The Science of Window Placement in a Commercial Setting


 

Windows in chicago

There is an entire science surrounding the best window and door placement in a commercial business setting. You want to design something that provides customers with the best entrance and exit route. You also want something that makes sense in terms of employee productivity. You may have never really thought about the placement of windows and doors in your commercial building, but when it comes time to design your layout, keep these things in mind.

Customer or client access

When a customer visits a place of business, they expect the layout to make sense. The entrance door, for example, should be relatively close to the parking space. They should also not have to walk through many hallways or rooms until finding a front desk host or receptionist. If the place of business is a restaurant, the layout should offer enough dining privacy, without excluding customers from seeing what else is going on. In a retail setting, you want to ensure that the door is located close to for sale merchandise and that the rest of the items are located in a natural walking pattern.

Employee access

Although employees do not expect to have as easy of an entrance or exit to their place of employment, it should still make sense. You may have a designated entrance and exit area for employees, or it may be the same doors that the customers also use. Ensure that your employees have easy access to restrooms, break rooms, and any employee kitchen areas.

Window placement

The window placement will have an overall effect on your employee productivity, customer buying decisions, and morale. While you do not want too many windows for distractive purposes, blocking out all sunlight can also be a mistake. Nice weather tends to put both employees and customers in a better mood, but if they are unable to see it, it will provide no results. It can cause an employee or a customer to feel cooped up when there are too little windows.

The presence of windows is not entirely enough. The windows should also be in good shape and be of high quality. When commercial replacement windows are needed, it can make your place of business appear run down. A poorly functioning window is pretty similar to having no windows at all. Windows do crack and break overtime and window installers are used to completing single replacement windows tasks. In fact, according to the National Association of Home Builders 2012 Remodeling Market Index, 44% of renovation jobs that year were for window or door replacement alone.

Important temperature control

The temperature of a commercial building will also affect employee productivity and customer satisfaction and level of return. If the office is too cold, customers may choose a different location. If it is too hot, the employees will be more focused with cooling themselves down. When replacement windows are needed, the AC and heat escape through cracks and holes.

Not only does this make everyone uncomfortable, but it also will significantly increase your heating and cooling bills. Windows that are drafty and let air escape can increase your energy bills by 10 to 25%. If you notice a sudden increase in your heating and cooling costs, contact your local window company for new window installation and replacement of broken and cracked windows.

Affordable window replacement

For all of the benefits that properly working windows offer, you might be surprised to find that they are also relatively affordable. On average, replacing a window costs between $300 and $700 per window. You can easily recoup much of these costs in the reduction in your commercial utility bills and increase in both customer and employee satisfaction.

Do not make the mistake of improperly placing commercial window replacements and doors throughout your business. The correct placement and functioning of a window in a commercial setting can actually increase customer satisfaction, also increasing their purchase amounts and return likeliness. It can also make an employee more satisfied with their place of employment, which usually translates into higher work productivity. Replacement windows should be completed in a timely manner for the success of your commercial business.