The essence of chemical production design is combination of the chemical idea with engineering search, specified by economic and environmental factors. The placement of chemical and petrochemical enterprises in industrial units most fully meets the requirements of cooperation of basic and auxiliary industries, economics, unification of building parameters and structures, architectural composition of complexes. The most promising is the location of enterprises that ensure the non-waste production and allow to solve environmental protection, reduce energy intensity, reduce the volume of external transport, reduce the number of workers and improve working conditions. Chemical industry enterprises, buildings and structures design has specific features including aggressive media presence (with different effects on workers, building structures and materials), presence of toxic secretions of local and general nature, high fire and explosion hazard, etc.

Chemical production is based on extensive intra- and inter-branch cooperation. Their location is closely connected with the raw materials and energy resources. Such production includes the majority of petrochemical industries that produce polymer materials, the production of dyes and inorganic chemicals. Independent enterprises that can be built almost universally include enterprises that produce phosphoric, nitrogenous, complex fertilizers, the simplest types of plastics and paints, and some of the rubber industry.

Chemical production can be combined with non-chemical industries into a single industrial unit. When several enterprises join the plant, the area allocated to them decreases by approximately 15-30%, the length of motor roads is reduced by 20-40%, administrative buildings number is reduced in 2-2,5 times. Capital costs respectively become lower by 5-20% than similar costs for enterprises that are built separately.