site, which will enable you to hire additional office employees should you need them.
Alternatively, you could change your office working conditions completely and opt for remote working. This, again, will free up valuable parking spaces and will mean that you can use the empty office area of your business for other uses, such as expanding other areas of your business.
