Industrial Construction: Examples of Industrial Projects

When viewing construction, one commonly recognizes three sectors: residential, commercial and infrastructure. But each of these sectors can be further subdivided into categories. For example, commercial construction can be classified into three subcategories of retail, office, multifamily and industrial construction.

In this post, we’ll define industrial construction and how it differs from the rest of commercial construction. To further illustrate what industrial construction is, we’ll offer five examples and some of the challenges inherent in the construction sector. Finally, we’ll offer links to a few free construction project management templates to help manage industrial construction projects.

What Is Industrial Construction?

Industrial construction is the building of structures such as factories, power plants, warehouses and other highly specialized facilities. We’ll define those different examples of industrial construction shortly, but first, we need to explain how the design, installation and maintenance of mechanical and structural components for these facilities make up industrial construction.

The use of the word industrial is to separate this type of construction from other types of construction. That is, industrial construction refers to the building of structures for a business that manufactures goods. This is why industrial construction has special conveyance requirements, such as 24/7 shipping and receiving and accessibility to air and rail transport or major highways.

When building, industrial construction floor plans are very important because they need to promote smooth foot traffic and coordinate manufacturing and distribution. This is because industrial construction is made to be functional over stylish. It needs to support heavy equipment and must meet industry-specific requirements that require special permitting and occupancy requirements.
Industrial Construction vs. Commercial Construction

While industrial construction is a subset of the larger category of commercial construction, there are still differences between the two that need to be addressed. First, commercial construction is larger than industrial construction. It includes such buildings as offices, restaurants, hotels, stores, gyms and hospitals. Industrial construction is buildings that are involved in the production of goods, such as those types we’ve mentioned above and will detail later.

It’s not just the type of buildings, though, that separate industrial construction from commercial construction. They differ in five substantial ways. First, there’s the design. Industrial design is more about logistics and efficiency, while commercial design is more interested in attracting customers. Location is another difference. As we’ve mentioned, industrial construction is built in proximity to transportation and needs space to accommodate heavy machinery. Commercial construction is built where it can provide easy access to people, such as customers or patients.

The permitting process is also different. All construction sites must be permitted and follow state and federal regulations, but commercial construction meets local and zoning requirements, while industrial construction meets those requirements and more precise standards based on the work being done in the facility. Commercial construction is also relatively simple in terms of mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP), but industrial construction, which uses heavy machinery, is going to have a greater power load and therefore the MEP will usually require additional effort.