| Architecture Student Chronicles

Guide to design of an Office

January 22, 2017August 13, 2010 by Architect

Design of an Office

Office design mainly depends on the function of the office and working schedule and regular timings of the office. The purpose of its design should be studied carefully for a successful office design. The number of people and the kind of people that are going to be working in the office have to be taken into consideration so as to provide a comfortable working space.

The process of Office Design can be split up into four parts:

Purpose of an Office

The purpose of an office is to derive maximum work from employees and maximum business from clients. To achieve this, minimum disturbance to employees and minimum inconvenience to clients should be the motto of the designer.

Pattern of Population of an Office Building

The population of an office jumps from zero to maximum within a morning hour. And it declines likewise in the evening, only maintenance staff remaining there. So the entrance should be large enough to cope with this and at the same time should not intimidate the visitors.

These are the two basic consideration before we start with designing an office, be it an Architect’s Office or a Management Office.

In this article, we are going to discuss in detail the various requirements that are to be incorporated in any office design.

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Safety measures in the Retail Store Design

August 9, 2010 by Architect

Safety Measures to be taken for a Retail Store Design

Before we proceed with our discussion on “Safety Measures to be incorporated in a Retail Store Design”, we will just take a brief look at out earlier discussions on the Retail Store Design.

Final Step

Safety measures to be taken into consideration for a Retail Store Design

Safety factor considerations in the Retail Store Design

The basic design thumb rules of designing any space stay the same: safety and protection should never be overlooked. Many a time, these factors are negated or given second place, depending upon the commercial utilization and viability of that particular space. These important factors should be taken into account right from the drawing board phase of the design.

This would help integrate safety factors within the design and planning, and create a design output that is captivating and yet responsible.

Services play an important role, not only in maintaining the image of the store but also in acting as a factor for safety and protection. A well planned, well designed retail outlet should have best quality services available.

Unique Architectural Features in the Retail Store Design

July 28, 2010 by Architect

Unique Architectural Features to enhance the aesthetics and Function of the Retail Store

Retail Store Design has much more than the three basic considerations essential for a Retail Store Design. Incorporation of various architectural features is essential to enhance the aesthetic appeal and also the functionality of the designed space. Form Follows Function in case of retail store design is a true statement; in fact its true and should be considered for every design. But we have to design the spaces according to the functions so that the design becomes a big success and serves its purpose of built.

A series of refinements are ecessary to distinguish a high end retail store from what is merely a shop. Some things stay the same, the display must be accessible, allowing the customer to ‘touch and feel’ if necessary and it is important that a visual display prominently advertise the USP of the product.

With high end retail spaces often being housed in interesting or heritage structures, it is important to respect the sanctity of the structure while designing. Instead of treating the structural members as a hindrance, the same should be treated as design elements.

Columns become flanking portals, beams – ceiling rafters, glazing-show windows. One can achieve a lot, by such an out of the box approach to the retail design, while utilizing every inch of the space.

Form Follows Function | Retail Store Design

July 23, 2010 by Architect

Form follows Function is the prime principle of design which has to be followed. It has to be borne into a designer’s mind. Recently, there has been quite a large change in the architectural trends. Architects and Designers are too much into decorating the exterior facade of the building without correlating to the interior spaces of the structure. This has caused the evolution of a new trend where people are more focussed about the exterior appearance of the structure and the aspect of functionality is being ignored and not paid attention to.

After the initiation of important design considerations for the Retail Store Design, implementation of “Form Follows Function” comes into picture.

The concept of sustainability has created an awareness among the people. Now people are heading back towards the core concept of “Form follows Function”. This principle does not imply on not decorating the structure or trying to make it aesthetically appealing. People are now more focussed onto making less use of energy intensive materials to make the environment sustainable and avoid chaotic designs.