“We need to integrate design and functionality from construction to operation to avoid amenities that just don’t deliver.”
From development to operations, it’s crucial to integrate considered amenity solutions into the design and construction phases of a building to ensure seamless operations post-completion. Getting infrastructure right from the start avoids significant costs, operational disruptions and impact on sustainability associated with retrofitting. Buildings need to be equipped to handle the evolving demands of modern living.
As fast-paced e-commerce continues to embed itself into daily lives, a growing trend of clients that have installed parcel lockers end up retrofitting to a parcel room. The increasing volume of deliveries and variety of parcel sizes are being underestimated, presenting challenges to operational staff burdened with services that often don’t meet the needs of the building’s residents.
Lockers may present a tidy and compact solution to securing resident deliveries and freeing up concierge desks, but they are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume and fluctuating sizes of modern deliveries. The convenience of online shopping means that residents can now order virtually anything – from an ironing board to gym equipment or even a four-poster bed all through the click of a button. Expecting these items to fit into conventional parcel lockers is not only impractical but also impossible.
More than ever, size matters, and the allocation of amenity space is often misjudged. Architects, developers and operators need to collaborate and analyse the usage data to inform design from the beginning of the development journey.
We know that a 400 unit building will need a parcel room size of around 24.3 sqm to future proof its service, based on the average parcel being 30cm wide. There will be an average of 2.4k parcel deliveries per month, peaking at 3.6k parcel deliveries in the months of November and December, and meaning that the room will need enough space to hold 360 parcels a day minimum. This proactive planning involves understanding the expected volume of deliveries, the variety of parcel sizes, and the specific needs of the building’s future residents.
Mostly shell and core in design, parcel rooms are often hidden away in plant areas or basements, and miles apart aesthetically from the beautifully curated gyms or lounges within the same buildings, however parcel rooms arguably have the highest footfall in the building.
Integrating parcel rooms into the development and construction process from the beginning is not just a smart design choice; it’s an essential strategy for future-proofing buildings. Dedicated parcel rooms with advanced technology are a viable and scalable solution to handle mass deliveries whilst providing a more efficient and secure method of parcel management. By considering amenities at every stage, developers can ensure that their buildings are equipped to handle the demands of modern living, enhancing resident satisfaction and operational efficiency.
