Commercial
Kitchen Design
Gold Coast · Brisbane · South East Queensland
We design the space, coordinate the approvals, and manage the consultant team — so you can focus on what you're building the kitchen for.
Commercial Kitchens Are More Than a Fitout
Opening a commercial kitchen — whether it's a bakery, a restaurant, a café, or a food production facility — involves building classifications, council planning, health licensing, and trade waste agreements before you pour a single slab. Each requirement involves different authorities and different specialists.
We don't do the hydraulic engineering or the mechanical design. We don't provide legal or town planning advice. What we do is lead the architectural design, coordinate the consultant team, and track every approval pathway to help keep the project on track.
What's Actually Involved
Every commercial food premises project shares these regulatory layers. Understanding them upfront prevents costly surprises later.
Building Classification (NCC)
If your space wasn't built for food production, it likely needs a Change of Classification — for example, from Class 7b (warehouse) to Class 6 (retail/food). That change triggers higher standards for fire safety, disability access, and hygiene. We design to the new classification requirements; a Building Certifier confirms compliance.
Planning Approval (Council)
Council needs to confirm the food use is permitted in your zone. The main considerations are usually parking allocation, noise, waste management, and operating hours. A Town Planner prepares the application; we provide the architectural plans and supporting documentation they need.
Building Approval (Certifier)
Once planning is sorted, a private Building Certifier must approve the structural and safety works — fire ratings, exits, emergency lighting, accessible facilities, and plumbing. We prepare the documentation package and coordinate with the certifier throughout construction.
Health & Trade Waste
You'll need a Food Business Licence from Council and a Trade Waste Agreement for grease management. Bakeries, restaurants, any operation handling fats and oils requires a grease arrestor. Your hydraulic consultant designs the grease trap and tundish systems; we ensure the kitchen layout accommodates them.
Commercial Kitchen Renovation — Leagues Club
Full commercial kitchen renovation including preparation areas, cooking line, wash-up station, extraction systems, and pass-through service connection to the dining room.
How We Help
We lead the design and coordinate the team. Each specialist is independently engaged for their area of expertise.
Lead design, kitchen layout, workflow planning, council documentation, and consultant coordination.
Grease arrestor design, internal plumbing, tundishes, and trade waste system engineering.
Kitchen exhaust hood design, ventilation, make-up air, and thermal management.
Council planning application, land use assessment, parking analysis, and approval management.
NCC compliance assessment, building approval, inspections, and final certification.
What the Layout Needs to Accommodate
Commercial kitchen design isn't just about equipment placement. Every element has hydraulic, mechanical, and compliance implications that the layout must resolve.
Workflow Zones
Receiving, dry goods storage, cold storage, preparation, cooking, plating, wash-up, and waste. Each zone has specific hygiene separation requirements and logical flow to prevent cross-contamination.
Grease Management
Grease arrestors, tundishes (air-gap floor drains), and waste oil storage require specific locations and clearances. The hydraulic consultant designs these systems; we ensure the architecture accommodates them.
Exhaust & Ventilation
Commercial ovens, fryers, and cooktops require stainless steel extraction hoods sized to the equipment below. Make-up air systems balance the exhaust. The mechanical engineer specifies; we integrate into the ceiling and building structure.
Accessible Design
Class 6 buildings require accessible entries, pathways, and amenities under the NCC and Disability Discrimination Act. For customer-facing areas (café counters, service points), accessibility is both a legal requirement and good design.
Get in Touch
If you're looking at a commercial kitchen project and need architectural help navigating the approvals, we're happy to have a conversation about what's involved.