Office building restoration presents an opportunity to improve the structural integrity, energy efficiency, and appearance of your commercial property. To optimize your building envelope restoration’s return on investment (ROI), here we share five things you should understand before undergoing your office building project.
Envelope Performance
There are several elements of your building envelope’s performance impacted by restoration, including:
- Thermal: Curtain wall and glazing insulation impact thermal performance. Installing high-performance windows and doors will increase mean radiant temperature (MRT) and help ensure the building sees improved thermal comfort and heating/cooling efficiencies.
- Moisture Protection: Moisture contributes to envelope and interior damage, so it is important to invest in building materials with superior water transmission characteristics.
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ): Modern low to medium-rise building designs can consider improving IAQ with safe, operable windows for improved natural ventilation.
- Durability: Restorations provide the opportunity to improve the life cycle of your building envelope by choosing high-durability materials that are also low maintenance.
Aesthetic Impact
Aesthetics relate to the public-facing walls but can also impact the occupant’s view. A fully integrated building restoration considers the relationship between the function and appearance of the building envelope. As a result, they should not be designed in isolation.
A modern mix of materials provides texture, colour, and a sense of unity throughout all elements of your building’s exterior. Improved aesthetics contribute to the rentability of office space, projecting a professional image that demands higher rent.
Restoration Practices Impact Cost
Every choice impacts cost. Some considerations in office building restoration budgeting include:
- Material choices: The availability of materials impacts the cost, so choosing readily available options helps reduce the impact of supply issues.
- Installation: The complexity of installation impacts labour costs, with more complex applications pushing your budget upwards.
- Life Cycle: Material performance and durability must be evaluated to understand how future repairs or replacement costs impact the initial investment.
- Energy savings: Materials that improve energy savings but cost more upfront must be weighed against the savings over the life of the materials.
- Safety: Safe restoration practices like those used by WellDone Inc. reduce costs and improve efficiencies.
Building Envelope Innovation
Innovation in building envelope technology and best practices impact codes and regulations, while providing opportunities for improved installation and operational efficiencies. For example, new glazing technology aligns with changing energy conservation codes in building construction. This in turn provides energy and material performance enhancements. The more innovative the technology the more likely it can contribute to improved efficiencies, safety, and cost savings. Also, innovations in exterior finishes are a major driver in improving and modernizing building aesthetics.
Daylighting
Daylighting leverages natural light. By controlling how and when natural light/sunlight enters the interior space, you can effectively reduce the demand for electric light. You can consider incorporating diffused-skylight to see further operational energy savings, while also creating a more productive, comfortable work environment for tenants. In fact, daylighting can reduce as much as a third of building energy costs when done properly.
Understanding these five key factors in office building restoration allows you to improve the structural performance of your office building. You can also improve ROI with energy efficiency, as well as leverage the appearance of your commercial property to demand higher rent.
WellDone Inc. is a COR™ certified building restoration company specializing in building improvements for commercial and multi-unit residential buildings throughout the GTA. Our customers enjoy cost savings through our commitment to safety and adopting efficient restoration best practices. If you would like more information about our building restoration services, speak to the experts at WellDone Inc.