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Fit Out and Second Fix 531
cabinets, etc.) to a retail unit. Retail units are usually termed as ‘food retail’ or ‘non-food
retail’, reflecting the accepted use of the unit or building. The vast majority of retail units
are designed to be relatively flexible in terms of use. This is because the units will normally
be leased out to a particular business for a certain period of time. Thus it is common practice
to build the shell of the unit, with the fitting out carried out by the retailer to suit a
particular house style (corporate image). This applies to shops located on the high street
and also to units located in large shopping centres.
Retailers tend to change their display arrangements on a regular basis. Minor changes
can usually be accommodated in adjustable shelving units, but more major changes associated
with an update in corporate image usually necessitate a complete refit of the retail
unit, often resulting in a lot of wasted materials. Similarly, with a change of retailer there
is usually the need for new shop fitting.
Food retail units will require additional drainage points for the condensate drain to
freezer cabinets and chiller units. The store layout tends to be changed less frequently
because the condensate drains determine the position of freezer and chiller units. Changes
in position usually necessitate changes to drain positions, which can be disruptive to the
sales area.
Shop signs
Provision for shop signage is usually provided at strategic places on the exterior face of the
shop unit and this too will usually be installed (subject to town planning consent) by the
organisation leasing the shop. The shop signs are printed onto relatively thin backgrounds
(e.g. acrylic sheet) or on to a translucent material so that the sign can be illuminated from
behind. The shop sign is then fixed to the face of the wall, usually with screws. From a
design perspective, it is important to provide a structure suitable for supporting the signage
and any electrical connects required for the lighting.
Industrial
Industrial production facilities have special requirements to suit a particular manufacturing
process. These may include one or a number of the following features: clean rooms, security
(of staff and materials/processes), wash down facilities, special materials handling areas
and secure storage, specialist fire protection systems, etc. These are outside the scope of
this book, but readers should be aware that these special requirements have a bearing on
the choice of construction methods used and how services are integrated, e.g. sealing
services as they pass through compartment walls in clean room construction. Often some
compromises need to be made. For example, in fast-track projects, it would be sensible to
use prefabricated, framed construction to save time on the building site; however, some
production processes may require solid masonry walls.
On fast-track projects, such as new pharmaceutical production facilities, it has become
common practice to manufacture and test industrial plant prior to installation in the building.
The equipment is then transported to site, moved into its final position and ‘plugged-in’.
It is then put through a final series of conformity and safety tests, i.e. it is commissioned
for use. This is usually done while the main build contract is still under way. Large access
doors facilitate the delivery and subsequent maintenance and replacement of large pieces
of equipment.