{"id":1028,"date":"2019-01-21T17:39:45","date_gmt":"2019-01-21T17:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dose-engineering.com\/?p=1028"},"modified":"2019-01-21T17:45:18","modified_gmt":"2019-01-21T17:45:18","slug":"benefits-of-designing-your-new-buildings-infrastructure-for-flexibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dose-engineering.com\/2025\/benefits-of-designing-your-new-buildings-infrastructure-for-flexibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Benefits of designing your new building\u2019s infrastructure for flexibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Recently, a developer client of mine mentioned a planning headache he\u2019s been experiencing. He plans mechanical and electrical infrastructure to meet the requirements for an incoming tenant. But when that tenant moves out, sometimes he rents the space to multiple tenants, who will have new needs and will require redistributing power and separate electrical meters and panels. Conversely, a new tenant may take over the space that was formerly housing multiple tenants. <\/span><\/p>\n

These tasks can be relatively easy or extremely difficult depending on how the original electrical infrastructure of the base building was designed. In high-turnover commercial spaces for office or retail purposes, this is an especially relevant potential pain point that should be considered in the earliest planning stages.<\/span><\/p>\n

This brings us to the concept of flexible buildings, also called adaptable buildings. These structures offer the ability for easier maintenance and upgrade over the course of their existence, hence reduction in cost and time expenditures that adaptations require. Flexible buildings provide another benefit: long-term sustainability. If a building can be adapted rather than destroyed and rebuilt, clearly that is better for the environment as well as the bottom line.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other reasons flexible buildings make sense is that technology continues to change rapidly, and alongside it, tenant expectations for comfortable and safe environments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just as office partition systems are created to be flexible to facilitate changes, mechanical and electrical engineering systems can be designed to be modular and easy to swap out as technology and tenant needs develop. <\/span>In a flexible building, MEP systems are never embedded into building materials. All parts are separately replaceable when their life cycle is complete. <\/span><\/p>\n

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing services in commercial buildings can all be designed to utilize reusable components. Making sure that these systems are easily accessible through floors and ceilings is another important step.<\/span><\/p>\n

In planning flexible buildings, the key is thinking about the building as two parts: the shell or base building, and the fit-outs or spaces that the base encloses. The base building consists of the concrete foundation, the skeleton, the utility connections and the outer facade. Fit-outs of various sizes can be created and adjusted for individual tenants.<\/span><\/p>\n

Flexible buildings clearly require being proactive and planning ahead. But the savings of time, money and materials in the long-run make it a very reasonable investment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other design strategies include:<\/span><\/p>\n