Types of Commercial Interior Shells

We understand the excitement of getting your first space or a new space! We have been there before, and there are a lot of thoughts and ideas being tossed around. And yet, what many business owners often miss are two important considerations: whether you have a 1) cold shell interior or a 2) warm shell interior.

The great news is that we are here to help you navigate the complexities of commercial interior renovations. For commercial tenant improvement projects (also called “commercial renovations”), the project location and jurisdiction will affect some of the aspects of the project. As a result, there are some very important considerations about how we work with you as your professional interior designers.

What is a cold shell interior?

As implied by the term, cold shell interiors are bare bones commercial interior environments. The absence of furniture, bathrooms, heating, electrical and lighting, or plumbing qualifies a space as a cold shell. Due to most legal requirements, only a minimum amount of ventilation, lighting, and no finishing will be provided, but it will frequently necessitate a sizeable investment to meet the needs of the users and activities (for example, adding commercial kitchen exhaust ventilation to a space where it does not already exist).

If this is your project, budgetary allocations must be made for your specific needs. How much more? This depends on the current infrastructure and what needs your particular business has.

What is a warm shell interior?

For a space to be a warm shell interior, it may have been previously occupied and therefore have some infrastructure and building systems already in place. These may need to be modified or planned around to avoid budgetary impacts. As you can see, a cold shell will require more financial investment than a commercial warm shell, and these are the primary considerations to determine before leasing a space and plotting out a business plan.

If this is your type of commercial project and your considering significant interior alterations, additional budgetary allocations will be needed. At what cost? This depends on your customer, end user, worker, and branding needs.

As a professional interior design firm working across many different archetypes in Vancouver and beyond, it is fundamental for you (as a business owner) to know that your business goals are in alignment with ours. Simply put, we are all in business to do business together. As your design team, that means more than making a profit while making a meaningful impact with our business.