Tasha Curb appeal can matter just as much to a commercial construction project as it can to any home or public work. After all, businesses want to attract customers to set foot inside, to increase employee morale, and to generally improve how their brand is perceived by the world. As such, it’s important to consider what steps you might want to take to improve the curb appeal of a given commercial project, and here, we’re going to look at some of the steps that can help you add a little aesthetic taste to a building that’s also designed to fulfil specific business needs.
Give It Some Big, Beautiful Signage
Not every commercial building is designed to be customer-facing, with the intention of welcoming people inside to see your products and services. Office buildings, for instance, are focused much more specifically on providing an effective workspace for your team members. However, even buildings not designed with customers and clients in mind can still help you make your brand more visible and memorable with the right signage. Poor signage can make a commercial property look unfinished, confusing, or outdated, while strong signage reinforces identity and helps visitors find their way easily. The design should be visible from key approach points without overwhelming the architecture. Materials also matter, as investing in higher quality choices like premium finishes, illumination, and dimensional lettering can all really help your brand pop (and look like you’re willing to invest a little more effort into it.)
Invest In Professional Landscaping
How well the structure fits in with its surroundings makes a big difference, and, to that end, commercial landscaping can be a huge help. Even simple choices such as healthy grass, low-maintenance shrubs, trees, planter beds, and seasonal colour can make a property feel more welcoming. Landscaping should aim to frame the building rather than trying to hide it, guiding the visitor or guest’s attention towards your entrances, walkways, and brand signage. Landscaping can also play a practical role in the building’s design, as well, such as defining pedestrian routes and offering shade to outdoor seating or service areas. Of course, it’s wise to consider plant choice when making landscaping decisions, too, as native and drought-tolerant plants are less likely to require as much care over time.
Add Lighting For Safety And Appearance
Many of the aesthetic choices we’re looking at here are not purely cosmetic, but have additional practical benefits for your building, as well. For instance, lighting can not only dramatically improve the mood and aesthetics of the building, especially if they tend to stay open in the morning, late in the evening, or after dark. Aside from highlighting architectural features and landscaping, good lighting is able to improve visibility and make areas like entrances and parking areas feel a lot safer. Lighting should be bright enough for safety and navigation, but not so harsh that it creates glare or makes the property feel industrial.
Choose The Right Exterior Materials
One of the elements that has some of the biggest effect on commercial curb appeal is the exterior materials. These can practically define the first impression that the building makes, and even purely practical structures can feel a lot more polished and contemporary with the right choice, such as advanced steel cladding systems on pre-engineered metal buildings. Depending on the type of building that you’re making, different materials can help you improve its perception without having to reduce its efficiency or durability to make up for it. Whether you opt for durable, attractive cladding, coordinate colors, or premium textures, there’s a lot that the right material can do to make a commercial property look a lot more professional or inviting.
Create A Strong, Welcoming Entryway
The entryway is the focal point of most commercial buildings, so it should be easy to find, comfortable to approach, and visually appealing. A strong entrance might include a canopy, covered walkway, glass doors, upgraded hardware, architectural columns, planters, seating, or branded design elements. A good entrance also plays the practical role of separating public access from other, more focused areas like loading docks and service zones. Be sure to keep accessibility in mind, too, defining your needs for ramps, smooth walkways, clear thresholds, and doors of the right width to make entry easier for as many people as possible.
Design Clean, Organised Parking And Walkways
Just as with the landscaping, the curb appeal of your property can go a lot further than the building itself. Parking lots, driveways, sidewalks, curbs, and pedestrian paths all influence how people experience a commercial property. Fresh striping, smooth pavement, clean concrete, visible crosswalks, accessible parking spaces, and well-marked traffic flow can make the site look safer and better maintained. It’s just as important to manage this during the building’s operation as when first designing it, as wear and tear can lead to cracked pavement, faded markings, cluttered access routes, and more, which can not only worsen the appearance of the property but also lead to safety hazards that you should get on top of, as well. Investing in some routine groundskeeping can ensure that your property looks and works as well as it should in the long-run.
Keep It Visually Clean
There are some parts of a commercial building that, while necessary, aren’t exactly going to contribute to a clean and cohesive aesthetic. For instance, you’re not going to want service zones like dumpsters, loading docks, storage areas, or delivery zones to be highly visible. Instead, they can easily be positioned carefully behind fencing, landscaping elements, and architectural screens. Of course, it’s more important that these areas are functional, so when your options are limited, err in the direction of practicality rather than design. Furthermore, you keep your building looking more visually clean with regular maintenance, keeping your windows clean, your paint fresh, and hardware such as doors well-maintained.
The next time that you’re considering building a commercial building, it’s important to think about how much you’re willing to put towards giving it the curb appeal that can affect your staff, customers, and guests.
