9 Commercial Building Exterior Design Ideas

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So many commercial buildings seem to have the similar designs. Why is that?

These businesses have a chance to make themselves stand out with design choices that are different from their competition; the possibilities are endless!

Here are 9 commercial building design ideas to help inspire you in your planning process.

1. A Lodge With a View


This Colorado lodge stands tall among the trees near the foothill of the mountains it overlooks. It also shows how combining materials can create unique commercial building ideas.

The tall structure has a partial stone facade along the first story, topping just above the garage door. Stone transitions into rich, golden-brown log siding covering the rest of the building. The log siding is broken up by the deep, forest-green trim along the windows, balcony doors, and weatherproof balcony flooring. As your eye continues up to the green fascia, dormers, and gable roof, covered in richly colored cedar shakes that have a mixture of black, grays, and browns.

2. A Contemporary Shopping Center

This U-shaped shopping center showcases one of the most modern commercial building design ideas.

It is divided into two cross-hipped roof sides. The columns and first few feet of the complex's walls are large, light brown blocks, while most of the building is covered in vibrant red brick. A lighter red block accents some of the openings between columns and the top of the building, allowing the architecture to stand out more. Beautiful, sleek black roofing completes the look, creating a more contemporary, suburban shopping and business center.

3. A Clocktower With Style

This stately courthouse stands proud in its beauty, with a steeper sloped gray roof atop red brick. The clocktower stands out above the rest, serving as inspiration for commercial building exterior color ideas. The pyramid roof is a combination of colors: dark gray with small diamonds at the bottom and a thick band of white, followed by thinner stripes of red and white. A large white diamond highlights a smaller, inner red one towards the tower's top.

4. A Vibrant Community

This community has a Mediterranean feel, with the light, cream-colored smooth stucco paired with vibrant red barrel tiles covering a hip-and-gable roof. The gable portions of the roof house balconies sticking out just a little past the main building. Keeping with the Mediterranean look, the top-floor balconies have arched balcony openings trimmed in white along the archway.

5. A View Over the Marina

This hotel complex sits overlooking a marina, a cluster of many buildings in different sizes and shapes. The main building is the tallest, creating a "V" to rectangular ends connected by an octagonal section. It is a layout that is not often seen and serves as another example of commercial building design ideas. The reddish-brown Spanish tile roof stands out, noticeable from land and sea. The space inside the "V" is filled with a shorter portion of the complex that has a flat roof and, along the marina, smaller clay tile-covered structures sit in a line with hip and gable roofs.

6. Roman-Inspired Dome

This Spanish Colonial-style church looks like it's been pulled straight out of Europe. The light beige-colored bricks are topped with a cross-gable roof covered in Spanish barrel tiles, and the two parts of the roof meet in a way that forms a cross, a domed roof marking the point. At the entrances, two small towers stand on either side of the entrance, with gable roofs on either end, the one to the right creating a covered walkway to another area.

7. Adding a Pop of Color

This trio of hipped-roof beige stuccoed complexes each form an enclosed square around a palm-tree-covered courtyard. What really stands out about these structures is the Spanish barrel tile roof as another example of unique commercial building exterior color ideas; it contrasts starkly against the stucco with its dark green color that nicely complements the palm greens and the line of trees behind the complex.

8. Spanish Inspired Train Station

This train station doesn't look like much; the rectangular building has a hip-shaped roof with a flat expanse on top of the back half. A small tower with a little pyramid roof sits on the side facing the tracks. While the overall tower is stucco-covered, there are brick accents on the corners and the sides of the windows. These accents continue on the chimney and the columns supporting the station. It is a small detail that creates interest and can be replicated in many commercial building design ideas. An elegant sign sits atop the roof displaying the station's name.

9. A Relaxing Pool House

This small hipped roof pool house sits feet away from a pool supported by the small building and white columns. The dark cedar shake shingles add a natural, cozy touch that compliments the coastal surroundings and contrasts against the light-colored tile floors.

Build Your Commercial Building Exterior Design Ideas With Brava

Commercial buildings don't have to be boring, as shown in these 9 commercial building ideas.

Mixing architectural styles and roof types with different colors and materials can significantly impact and help bring more people in.

You can't just choose any material, however––you need the best. Brava Roofing Tile offers top-of-the-line composite roofing products in cedar shakes, Spanish barrel tiles, and slate tiles.

These products come in a wide range of colors and offer the highest durability:

  • Class A and Class C fire ratings.

  • Class 4 impact ratings.

  • The ability to withstand winds up to 211 MPH.

Brava has you covered no matter where your commercial building is and will provide the best protection possible.

Contact Brava today to learn more about our products, see the color options, and get samples to see them in person.