Many builders are figuring out how to include parcel rooms after they break ground or in a retrofit and now a days many architects have included parcel rooms right in the original building design. There are several key elements and considerations to keep in mind, and they include:

• Accessibility – Any parcel room should have open access during normal business hours. As “jobbers” and deliveries from Amazon or online merchants are now becoming mainstream through new delivery companies, apps and crowdsourcing, access without a key is important. However, carriers should not be able to access the building and access to the building from within the parcel rooms should be restricted to FOB for tenants only.
• Location – Keep your parcel room along the standard delivery route. This means that you want it close to the normal mail room Canada Post would use.
• Parking – Parking should be close to the parcel room access point or building so it’s easy for your carrier to get the parcels from their trucks to the delivery point.
• Room for Expansion – Currently, Pitney Bowes Parcel Index projects parcel volume to increase by 17% to 28% by 2022. This means that you want to plan for room to expand because the parcel rooms you use today may not be large enough to accommodate the projected volume increase in just a few short years