Is it possible for the words "industrial" and "design" to be linked together? Or is the very phrase - not to mention the very thought - an oxymoron?

As in all things, it depends on who you talk to and whether or not you're talking generalities or specific instances of where the two do indeed work together.

"If you look back years ago, industrial buildings were metal buildings, they were utilitarian spaces. Even the metal building industry recognized that," said Frank Vaught, president of Vaught-Frye Architects in Fort Collins. "Then they came up with false fronts to make them more presentable and acceptable."

Sam's Club in Fort Collins, he said, is a good example of a warehouse made to look "very presentable."

"Fort Collins' design standards have contributed greatly to that. And in general, it's the whole image-branding thing. Larger box retailers and industrial users have a higher level of design that they're bringing with them."

Jim Cox, principal and co-owner of Architecture Plus in Fort Collins, said that how much design goes into a building often depends on whether or not the building is owner-occupied and whether customers and clients will visit the site.

Case in point: American Eagle Distributing in Loveland. The Budweiser distributor has 30,000 square feet of office and public space connected to 100,000 square feet of warehouse/industrial space.

"It's a branding and image thing the owners were concerned about," said Vaught, whose firm designed the building. "It doesn't allow them to go with a plain-vanilla building solution, which may satisfy company requirements but is not acceptable from a public and image standpoint."

One of the primary concerns with any industrial building is to make sure every square inch of interior space is used to its best advantage.

"A lot of these are warehouses with high racking requirements," Vaught said.

He pointed out other local examples of good industrial design, including Abraxis Art Glass Co. at the Loveland/Fort Collins Industrial Airpark, and The Mercantile Farm and Ranch Store, also in Loveland.

"Again, the latter is just a warehouse, but with a high level of design on the facade that creates the image The Mercantile client wanted," he added.



Materials, codes dictate design

Tilt-up concrete, which goes up quickly, thus its name, is making huge inroads in industrial design.

"When being built, they're just a big box, but then all of the adornments are added to it - canopies, pedestrian scale elements, exterior elements," Vaught said.

In-Situ Inc., a manufacturer of water-quality monitoring equipment, is housed in a concrete building that has been painted and embellished with windows and wood to fit in with its woodsy setting on the Poudre River in Fort Collins, according to Vaught. "It shows what good design can overcome in terms of a large building."

Building codes factor significantly into overall industrial design - and cost. Russ Weber, building official for SAFEbuilt Colorado's Windsor office, said codes covering the industrial design sector are "more restrictive and has more provisions" than those for residential buildings.

For example, the International Code Council, after a Front Range wind survey, dropped wind load requirements east of Interstate 25 to 90 miles per hour for a 3-second gust - down from from 110 mph 3-second gust. According to Webber, the 20 mph difference results in substantial savings in construction costs by, among other things, reducing the number of structural pulins needed to support structural members from displacement.

The building's location also plays a role in overall structural design, Weber said. Kersey, for example, has deep sandy soil, so buildings there are all built on caissons.

Of course, the bottom line impacts design as much as anything. Vaught noted that just the shell of a 50,000-square-foot building would cost about $45 to $50 per square foot to build. Add tenant finish - everything from plumbing to floor covering - and you'll add another $45 to $60 per square foot.

If a client wants exterior architectural features, the cost will increase at least $15 per square foot.

Jim Cox's figures agree: Industrial building costs roughly $55 to $65 per square foot; exterior elements add another 10 percent on top of that.



Green techniques leave mark

Green building also is making inroads into the industrial design sector. Vaught said his firm is working on an airport hangar and three-story office building that will obtain LEED - an acronym for leadership in energy-efficient and environmental design - certification.

"It's cutting-edge design," he said, "and fun architecture."

Although a warehouse is just that, it's still possible to add day lighting and install environmental-friendly mechanical systems.

"You can gain a lot of points and get those (LEED) certifications," Vaught added.

A lot of industrial buildings are built on a speculative basis, and tenants - here's a big surprise - prefer low rent. Put the two together and you get "pretty blah and bland buildings, generally speaking," Cox explained.

Though metal buildings have improved over the years, they still have shortcomings - leaky roofs, for example - over the long term. "Hopefully, as we start looking long term, we'll become more concerned about sustainability and green architecture and energy costs," Cox said.

He agreed that clients are becoming more concerned about the image their buildings portray. A business owner who sells floor tile, for example, doesn't want customers coming into a rundown building.

"They want a nice show room, a conference room, a lobby. We're gradually seeing more and more of that," Cox said.