An industrial building is designed from the inside out. The process that will run inside it determines the column grid, the floor, the power distribution and the roof height — which is the opposite of how most commercial buildings are approached.
The process drives the structure
Clear spans matter because columns interrupt production lines. Floor loading and flatness are set by the equipment that will sit on the slab and the vehicles that will cross it. Roof height follows the tallest process element plus whatever clearance handling equipment needs above it.
Getting these wrong is not a finishing problem. It is structural, and correcting it after the frame is up is rarely economic.
Services sized for equipment, not occupancy
Electrical capacity, compressed air, extraction and drainage are dimensioned around machinery rather than headcount. This is where an early conversation with the client about the equipment schedule pays for itself, because a change in machine specification can move the whole services design.
Fire strategy in an industrial setting
What is stored and what is processed determines the fire approach — detection type, suppression, compartmentation and escape distances. It is worth resolving with Civil Defence early, because the answer often affects layout and structure rather than just equipment selection.
