Principal
DIRECTOR, CINCINNATI OPERATIONS M+A ARCHITECTURE
What are some of the trends you are seeing today in commercial building design?
A: One of the big trends has been a push toward sustainability, whether it is through official LEED recognition, sustainable building practices and uses or more environment-friendly ways of handling waste.
Also, more attention is being paid to ensuring commercial buildings incorporate quality natural light inside – which is also an important health consideration. People work better, feel better, when they work in natural daylight. There is a lot of data that backs that up now, and building owners are listening to that data. Along that same line, another concept we are seeing a lot more of lately is the use of greenery in commercial building spaces. People feel better when they work in a space where plants are displayed.
If you look at multi-family apartment buildings — which are considered commercial architecture but geared to a completely different market — the trend is completely toward amenities. Accommodating pets, for example, is a big thing now, even in office buildings, from covered outside pet “bathroom” areas for their use in bad weather to full grooming stations within the office buildings themselves.
Space flexibility is also a trend due to COVID. Instead of having a lot of discreet separate spaces, we are seeing a lot more flex spaces. A lot of that ties in with furniture, as well. For example, we are seeing fewer built-ins and more real furniture that can be moved around or modified.
Another COVID-related trend example is including operable windows in commercial spaces. If you go through a sustainable rating system, you get a lot of bonus points if you provide user control of the windows instead of just pushing air through the air conditioning. There is give and take on being able to do that in a building, but it is becoming more common than it used to be in office buildings, due to the COVID-related recommendation to provide fresh air flow.
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