Commercial buildings often require a reduced number of columns to expand open plan areas and increase flexibility.

The solution: high-strength concrete can reduce the number and thickness of supporting columns to create more usable space. Post-tensioning design is a reliable method that can deliver these longer spans.

To be useful in commercial construction, construction materials must be able to absorb and release heat at a rate compatible with the building’s daily heating and cooling cycle.

Timber absorbs heat too slowly to offer an effective thermal mass, while steel conducts heat too rapidly to be in sync with a building’s natural heat flow. This means it’s necessary to use a material that reduces the requirement for an inevitable, energy-intensive and high maintenance air-conditioning.

The solution: Concrete and masonry products are dense materials, able to absorb and release heat at an effective rate, whilst also storing it well.

Both firefighters and commercial building occupiers desire a good fire resistance. The business owner will want to repair the damage and return to business-as-usual as quickly as possible after a fire, rather than have the premises closed, then demolished and rebuilt.

The solution: concrete can offer a high level of fire resistance, well beyond most requirements stipulated by building regulations.

A high rate of air leakage can account for significant heat loss from a building. Reducing air leakage will cut down the ongoing operational costs of heating and cooling.

The commercial concrete solution: concrete structures provide an airtight building with minimum air leakage from interface and joint detailing.

Within commercial concrete construction, noise transmission needs to be considered. Often, minimum noise transmission between rooms and floors is required, due to the nature of their design and surrounding environment.

The solution: concrete’s inherent acoustic performance provides excellent sound insulation for commercial buildings.

For commercial buildings, security is a major consideration at all stages of the construction process.

The solution: concrete walls offer a great amount of resistance to unlawful entry such as ram-raiding and prevents the opportunity for thieves to cut through lightweight steel warehouse walls. Robust concrete walls also provide resistance to the impact damage that is often caused by fork-lift trucks.

With consultation of a qualified design engineer, steel fibres can work:

1. With conventional reinforcement to give tighter crack control and enhanced durability
2. By completely replacing reinforcement to create slabs that are easier and faster to construct, and offer enhanced performance in terms of load carrying capacity, impact resistance and fatigue performance.

Commercial floors need high-performance finishes or coatings, and warehouse floors require excellent flatness to allow racking to be utilised to the full height available. Burnished finishes go hand-in-hand with flatness as they can reflect overhead lighting, brighten indoor spaces, allow forklifts to be used safely, and provide concrete flooring with improved durability and abrasion resistance.

Concrete car parks are optimum for commercial facilities because they are easier to maintain, have a longer life span and can support heavier vehicle loads than asphalt car parks.