After the Navy, I spent 40 years in the food industry, first as a process engineer (note lower case) with a few years out for other process related work while I was a consultant and wrapping up the last 15 years managing design (engineering & architecture) projects for a company that did 99% of their work on food-related projects. Food processing & storage/distribution facilities are much like other facilities with the exception of details concerning clean ability and refrigerated spaces (down to -40F/C in one special case).
Constructability was sometimes an issue, but so was working with contractors who weren’t familiar with the special requirements.
For the most part I was happy since few jobs were the same, even the many ALDI distribution centers I managed (as these were also regional headquarters for a German based company, they had many unique characteristics, not like their retail stores).
An Architect friend worked for several years renovating Federal Buildings dating back to the 1920’s & 30’s: interesting work on some grand buildings, but like most government projects had a lot of constraints.
Interesting stuff. I have never worked industrial and the closest thing my firm touches in are science research laboratories, which I avoided. These projects were similarly specialty equipment and mechanical engineer/hvac driven projects, so the work was less appealing to me but of course still very fascinating. I have worked commercial projects from the developer-owner landlord side that leased to food service and major grocery store tenants, and like you said are all quite similar. The closest insight I have is watching all those "How It's Made" episodes. Really interesting stuff!
Having work across many typologies, I find them all with just different types and definition of constraints. For me, nothing beats hospitals which is a microcosm of a 24/7 city: food, waste, work, sleep, health, culture, technology, etc. The most memorable constraints are working with senior department chiefs that have worked their entire lives in low-rise, horizontal oriented buildings based on North American history of "abundant", cheap, sprawling land development. We have tried to share and propose vertical oriented spatial ordering, popular in European health care (and general development approach) due to their many historical dense urban forms, all backed by empirical data to demonstrate equal or improve efficiency. But these department heads would rather walk 100ft across the entire span of a building and take longer doing it than go up or down a floor, even with all the adequate safety backup in place. We were given all sorts of "evidence" that ultimately boils down to socialization and anecdote. The few youngers, upcoming department heads were more open to these different, proven models. What disappointed us is that these department heads, with not many times left in their career, essential prioritized their desires and needs of a very short time span over those of next generation. We build hospitals for generations to come, complete with "100-year" wall assemblies that endure past our own life span. These constraints (and possibilities) are always people and the structures that produce them... which is also the most interesting for me.
Having worked on mainly large projects meant it was often run by Ellis Don, PCL, and the now defunct Bonfield Construction. Generally positive and no issues working with them, but we can tell when if put their A or B team on a project, and smaller projects usually get the latter.
For government buildings, I have worked on courthouses to transit stations and major hubs with heritage designation and requires a heritage architect consultants. I have avoided top-secret projects because these required annoying security clearance (you get grilled by federal agents with a heated lamp in a dark room) and also working in isolated rooms in the office, complete with a vestibule where you surrender your phone before going into a room completely cut off from the world. Coordination with outside consultants is done with an encrypted USB sent out daily. Colleagues would spent months inside these rooms and described as emerging out of a cave daily. I think we later installed a TV for them with some DVDs or something to keep them a bit sane. No thanks!
