f all the variables in play when designing a new facility, final operator considerations must be fought for as the concept begins to take shape. The natural focus of engineers and architects centers around engineering and design problems like life safety travel distances, structural load line tracing, and so on. These are important factors, but the ability to operate the facility efficiently can’t become a casualty in the process. Here are some operational considerations to keep in mind when designing a new facility.

Unit Mix – The right mix of unit types/sizes, placed strategically throughout the building, optimizes revenue potential for a facility based on local demand.

Customer Travel Distances – Where possible, lay out the building floor plans to minimize the number of units with excessive travel distances. Units with long travel distances are often discounted to compensate for this inconvenience.

Site Access Controls – Plan for the right equipment and technology to enable efficient customer access while restricting non-renters from parts of your facility.

Building Access Controls – Elevator keypads programmed to specific floors and specialty stairwell lockset hardware are two easy ways to restrict access within the building.

Site Drainage – Consider drainage patterns for storm runoff, snow, and ice. Site layout can work for or against property managers in terms of site water management.

Loading Area Features – Provide some form of cover from the elements for unloading, whether that’s a simple canopy outboard of your building or a dedicated covered loading bay.

Security Camera Layout – Where controllable, avoid choppiness in your hallway layout to maximize camera visibility and increase oversight throughout the building.

Restroom Placement/Access – This may seem like a small thing, but cities often require an additional restroom based on building code prescription vs. what a low-traffic facility needs, driving up costs.

Dumpster Enclosure Placement – Placing your dumpster somewhere easily accessible by a waste management company will save the property manager time and energy.

Drive-Up Unit Materials – Customers will hit door jambs with vehicles. It’s a fact of self-storage life. Design those jambs to be an easily replaceable material and keep some replacement stock on site.

At the end of the day, you’re designing a revenue-generating asset that’s housed within a physical building. Getting a design team on board early that works backwards from your investment goals will directly impact your ability to optimize that facility’s NOI potential and its value.