Minnesota: it’s a state for the tough. In addition to frigid winters and boiling summers, our state enjoys a nice torrential rainstorm or two. Or many. On top of that, humidity and snow mean Minnesota is moisture-rich for a large part of many months. This moisture, while it’s a nuisance for people, can be downright destructive to buildings that don’t have the proper architectural design. If the structure isn’t made to stand up to everything listed above, moisture damage can quickly occur. This can lead to deterioration, or worse, mold. Stressful, insidious, and costly to repair, mold is certainly not something your business wants to deal with!
Of course, proper maintenance is a great way to make sure your building stands up to the tests of our climate, but its inherent ability to do that in part rests in its design. Intelligent architects create works that fit the climate in which they will stand. For example, in Minnesota, these works must take into account our precipitation levels, lest they fall victim to them.
As a potential seeker of architectural design services, it benefits you to know what this intelligent design we speak of looks like. Below, we’ll give you a look into what makes a building strong in the face of wet weather.
“Wet Weather” Can Mean Many Things
As we described above, “wet weather” takes many forms: snow, rain, and high humidity levels. Architects must design with all of these in mind, and responsible construction services must see these designs to completion. Precipitation-conscious design can look like:
1. Buildings that meet or exceed regulations for snow load | Minnesota has regulations about how buildings deal with the snow that accumulates on their roofs in the wintertime, and good architectural design will meet or exceed these regulations.
2. Thoughtful gutter placement | Your gutters play a huge role in carrying water away from your building’s foundation. Good architects will think long and hard about how the placement of the gutter system factors into your building’s structural integrity (as a side note, your commercial contractor might have some input on this subject too!).
3. A properly-picked siding type. A smart architect will consider the climate and pick the siding for their projects accordingly. Good architecture is functional, as well as aesthetically pleasing; nowhere is this line of thinking more important than in Minnesotan architecture.
Seeking Top-Notch Architectural Talent? Miller Architects and Builders has You Covered
Our Saint Cloud office does business with some of the most skilled architects in the area. To see what our team of architects and construction managers can do for you, give us a call now at 320-251-4109.