Commercial

The approach is the same one that shapes the residential work: clarity, restraint, and proportion, with attention to detail and to the environment around the building. What changes is the brief — customers, staff, deliveries, signage, and the rules that come with each.

What commercial design involves differently

• Use and occupancy — what the space is used for determines its building-code classification, occupant load, and exiting.
• Change of use — moving a business into a space built for another use can trigger additional requirements.
• Accessibility — commercial facilities have their own accessibility requirements in the California Building Code.
• Other reviewers — depending on the use, agencies beyond the building department (for example, health or fire) may also review the plans.

How the work proceeds

• Program and test fit — what the space needs to hold, and whether the space can hold it.
• Concept design with materials and light resolved before anything is ordered.
• Permit drawings coordinated with the required engineers and consultants, taken through plan-check.
• Design-build and construction coordination, where wanted.

A note on scope

Commercial projects vary widely in size and type, so scope is discussed in a first conversation rather than assumed. Requirements depend on the use, the building, and the jurisdiction, and are confirmed for the specific project.