Industries wouldn’t have changed much after the industrial revolution if it was not for automation and digitization. With shrinking machinery and integrated workflow, you need to renovate your old factory to give a more urban touch. Since industries have moved from the outskirts to near the cities, urbanization is more a necessity than a luxury in 2022.
But, while making the checklist, you may struggle to jot down the important elements of the industrial renovation. We’ve done that for you. Here are some industrial renovation ideas for 2022 that you want to implement in your next project.
Dissolve the Floor Hierarchy
Old factories were often built with job hierarchy in mind. The upper floor was reserved for the management department while the lower floor was used to house assembly lines and machinery. These two floors used to be connected with huge staircases that were traditional and intimidating.
When renovating your industrial space, consider diminishing the hierarchy to promote a more inclusive environment. That doesn’t signify demolishing the staircase though. If your factory has a multi-story architecture, keep the floors, but rearrange the departments in a way that the staircases are used by the majority of the employees.
Make the staircase go around the factory to make different departments access the other ones and warehouses. Gone are the days when industrial operations used to be noisy and polluted. Digitization and automation have changed the factories for the good. Urban landscaping that favors interaction and flexible operation is being welcomed to industries in 2022.
Humanize the Factory Environment
In the early 20s, factories were designed in a way that was used to maximize space and cram as many workers as possible. With the innovation of the latest technologies, most heavy machinery and works have been automated or compressed to a smaller size. Leaving more space for employees to function efficiently.
Even if your line of business requires heavy machinery, try increasing space for employees to move. A crammed-up space not only reduces productivity but makes a lasting mental impact on the workers.
As an urban approach, you can demolish walls between departments to promote a more unified open space that diminishes the mental boundaries between job roles. Granted that some manufacturing aspects may require confidentiality, consider separating the departments from the common space. Have a different unit where the employees involved in the process can interact with each other.
A different humanization approach may include building a common dining space for employees. Build a kitchen where employees can source their food from and eat together. Developing a common dining space promotes harmony between employees and encourages them to interact with different departments more. This connection is undeniably an essential element in industries.
Build Custom Flexible Heaters
Traditional heaters take up a lot of space and don’t fit in a modern factory. Not having a heating system during the winter may also be not an option. When the mercury hits below the freezing point, a heater could be the differentiating factor between productivity and lockdown.
The best option for the modern factory setting is flexible heaters. Custom flexible heaters are made out of silicon and come equipped with thermostats, thermal fuses, and thermocouples to maintain an ambient temperature inside and out. The flexibility of silicon offers design variations that suit the artistic imagination that you have on the industrial renovation.
The modern heaters from Hi-Heat also offer custom branding and private labeling. You can put your shiny white logo on the bright orange silicon mats that are the heaters. Imagine the opportunities the flexible heaters offer in terms of renovation and customization.
Restructure the Supports
Beams and pillars are necessary for industrial factories to stand. But, if your factory has been there for a few decades, the changes in machinery and balance might demand a shift in their position or size. Moreover, having an old, rusty beam along the middle doesn’t appeal much.
Consider renovating the pillars. Recolor them, restructure them, and if need be, repurpose them to build new spaces around them. Here are some tips for you to consider:
- Use wall arts around the pillars to make them look more engaging and interactive. This is the most simple and cost-effective method to renovate the long-standing pillars.
- Cover supports with materials that fit your renovation ideas. If you are going for a wooden finish, cover the pillars with wooden tiles of wood. If stone is your preference, let yourself indulge in experimentation.
- Repurpose the pillars to support your machinery. Some machinery requires support that let them work efficiently without vibrating too much. Brick pillars can be as effective as support as metal.
- Develop your lighting set up around the pillars. If you have a lot of pillars supporting the building, the renovations may include lighting changes.
- Build green walls around the pillars. Natural vegetation that wraps their ways up can be effective comforters if done right.
- An industrial rustic look may also work if you are going for a monochromatic theme.
Embrace Ambient Lighting
Too little or too much lighting can disrupt industrial operations. If you work around metallic machines, the natural sunlight can reflect on the metals throughout the day making it challenging for the workers to function. Get an architect who can work around the lights to provide the best possible combination of natural and LED lights.
Old factories are often equipped with fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. Those are extremely power-hungry and need replacing often. LED lights have long been replaced in the domestic domain, but due to lack of diffusion, they aren’t as common in industrial sectors. Use covers over the LEDs to diffuse the lights to get ambient textures and reduce shadows.
In most urban settings, falling lights from the ceilings work best. But as per your requirement, you can fix the lights on the walls or the pillars.
6. Provide Ample Ventilation
Industrial sectors, especially chemical and textile, need a lot of ventilators to keep the fumes out. While you may already have a ventilation system in your factory, it being noisy and inefficient shouldn’t surprise you. Include the ventilation systems with modern silent exhausts in your renovation checklist.
If your factory is outdated, you may not have natural ventilation appropriate for long work hours. Consider increasing the open area of your factory by increasing the roof height and building windows that promote airflow and proper ventilation.
Build Green Walls Around the Space
Green patches can comfort the eyes and reduce anxiety. If your factory has exposed wirings that can’t be removed to suit the urban theme, consider planting trees that twine around the building and over the wires to make a green wall. If you like how the climbing trees look, you can set up planters all over the walls to make space for more greenery in your factory.
The Bottom Line
Industrial renovation is critical in 2022 to keep up with the changes. Hence, dissolving the hierarchy, humanizing the space, and custom heaters are essential. Followed by restructuring the supports, falling back on ambient lighting, and providing ample ventilation. Growing green walls around the factory may also fuel the productivity of your employees.