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In
general, active spaces are those which are designed for the
public and generate income, whereas passive spaces
include all private spaces such as the prescription area and
dispensary that do not generate income but are dependant on the
retail area. The objective of a good pharmacy design is
to reduce such passive spaces to a minimum and attempt to expand
active spaces. However, how far can you reduce passive spaces
which are the effective engine room of the pharmacy and
essential to its functioning?
Offering
citizens prescription medicines wherever and at all hours
is the pharmacy's raison d'être, the thing that makes
pharmacies so unique. However, the paradox is that pharmacies
have to give up more and more space to non-pharmaceutical
products in order to survive. Clever pharmacy store
planning has to take in consideration this seemingly
conflicting and diametrically opposed tendencies and conciliate
by optimising the space available for both private and public or
pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical areas.
Other
passive spaces include toilets (suitable for disabled people),
changing rooms and store rooms. Next to the goods entrance,
there is also usually place for stock taking, orders and
sorting.
The office
is another passive space that is become ever more important. In
most modern pharmacies, the office has become the operations
room equipped with a variety of equipment including video
players or PC with live feeds going to the monitors in the
retail area, safe, mini bar, sofa bed for those on night duty,
and boardroom table for staff meetings.
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An office: a
pharmacy's operations room |
The
laboratory is located in somewhere convenient
depending on the needs of the pharmacy's personnel. It can
be compact (9 sq. m.) or large, isolated and closed off or
visible to the public. Laboratory equipment and storage is
also chosen according to what it is used for and the
regulations in force in that particular country.
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A laboratory |
Finally,
the stock room and dispensary where medicinal
drugs and other pharmaceutical products are stored is one of
the most important private areas of every pharmacy. The way
merchandise is stored is of fundamental importance as
promotions, discounts and stock ordering must be carefully
worked out according to the capital invested. The stock
rotation and the cost of the space occupied must also be
calculated to ensure a good return on the capital invested
too. The stock room and dispensary needs to be carefully
designed so as to allow some items to be placed in storage,
other items which need to be regularly rotated to be
placed in easily reachable cupboards, and frequently need
items stored in an easy to get to storage unit. There is
usually a storage unit behind the counter which functions as
a dispensary with drawers below for items that are needed
often and display shelving for OTC products.
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Back counter: OTC display
shelving and drawers for storage |
The
ratio retail area-non retail area should ideally be
around 2/3:1/3. If the space of the entire pharmacy grows by
circa 200 sq. m., then the average tends to be 3/4:1/4, that
is 75% active space and only 25% passive.
If
you do not have another 200 sq. m, then try to make use of
upper floors or basement, converting them into new active
spaces or transferring private functions such as storage or
preparing medicines into these spaces, thereby freeing up
more space on the retail floor. The are endless
different combinations; you could create areas with niche
products on the upper or lower floors, connected to the
ground floor via a lift or elevator, place a robot-operated
stockroom and dispensary down in the basement which can
bring up prescription drugs up to the prescription area,
using the space freed up to extent the retail area, this
could bring your active space up to 90%.
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Examples of a vertical use of
the space |
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