Commercial construction is any project involving buildings and spaces for non-government entities. It is an enormous umbrella that includes new buildings, renovations, remodels, rebrands, upkeep, and more. Custom commercial construction with contractors like ETI Construction, ensures these commercial spaces fit the needs of businesses and their clients or customers, while keeping all necessary regulations in mind. 

Types of Commercial Construction 

Commercial construction covers a lot of different industries. While there are templates and basics for commercial construction, custom commercial construction means spaces that fit a business’s exact needs. 

Office Buildings

Office buildings are probably the most common type of commercial construction. They range from small single-story buildings to massive skyscrapers. Developers can build office buildings with generic and flexible layouts that are modified to suit tenants as needed. 

Retail Buildings

These include shopping centers, malls, standalone retail stores, plazas, and outlets. Retail buildings are designed to showcase products and accommodate customer traffic efficiently. Similar to offices, they are often modified to fit the needs of individual retailers. 

Hospitality Buildings

This category includes hotels, motels, resorts, and other accommodations. They often feature amenities such as restaurants, conference rooms, and recreational facilities.

Healthcare Facilities

Hospitals, clinics, medical offices, and nursing homes fall under healthcare facilities. Healthcare construction requires specific design considerations to meet regulatory standards and accommodate medical equipment and patient needs.

Educational Buildings

Schools, colleges, universities, and research facilities are built for educational purposes. They may include classrooms, laboratories, libraries, administrative offices, and recreational spaces.

Industrial Buildings

Warehouses, manufacturing plants, distribution centers, and factories are examples of industrial commercial construction. These structures are designed to facilitate the production, storage, and transportation of goods.

Mixed-Use Developments

Mixed-use developments combine functions such as residential, commercial, and recreational spaces within the same development. These developments focus on convenience, creating walkable communities where people can live, work, and play.

Recreational Facilities

These include gyms, sports complexes, theaters, and entertainment venues built for leisure and recreational activities. They may include specialized features like swimming pools, courts, stages, and seating areas.

Institutional Buildings

Institutional construction includes government buildings, religious institutions, and community centers constructed to serve public or organizational needs. They often have unique architectural and functional requirements, featuring multiple buildings, landscaping, and internal infrastructure. 

Custom Commerical Construction 

Commercial construction is often much larger than residential construction. The size, level of planning, number of approvals, and budget are all extensive. Due to the scale of the projects, they are often funded by loans. However, for many, the profit margin for commercial construction includes the rent owners receive for office space. 

The scale of custom construction projects in the commercial sector means project managers must consider wider pools of resources for allocation and a larger number of vehicles. In addition, the needs of these projects may call for specialized equipment. A commercial building plan will likely already factor this in before any groundbreaking. Construction that does not match the needs of its locale may doom the commercial venture before it even begins. Knowing the local region is something to look for in a commercial construction contractor.  

Healthcare Construction 

Custom solutions for commercial healthcare facilities such as medical offices and hospitals are one of ETI’s specialties. These facilities require special consideration for the installation of medical equipment, accessibility features, and emergency procedures. Mechanical systems, including electrical systems, air ventilation, and HVAC, are different than standard systems in an office space. Additional regulations and rules are in place, and hospital authorities or authoritative bodies such as The Joint Commission may need to perform additional inspections. Balancing clinical spaces with a desire to ensure patients and families feel comfortable, welcome, and cared for is the constant challenge of healthcare construction. 

Education Institution Construction 

Public schools, colleges, and universities all have special custom construction needs. The combination of classrooms, labs, recreational indoor and outdoor spaces, administrative facilities, and living facilities is key to developing an educational facility. Additional requirements for schools relate to student and staff safety, the idea of open or closed campuses, and ensuring education and well-being are both top priorities. 

Commercial Construction Solutions 

ETI Construction works with our commercial clients to develop custom construction solutions that fit their needs, timelines, and budgets while also following local zoning and other regulations. Understanding the number of players involved in a commercial project is crucial to working with commercial clients. Unlike smaller residential work, there may be a board of directors that needs to approve projects and meet specific regulations. Contractors often need to submit bids for commercial projects, including their design ideas and estimated budget, based on the client’s proposal. Partnering with a contractor who listens to their client’s needs and understands the commercial landscape and the local area is a huge plus. For Chicago, ETI is that company. 

ETI’s team guides you through the steps to establishing your new commercial space. Our 12-step process and client portal make it especially easy for our clients to share updates and information with stakeholders as needed. We also coordinate all management of the building process: from pre-construction planning, to legal compliance measures, and communicating with vendors for material acquisitions. An ETI project manager coordinates contacting and hiring subcontractors and handling the day-to-day logistics of the work site are all duties that fall under the contractor’s purview.