Both residential and commercial building design require similar planning and infrastructural integrity. But there are key differences between the two, which can be summed up in three main differences.
Residential buildings are for people to live in. Commercial buildings, on the other hand, have many purposes that can affect the design.
Some commercial buildings are businesses or retail stores, which require specific design elements like:
Other examples of are schools, hospitals, police stations, and government buildings. Each of these would require different architecture to accommodate the building's needs.
For example, hospitals would need operating rooms, while schools would need a gymnasium. Each building also requires different electrical and plumbing planning.
Many commercial buildings will have more people in them at one time. This alters the building codes and the safety elements compared to a residential building housing only 5 people.
Commercial buildings often have other unique additions that residential buildings don't have, like:
