A shell building is a component that separates the building’s interior space from the exterior surrounding areas. The shell, however, can also have several features such as foundation, doors, windows, footers, and roofing.
Depending on the contractors and the building purposes, several materials used in the construction of the shell building, including stone, wood, concrete, or metal.
A shell building works as a barrier that prevents intruders, insects, and noise from getting access to the interior building. It also protects the interior space from exterior elements such as snow, wind, and rain.
Shell building or building envelope is also significant in temperature controls of the building by giving the occupants the privilege of regulating humidity and air pressure within the building.
Additionally, shell building provides structural stability for the entire building.
How It Began
The practice of shell building began after World War II with a commercial construction company building open space commercial building for non-specified tenants. Commonly, such building is made for commercial use.
The open space can be used by a single tenant or divided to accommodate multiple tenants. Although most tenants are similar, they will all be required to have an improvement permit for them to develop the space to meet their specific needs.
This space is often used as a mixture of light and heavy industrial developments, office or retail stores.
However, the process of developing the shell into specified requirements can be costly to some tenants.
Therefore, in such cases, the tenant may opt to use the help of credit union construction to ensure that they meet all the standards to use the space.
Such unions will, therefore, assist in developing the space with the condition that the tenant either will share a portion of the space with them or will make installments payments within a certain period.
When going for credit union construction, the tenant is required to make an upfront payment of a certain percentage of the total cost, have a satisfied permit report, and the required documents for developing the space.
In case one of the documents is missing or pending approval, the union might also help in securing all the documentation, but for an extra fee.
See also: How to Avoid Issues on a Vanilla Shell Construction Project
Types of Shell Buildings
There is two types of shell building; loose and tight building envelope. However, whichever category of shell building you settle for, will have an impact on the structure through its energy efficiency.
A good number of ground up construction types used loosely constructed building envelope, while modern commercial building contractors use tight protectors.
Loosely constructed building allows moisture, pests, and wind to enter and exit the building through numerous cracks and the openings of the building.
In such constructions, more air will enter and escape at the same time. This means that the building will have fresh air throughout. However, if you condition the air, it will still escape easily, which results in high utility bills and poor energy efficiency.
On the other hand, a tightly constructed shell building allows less air to escape. Therefore, any conditioned air remains inside the building for a longer period, which results in low utility bills.
At the same time, such a construction makes it hard for fresh air to get inside the shell, which makes the air quality in the shell poor.
How to Improve the Shell
Different styles of shell building constructions require varying techniques to develop and improve. For instance, for an open building, the homeowner or the commercial construction company will have to implement additional techniques to tighten up the building.
This tightening measure includes the use of mechanical ventilation system. It is a system that will help generate a balance between energy efficiency and utility bills.
In the case of tight shell building, the homeowner will be required to add extra ventilation and implement caulk cracks on the outward walls to attract fresh air.
Additionally, for large construction companies, the use of ventilation systems with intake grilles and fans can also improve the fresh air quality in the room.
It also recommended for homeowners to invest in doors and windows that promote air circulation and are energy efficient. Additionally, the use of weather stripping techniques around doors and windows on the exterior walls is also another better way of improving your shell building.
However, before the process of improving or modifying the building to meet specific requirements of the tenant, he or she must have the required documents that satisfy their legal occupation of the space and the permit to renovate the space.
A tenant with one document, however, can have the space modified only with an agreement from the rightful space owner or compliance with the large construction companies for verification.
How to Attain Documentation
If a tenant or current occupant needs to improve the building space, there are few steps to follow until you get the required documents to improve the space.
First, there must be an agreement between the property owner, tenant, and the initial building contractor. These three people play a major role in the way the building should be improved and various steps to follow.
In case the property owner is not the direct renter, the tenant will be required to comply with the commercial building contractor regulations to get the authorization of improving the premises.
The tenant will, therefore, have to show their business plan and give various forms of proof that satisfy the improvement. At this point, the tenant will have to give details of the nature of their building and other specified reasons that lead to modifying the space.
Lastly, the construction company will assess the nature of the building and the ability to support the required changes. If all the parties agree on all the areas, then the process of getting the documents for the modification begins.
Conclusion
Different shell buildings have their construction reasons. Therefore, before any modification to space is implemented, all the building logistics must be observed.
In cases where a shell building is specifically made for protection, it will not be easy for the property owner or tenant to accept modification measure that will loosen the space.
Before any recommendations, the contractors and construction companies must study and understand the space uses to avoid compromising the business security.
