Not too long ago, our architecture firm finished an interesting tenant improvement project here in Long Beach. A well-respected manufacturer of elastomer and rubber parts and components for several different industries (aerospace, commercial aviation, communications, defense, and medical), wanted to move their San Diego partner under the same roof as their 140,000-square foot facility in Long Beach. Our Long Beach architecture firm was chosen to help make this transition.
Taking Complex Equipment into Account in Architectural Design
One of the key elements of the San Diego plant’s business model was to use heat to cure certain airplane parts made by the company. This required that our architecture firm learn all we could about industrial ovens and autoclaves in order to be able to design a facility that could safely house them. One of our first calls was to a trusted chemical engineer, who did a great job of explaining how nitrogen gas is introduced into autoclaves to starve any potential fire from its key ingredient—oxygen.
The more we learned about the process, the more apparent it became that we would need an industrial specialist if we were going to get the more complicated aspects of this project through the City Fire Department. For this, we contacted Jonathan Sikes of Capital Code Consultants, Inc. Jonathan was able to help us convey the hazards of this equipment and explain what steps had to be taken to mitigate any danger.
Some of the other unique aspects of this project included designing and providing engineering for the installation of a 25-ton rooftop mechanical unit, providing a controlled contamination room, and cutting a doorway into a 16-inch-deep solid concrete structural pier. All of this needed to be done without causing interruption to the manufacturing process—and we only had several weeks to do it all.
Fortunately, we were working with a great local general contracting firm, Magnum Builders, Inc., who initially brought us into this project. The team at Magnum helped keep this large, complex tenant improvement project on track, both in terms of budget and timeline.
Providing Architectural Design in Long Beach for Great Local Companies
One of our favorite parts of doing tenant improvements is that we get a chance to learn a little about the story of the company for which we’re doing the work. We get to learn what they do, how they do it, and the ingenious ways they have found to overcome challenges they encounter in their business. We have a great amount of respect for this client and the quality products they’ve been making for many years. We were happy to help them make their business more efficient and wish them many years of continued success!
An Experienced Tenant Improvement Architect in Long Beach
Complex tenant improvement projects like this one can be a challenge, but fortunately, our many years of experience in commercial architecture have provided us with the knowledge, resources, and network of professionals to help us navigate the complexities and produce successful outcomes.
If you are in need of a commercial architect in Long Beach, get in touch with us at M. Grisafe Architects. Our team has worked on a wide range of commercial projects, and we would love to hear about yours and talk with you about how we can help with the design process.
[…] went out unexpectedly during surgery. In another commercial project, the architecture firm had to design a space that could safely house industrial ovens and autoclaves for a manufacturing company. These types of unique challenges often require special expertise. Over […]